This is an unequivocal statement of God’s blessing to Abraham. Although brief, its content is rich: It includes the reason, and basis, of God’s gift to Abraham, and what He gave Abraham. It is also full of joy and satisfaction with which God spoke these words, as well as His urgent longing to gain people who will be able to listen to His words. Here, we see God’s pleasure and protection towards those who obey His words and obey His commandments. Likewise, we see the price He pays to get people, and the care and attention He gives to get them.
Moreover, the passage, which contains the words “By Myself, I have sworn,” gives us a strong sense of the bitterness and pain that God and only God bears, behind the work of His plan of government. . It is a thought-provoking passage, and one of great significance, and had a profound effect on those who came after.
Man Attains God’s Blessings Because of His Faithfulness and Obedience
Is the blessing that God gave to Abraham great in what we read here? How big is it? There is a very important sentence here: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” showing that Abraham received blessings that were not given to anyone who came before or after his coming.
As God asked when Abraham returned his only son—his beloved and only son—to God, not only did God not allow Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but He also blessed him. What promise did He bless Abraham with?
This is the promise to multiply his race. And how many will they multiply? The Scriptures give the following record: “as the stars of heaven, and as the sands of the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; the Bible says “And in your seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”
What was the context in which God spoke these words? How did Abraham accept God’s blessing? He accepted it as God says in the Scriptures: “because you obeyed My voice.” That’s right because Abraham obeyed God’s command because he did everything God said, asked, and commanded without the slightest complaint, that’s why God made this promise to him.
There is an important sentence in this promise to focus on God’s mind at that time. Did you see it? You may not have paid much attention to God’s words “By Myself, I have sworn.” When God uttered these words, He was swearing by Himself.
What do people promise when they take an oath? They swear by Heaven, which means they promise and swear in the name of God. People may not have much understanding of the phenomenon by which God swore by Himself, but you will understand it when I give you the correct explanation.
When facing a person who only hears His words but does not understand them in His heart, God feels sadness and loss again. In desperation—and, one might say, without realizing it—God did a very natural thing: God put His hand on His heart and spoke to Himself when He gave this promise to Abraham, and from this man heard what God said “By Myself I have sworn.”
Through the actions of God, you can think of yourself. When you put your hand on your heart and you talk to yourself, are you clear about what you’re saying? Is your attitude sincere? Are you speaking honestly, with all your heart? So, we see here that when God spoke to Abraham, He was earnest and sincere.
Along with speaking and blessing Abraham, God is also speaking to Himself. He says to Himself: I will bless Abraham, and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and as abundant as the sand on the shore of the sea, because he listened to My words and he is My chosen one.
When God said “By Myself I have sworn,” God decided that His chosen race Israel would come from Abraham, then He would lead these people according to the speed of His work. That is, God will make the tribe of Abraham the bearer of the work of God’s rule, and the work of God and what God has revealed will begin with Abraham, and continue with the tribe of Abraham, so that the desire of God save man.
What can you say, isn’t this a blessing? For man, there is no greater blessing than this. It can be said that it is the most blessed thing. The blessing that Abraham achieved was not the multiplication of his offspring, but the success of God in His rule, His instruction, and His work in the tribe of Abraham.
They mean that the blessings Abraham achieved were not temporary, but continued to advance according to God’s management plan. When God spoke, when God promised Himself, He made up his mind. Is this decision process true? Is it real?
God has decided, that from that time, His efforts, the price He paid, what He has and what He is, everything in Him, and even His life, will be given to Abraham and the tribe of Abraham. Even so God has decided, that from this group of people, He will show His people and allow people to see His wisdom, authority, and power.
Related God’s Promises Never Fail:
Have Faith in God’s Promises to End Suffering and Pain (Revelation 21:4)
