A Biblical Theology of Mission (The Promise to Abraham – Genesis 12:1-3)

The promise given in Genesis 3:15, that the Seed of the woman would have victory over the Serpent, is narrowed from the line of Shem to the line of Abraham, when Abraham is given a promise from God that the blessing would come through him.

^12:1 Yahweh had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and I will curse whoever curses you;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

Abraham was a Shemite living in Ur of the Chaldees, worshiping idols (Joshua 24:2), when Yahweh called him to leave that country and travel to Canaan. Though he was a small family, God promised to make him a great nation. And God’s promise was that Abraham would be a blessing to all the world. Though God was choosing to work through one nation, He was concerned about all nations, all peoples. Yahweh’s reputation would be made known through Abraham and his people.

Abraham’s witness to Yahweh was a checkered affair. He lied twice to “Gentile” rulers he interacted with (Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20) and nearly cost them God’s curse on them, but he gave good witness to Aner, Eshcol, Ephron and Mamre, friends who allied with him and supported him in his battle against the invading Mesopotamian kings who sacked Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13:18; 14:24; 23:17-20; 25:9; 49:30; 50:13). He gave good witness to the king of Salem, Melchizedek (Genesis 14).

Of course, Abraham passed on the promise to his son Isaac, and Isaac to his son Jacob. Of Jacob’s twelve sons, Judah was the one to whom it was said the kingship would come (Genesis 49:8-12), thus enshrining this tribe with birthing and safeguarding of the Seed of the woman, who would bring blessing to all the peoples of the earth in accord with God’s great missionary desire for all nations.