My Thoughts on Genesis 12:3 :: By Dave Hubley

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

There seems to be a lot of confusion about Israel’s warfighting, especially since October 7, 2023’s depraved attack on the Jewish people. (I say the Jewish people because this was not an attack in any military sense.) It was, instead, a murderous, depraved assault on Jews who were guilty of being Jews.

Male Jews, Female Jews, Jewish children, Jewish babies. Jews.

Jew hatred has existed for millennia. In many cases, this hatred cannot be legitimately explained by the hater. It just is. There are reasons for it, of course, but those reasons usually can’t be understood in human terms. However, God knows the thoughts and the attitude of every human heart.

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). Emphasis added by me.

You can run, you can lie, and you can obfuscate, but you can’t hide from God, and, just as a reminder to those who willfully try these things:

                “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

My purpose in writing this is not to debate the political or military aspects of this latest and ongoing war (and it is a war). It is not to debate or discuss whether Netanyahu knew this or knew that, if Israeli intelligence services intentionally ignored the warning signs, or if they got complacent as they did in 1973.

It is not to try to criticize or to justify how the IDF/IAF are conducting the war either. In my view, their attackers had the option of not doing what they did, but they chose to do it anyway, just as they did in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 2006, et al.

Now they are doing it again, and the Israelis have every right to “take it to their enemies,” who have said in the past, and now are openly saying again, that they seek to completely wipe out the Jewish race.

I think it is worth pointing out that Israel is known (although not necessarily officially) to be fully able to utterly destroy their enemies on all sides without regard to the destruction of “innocent lives” if they so choose. This “Samson Option,” as it is called, is probably not seriously considered by their rabid enemies, but I expect it is in the Israeli’s war chest and very close by if needed. Yet, unlike their enemies, the Israelis exercise restraint.

In addition, there are a few Bible prophecies that lend credence to the fact that a nuclear event could and likely will occur in the (near?) future if they are pressed.

Whether one agrees that Psalm 83 is a dual-fulfillment prophecy or a simple prayer, it is not debatable in my mind that the sentiments expressed in those verses ring just as true today as they have all throughout history. They are proof that this (as were all previous wars against them) is another war to attempt to exterminate them.

 “See how Your enemies rage, how Your foes have reared their heads. With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish, saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more” (Psalm 83:2-4). Emphasis added by me.

Now there is the same sentiment shouted on college campuses (so-called institutions of higher learning) and myriads of other locations. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” they chant. They verbally align themselves with the intent of Psalm 83, despite most having no idea that they do so. They will be just as accountable to God as the actual perpetrators who do fully know what they mean.

The Israelis do know what these vicious chants mean. They are just a different composition of words that express the same hatred that has ever grown in its festering evil.

Recently, a very close friend and Christian brother asked me a question, which was prompted by his contemplation of all the vitriol and criticism of Netanyahu and the IDF/IAF.

He asked as a legitimate query whether Genesis 12:3 means that one might not be allowed to question the Jews and/or question whether what they do is wrong.

A reasonable and rational discussion ensued, and that is what prompted me to write this.

“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Emphasis added by me.

What did God mean by “curse” when He included it in the Abrahamic Covenant.

“Anyone who abuses, dishonors, or harms Israel will be cursed with a curse by God Himself” is one of the more common interpretations that I found, and which seems to be very accurate.

What does it mean to “abuse, dishonor or harm”? It seems that these words imply a vitriolic and personal desire to cause injury not just to Jews but any person or group of persons based on simple, unwarranted hatred.

Hatred, as preached by Pastor J. Vernon McGee, if held close, will eventually coagulate into malice. Malice is terminal to those who live with it embedded in their hearts. When it mutates into a denial of a right to life, it takes on entirely frightful consequences.

When it takes the form of active opposition to the right to self-defense, it equates to denial of that same right to life.

Whether it involves screaming, shouting, writing, or even just tacit support of that denial of a right to self-defense, and thus life, it constitutes willful, unwarranted hatred.

Among other sins, the Word of God warns that there are consequences for hatred:

“I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21b). Emphasis added by me.

Hatred is one of the conditions cited in Galatians 5:20, resulting in not inheriting the kingdom of God. That leaves only one alternative destination when life ends here.

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

“But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5).

Now to the crux of this article.

So, is it acceptable to question the actions, tactics, politics, or other activities of Jewish people or the Israeli government, military, etc.?

I believe it all depends on attitudes and motives. Constructive curiosity or criticism is not a sin according to God’s own Word, and He provides examples of this: (Read the book of Habakkuk as one example.)

Respectful questioning is a normal part of being human, and God includes numerous examples of it being acceptable with the reverent attitude that God requires.

Disagreeing with the Israeli government or Jews as individuals, in and of itself, is not, in my view, somehow forbidden or sinful, unless you do so JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE JEWS or because you hate God, and by association, you also hate Jews.

They are as human as anyone else, and the Biblical record points out that fact quite clearly.

It also points out this fact:

“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).

It must be pointed out here that the Jews are God’s chosen people and His cherished possession. They were chosen by God to carry out the responsibilities of recording the Scriptures, bringing Messiah Jesus into the world, and spreading God’s Word to the world, and that included what would become the Gospel.

When they rejected their Messiah, despite the proof of their own Scriptures, the responsibility for spreading the Gospel was assigned to what would become the Church. The church has not done a perfect job of spreading the Gospel either, but it has still been able to be used by God to accomplish His purposes to that end.

Important:

• The Jews are still God’s chosen and HAVE NOT been replaced by the Church.
• Being cursed by God is eternal damnation for those who will not repent.

Equally Important: There appears to be only one sin for which a person cannot be forgiven, and that is rejection of the Holy Spirit (which, incidentally, is rejection of Jesus as Savior), for He is the message of the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).

The special message below, if acted upon with sincerity, is the power, according to God’s own Word and by God’s unchanging Mercy, to lift His curse on those who have cursed Abraham’s (God’s) people by their actions and so also in their heart.

I hope and pray that you might repent and come to salvation and the eternal life that He will still give the soul who, while still in her/his living years, will receive Jesus, His Peace that passes understanding, and the eternal life He offers.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death, just as He promised.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: [email protected]

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