I had to laugh the other night as I was telling my family over dinner that I decided to sit down and write another blog post. I continued with, “It might be a little controversial?!”. All three looked at me and in unison said, “When have you not been controversial.” Which in turn made me laugh.
This will be a brief synopsis. There is so much more I could go into with this one topic. As always, I encourage you to do your own research on this topic. Hoping this will be a starting point for others.
Lately, I’ve been hearing the phrase, “Those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed.” I grew up in a church where many believed this strongly. However, a closer look might reveal a different perspective. Let’s explore it below.
The idea that we must bless Israel to receive blessings stems from the Old Covenant. But we now live under the New Covenant. What does Paul say about Israel in Romans? He states that God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew (Romans 11:2). In Romans 11:7, Paul asks: “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.” These verses show that the blessing of Israel passes through Jesus—and, via His death and resurrection, to those who have faith in Him.
Let’s trace this further back to Abram (before he was renamed Abraham) in Genesis 12:2-3 (NASB 1995):
“And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Some time ago, the Lord led me to this scripture and revealed something important: Abram trusted God, and it was credited to him as righteousness (though this didn’t bring salvation—see Romans 5). God chose Abram to be the father of many nations (not just one), as evidenced by “all the families of the earth will be blessed.” The stars Abram saw represent not only his direct descendants but also those grafted into the branch through faith. As Paul explains, some branches have been broken off, but there’s opportunity for them to be grafted back in. This includes everyone before Jesus, as they all had the chance to choose faith. God protected His plan: Jesus being born to redeem and save the world (Genesis 18:18).
We see why Abram was blessed—the blessing passed to his son Isaac (Genesis 25:11), then to Jacob (later renamed Israel). Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons and gave Joseph an extra portion above his brothers (Genesis 48), passing the blessing to his offspring. From Jacob’s descendants in the tribe of Judah came the King of Kings—Jesus.
God’s purpose in this blessing was to safeguard His plan for His Son, allowing all humanity to draw near to Him again. Thus, both Gentiles and Israelites who choose faith in the Son of God are either grafted in (Gentiles) or remain (Israelites) in the branch (Romans 11).
Israelites still living under the law will be judged by it.(Galatians 3:10) The Old Testament clearly shows Israel blessed when obedient and cursed when disobedient. In the New Covenant, believers regain what Adam lost—and more: God living in us. Today’s believers are blessed not by works but by faith. As the Church—believers in Jesus—we no longer live under the law (Romans 5) but under grace. We’re not bound by the Old Covenant, and no curse can touch us. God’s promise to Abram was fulfilled in Jesus, enabling the whole world to restore relationship with God as His sons and daughters.
For more insights I encourage you to read both my books: Time To Really Live Free and The Door Is Open.
