The first story after the promises of Genesis 12:2-3 are given, is the story of Abram’s visit to Egypt. In it the story of Israel in Exodus is anticipated. Abram goes down to Egypt to escape a famine. Here his wife is taken captive by the pharaoh. As a result, a curse of God comes upon pharaoh’s household. The promise is therefore fulfilled: “Those who curse you will be cursed.” You might feel that this is somewhat unfair though since Abram did the wrong thing: he lied about Sarai being his sister. But this demonstrates the unconditional nature of the promise God made to Abram. He carried God’s blessing by grace, not by merit. It was unearned in the first place by Abram’s actions so it could not be forfeited by his actions. As long as he continued to walk by faith in God he walked in the efficacy of the promise. And even if he strayed, the promise would still apply so as to bring him back. When you committed your life to Christ through baptism, he committed himself to you. You therefore carry this promise of blessing. You may not see its fulfilment right away in every circumstance, but you can be assured that God will be faithful to you in his way and in his time. We can of course reject the blessing itself, but we cannot be too unworthy to receive this blessing. Even if you abandon God, he will not abandon you. He will remain faithful. God’s blessing does not require any further prerequisite than your willingness to turn to God and receive it through Christ by faith.
Thank God for his blessings to you.
Read Genesis 12:10-20
