Abraham’s Seed that Blesses the World: Jesus Christ!
Table of Contents
Unless noted otherwise I will be citing the Authorized King James Version (AV) of the Holy Bible. The AV has the advantage of notifying the readers when the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages, which the inspired Scriptures were written in, employ second person singular verbs, participles, adjectives and/or pronouns by using the phrases thee, thou, thine, thy. It is for this reason that I quote from the AV since the readers will be able to see for themselves when the promises of God are given to an individual or a group.
The inspired Scriptures teach that God promised Abraham that he would cause him to be a blessing to the nations of the world:
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3
“And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:17-19
God then extended this promise to Abraham’s seed, which included Isaac and Jacob:
“And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:15-18
“And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:” Genesis 26:1-6
“And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.” Genesis 28:1-4
“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
“And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” Genesis 28:12-22
By including Isaac and Jacob within his promise to Abraham, God wanted to show that the seed who would bless the world would be a physical descendant of the Patriarchs, meaning an Israelite who would spring forth from the nation of Israel.
The Messianic King Who Blesses All Nations
Another passage of Scripture states that it is the Davidic King who will bless all the nations:
“Give Your judgments to the King, O God, and Your righteousness to the King’s Son… Also, His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the land. Those who dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish, and of the isles, shall bring presents. The kings of Sheba, and Seba, shall bring gifts. Indeed, all kings shall worship Him. ALL nations shall serve Him…. His name shall be forever. His name shall endure as long as the Sun. ALL nations shall bless Him and be blessed in Him.”Psalm 72:1, 8-11, 17 Revised Geneva Translation (RGT)
Psalm 72 has been viewed by non-Christian Jewish interpreters as a Messianic prophecy, meaning a Psalm which will only be fulfilled when the Messiah comes:
And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah. whence David emanated, as it is stated (I Sam. 17:58): “The son of your bondsman, Jesse the Bethlehemite.” And Bethlehem is called Ephrath, as it is said (Gen. 48:7): “On the road to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.”
you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah. You should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah because of the stigma of Ruth the Moabitess in you.
from you shall emerge for Me. the Messiah, son of David, and so Scripture says (Ps. 118:22): “The stone the builders had rejected became a cornerstone.”
and his origin is from of old. “Before the sun his name is Yinnon” (Ps. 72:17). (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16191/showrashi/true#v1)
There are other texts which corroborate the Messianic interpretation of the aforementioned Psalm, since a theme that is stressed in the Hebrew Bible is that a Ruler would arise from the line of Judah whom the nations would be required to obey and serve. Since no Israelite King was able to subjugate the nations to his rule, this led even Jewish scholars to treat these promises as referring to the coming Messiah.
I cite three OT passages, along with their rabbinic interpretations, to highlight this point:
“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” Genesis 49:8-12
The scepter shall not depart from Judah. from David and thereafter. These (who bear the scepter after the termination of the kingdom) are the exilarchs (princes) in Babylon, who ruled over the people with a scepter, [and] who were appointed by royal mandate. — [From Sanh. 5a]
nor the student of the law from between his feet. Students. These are the princes of the land of Israel. — [From Sanh. 5a]
until Shiloh comes. [This refers to] the King Messiah, to whom the kingdom belongs (שֶׁלוֹ), and so did Onkelos render it: [until the Messiah comes, to whom the kingdom belongs]. According to the Midrash Aggadah, [“Shiloh” is a combination of] שַׁי לוֹ, a gift to him, as it is said: “they will bring a gift to him who is to be feared” (Ps. 76:12). - [From Gen. Rabbah ed. Theodore-Albeck p. 1210]
and to him will be a gathering of peoples. Heb. יִקְּהַת עַמִּים denoting a gathering of peoples, for the “yud” of (יִקְּהַת) is part of the root [and not a prefix], like “with your brightness (יִפְעָתֶךֶָ)” (Ezek. 28: 17), and sometimes [the “yud” is] omitted. Many letters are subject to this rule, and they are called defective roots, like the “nun” of נוֹגֵף (smite), נוֹשֵׁךְ (bite), and the “aleph” of “and my speech (אַחְוָתִי) in your ears” (Job 13:17); and [the “aleph”] of “the scream of (אִבְחַת) the sword” (Ezek. 21:20); and [the “aleph”] of “a jug (אָסוּךְ) of oil” (II Kings 4:2). This too, is [a noun meaning] a gathering of peoples, [meaning: a number of nations who unite to serve God and join under the banner of the King Messiah] as it is said: “to him shall the nations inquire” (Isa. 11:10). Similar to this is “The eye that mocks the father and despises the mother’s wrinkles (לְיִקְּהַת אֵם)” (Prov. 30:17), [i.e., meaning] the gathering of wrinkles in her face, due to her old age. And in the Talmud [we find]: “were sitting and gathering assemblies וּמַקְהוֹ אַקְהָתָא in the streets of Nehardea” [Pumbeditha] in Tractate Yebamtoh (110b). He (Jacob) could also have said: קְהִיּת עַמִּים [Since the “yud” of יִקְהַת is not a prefix denoting the third person masculine singular, but is a defective root, the form קְהִיּת עַמִּים would be just as appropriate.]- [From Gen. Rabbah 98:9] (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8244/showrashi/true#v10)
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:9-10
Behold! Your king shall come to you. It is impossible to interpret this except as referring to the King Messiah, as it is stated: “and his rule shall be from sea to sea.” We do not find that Israel had such a ruler during the days of the Second Temple. (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16213/showrashi/true#v9)
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that ALL people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14
one like a man was coming. That is the King Messiah.
and… up to the Ancient of Days. Who was sitting in judgment and judging the nations.
came. arrived, reached. (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16490/showrashi/true#v13)
It is, therefore, apparent that the King whom the nations will be blessed by is none other than the Messiah.
The God Who Blesses the World
Most remarkably, the inspired Scriptures teach that it is actually YHWH God by/in/through whom all the nations shall be blessed:
“‘If you will return, O Israel,’ declares Yahweh, ‘Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence And will not waver And you will swear, “As Yahweh lives,” In truth, in justice, and in righteousness; Then the nations will be blessed in Him, And in Him they will boast.’” Jeremiah 4:1-2 Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
This leads me to my next point.
The Divine Messianic Seed of Abraham Arrives!
The New Testament teaches that Jesus is the promised physical Seed in/through/by whom all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless YOU, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Acts 3:25-26
Amazingly, Peter includes the nation of Israel as among those peoples whom the Seed of Abraham blesses. What this proves is that Israel IS NOT the promised Seed, but Jesus the Messiah is, and that Israel must turn to and believe in Jesus, otherwise they will be cut off from the Abrahamic promises.
In fact, the Apostle expressly taught that one only becomes a true seed of Abraham by believing and baptizing into Christ Jesus. This goes for the Jews as well:
“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham… Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith… Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect… But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe… Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith… For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:8-9, 13-14, 16-17, 22, 26-29
This explains the repeated NT emphasis on Jesus being a physical descendant of Abraham, and therefore an Israelite from the tribe of Judah and an offspring of David:
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew 1:1
“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” Mark 10:47-48
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:26-33
“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:29-36
“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:” Acts 13:22-23
“concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Romans 1:3-4
“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:” 2 Timothy 2:8
“For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.” Hebrews 7:14
“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” Revelation 5:5
“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Revelation 22:16
It is clear that the NT seeks to establish the fact of Jesus being the promised Seed of Abraham who became a flesh and blood Jew for the express purpose of saving both the physical descendants of Abraham, and the nations that would turn to him for salvation:
“But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,
‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.’
“And again,
‘I will put my trust in him.’
“And again he says,
‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18 New International Version (NIV)
The inspired writers further ascribe to Christ some of the very OT prophecies, which speaking of the King who comes to rule over all the nations:
“But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:61-62 – Cf. Dan. 7:13-14; Ps. 110:1
“On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.” John 12:12-16 – Cf. Zech. 9:9
Even more remarkably, Jesus is said to be God Almighty who became a human being:
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” John 20:28-29
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28
“who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” Romans 9:4-5 New King James Version (NKJV)
Note how in the two aforementioned texts, Paul speaks of God purchasing the Church with his very own blood, while making sure to emphasize the point of Jesus being an Israelite in respect to the flesh, meaning his human nature.
It is apparent that the blessed Apostle did this in order to emphasize Jesus’ possessing two natures, one human and the other divine. And being fully divine, Paul could glorify the risen Jesus as the God that reigns over all, and who is to be eternally praised.
Elsewhere, the Apostle describes Christ as God’s beloved Son who created and sustains all things, and who redeemed his fallen creation by the shedding of his blood on the cross:
“who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:13-20
Paul further states that Jesus possesses the whole fullness of the Godhood/Deity as a glorified Man with a glorified Body:
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;” Colossians 2:9 NKJV
No wonder the beloved Apostle could speak of Christ being the great God and Savior of all true believers, whose appearance they all eagerly hope for and desire:
“looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:13-14 NKJV
The Apostle Peter makes a similar confession since he speaks of Jesus being our God, Lord and Savior whose eternal kingdom he and all believers desire to enter:
“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ… for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:1, 11 NKJV
If this weren’t remarkable enough, Hebrews magnifies Christ as the unchangeable Creator and Sustainer of all creation, being the Messianic King who reigns forever as God:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord [the Son], in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” Hebrews 1:1-3, 8-12
Astonishingly, Hebrews has the Father attributing to the Son the following Psalm, which glorifies YHWH for being that very unchanging Creator and Sustainer of the entire creation!
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before Jehovah. Hear my prayer, O Jehovah, And let my cry come unto thee… But thou, O Jehovah, wilt abide for ever; And thy memorial name unto all generations… Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end.” Psalm 102:1, 12, 25-27 American Standard Version (ASV)
The foregoing shows that Jesus is not only the physical Seed of Abraham and the Messianic King that blesses all the families of the earth, he is also that very God in/by/through whom all the nations shall be blessed forever and ever.
In other words, the God-Man who blesses all nations, peoples, tribes and languages has arrived, and his name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
Further Reading
Answering Islam – Sam Shamoun Theology Newsletter
Join the newsletter to receive the latest updates in your inbox.