Wednesday / All Nations
Read: Genesis 12:3; 22:18; Psalm 72:17; Galatians 3:6–16
SOAP: Galatians 3:8–9
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who believe are blessed along with Abraham the believer.
Into the Text
About two thousand years before the birth of Christ, God made a promise to a man who had no children. God promised to give this man a descendant, and not only one descendant, but descendants so numerous that they would be like the stars in the sky. God promised to bless all the nations of the world through this man.
Eventually, this man, Abraham, did have children and his family continued. Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, was given this same promise. God assured Jacob that he would have many descendants, just as He had promised Abraham.
Jacob, also named Israel, became the father of a nation. This nation of Israel was set apart by God to show His love to the world. Though they failed time and time again, God was faithful. He continued to keep the promise He had made to Abraham and Jacob, and He guarded their descendants so they would be a blessing to the world.
God’s people knew what He had promised. They also understood that one specific descendant of Abraham would be the One who would bless all nations. They waited for this Messiah, this promised redeemer who would bless all peoples.
Abraham was considered righteous by God because of his faith. Today, we are also counted righteous by God because of our faith. While Abraham’s faith was in the promise of a Messiah, our faith is in the completed work of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God extended the blessing of justification by faith to the Gentiles, those outside of the nation of Israel, but we are still justified by grace through faith. By believing in Jesus and in what He did for us, we also inherit the promise God gave Abraham. We enjoy the blessing of being included in God’s chosen family when we place our faith in Christ. It no longer matters what our ancestry or nationality may be; all that matters is our faith.