Father of Many Nations
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The following expansion of the promise shows that blessings were promised regarding more than just the “one Seed,” Christ of Galatians 3:16. This is crucial to grasp because many miss this point entirely.
Let’s read the next stage, expanding God’s intent of both race and grace: “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be you perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and willmultiply you exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you” (Gen. 17:1-5).
If Abraham obeyed God—so the promises were still conditional at this point—this passage reveals that Abraham would father more than one nation—“many”—and his descendants would be multiplied.
Understand what this verse is saying. It cannot be solely referring to the Jews, because they have never been more than one nation. (They have always been scattered into many nations.)
In addition, there is no possible way that this could refer solely to Christ. Gen 17:6 makes this even plainer: “And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations [plural] of you, and kings[plural] shall come out of you.” This last phrase adds something new—and extremely important!
Consider. How could a reference to “nations” and “kings” possibly refer to Abraham’s spiritual children (Gal. 3:29) and scattered individuals in the Church, forming one “holy nation” (I Pet. 2:9)? The answer is, it cannot—and it must be referring to ethnic descendants of Abraham, the promise of race.
Now notice the next verse in Genesis 17:1-27 “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you andyour seed after you in their generations for an everlasting [forever] covenant…” (Gen 17:7). The reference here to “their generations” confirms that this is more than one seed—more than Christ alone.
Gen 17:8 strengthens the promise: “And I will give unto you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God,” with Gen 17:9 repeating this for emphasis: “You shall keep My covenant therefore, you, and your seed after you in their generations.”
These are astonishing words! The very course of history is reflected in them. For many “generations,” God promised to bless Abraham’s physical descendants. Of course, the fact that salvation comes by following Abraham’s pattern of obedience and unquestioning belief in God’s instructions is of enormous importance spiritually, because it defines the path to salvation for every human being (Rom. 15:8)!
Abraham Qualified Through Obedience
Remember, God’s original promise to Abraham was conditional. Abraham had to prove that he was obedient to whatever he was instructed to do. In chapter 22, God took the test to a new level, commanding him to sacrifice his only son according to promise, Isaac (Rom. 9:7-8). Without hesitation, he did exactly what God said.
Notice: “And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By Myself have I sworn, says the Lord, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:15-18).
At this point, the promise became unconditional. How many people would be willing to sacrifice their child, if God required it? Abraham was willing, and obeyed God in every point, no matter the personal cost. This is how God described his obedience: “Because that Abraham obeyed [past tense] My voice, and kept [past tense] My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Gen. 26:5).
The Bible plainly says, “Sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4). Abraham kept this law, and so must you to inherit what was promised to him.
One other crucial point must be understood here. God told Abraham that his descendants would “possess the gate of his enemies.” This has to be a reference to real nations on Earth, not salvation through Christ. You must grasp this!
Genesis 24:60 makes even plainer the material, physical aspect of this promise concerning the number of descendants occupying actual nations and strategic positions on Earth. Notice: “Be you [Rebekah] the mother of thousands of millions [billions], and let your seed possess the gate of those which hate them.”
The Jews have never held such strategic “gates.” They have always lived among or been surrounded by their enemies. Do not let deluded people, ignorant in the Bible, assert that this means the Jews, or convince you to “spiritualize away” or ignore such plain texts. For the Bible to be true, we must look for, and be able to find, in history, one people who occupy more than one nation. Remember, they must be one people and they must possess the gates of their enemies—or the Bible stands disproved!