“I Will Bless Them That Bless Thee”: What Genesis 12:3 Really Means

A woman here on Kauai owns several condominiums and has done very well financially. She once attributed her prosperity, at least in part, to her support of Israel. Her reasoning was familiar. She had been taught the same verse that generations of Christians have heard: I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee (Genesis 12:3).

The lesson usually goes something like this: Support Israel, and God will bless you. Give money to Israel, and God will bless you. Stand politically with Israel, and God will bless you.

For decades, Christians have been taught to treat Genesis 12:3 almost like a godly investment program: You bless Israel, and God will bless you in return. There is only one problem. That is not what the passage says.

Read the Whole Sentence

Genesis 12:1-3 says: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Those three verses form one continuous sentence in the King James Bible. Instead of fishing eight words out of the middle—I will bless them that bless thee—we ought to read the sentence God gave us. Notice who God is talking to: Get thee out… I will make of thee a great nation… I will bless thee… I will make thy name great… Thou shalt be a blessing… I will bless them that bless thee… In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. The immediate “thee” is Abram. That alone should make us cautious about changing “thee” into the present-day State of Israel and then building a Christian doctrine around it.

But notice especially the end of verse 2: and thou shalt be a blessing: The sentence continues through the colon: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. The promise begins with one man, produces a nation, and ultimately reaches “all families of the earth.”

Is Israel a Blessing to the Nations Today?

God said, thou shalt be a blessing. So we ought to ask: Is Israel presently functioning as the blessing to the nations that Scripture says she ultimately will be? Is Israel presently the spiritual light drawing Gentiles to the LORD? The answer is a big fat “No.”

Zechariah 8:13 shows when that changes: I will save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Notice the order. God first says, I will save you. Then, ye shall be a blessing. Zechariah 8:23 describes that future day: Ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations… of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. Isaiah 60:3 adds, And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. That certainly does not describe Israel today. It describes the future kingdom under Jesus Christ.

Genesis 12:1-3 stretches prophetically from the calling of Abraham to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose through Abraham, Israel and Jesus Christ.

The Blessing Leads to Jesus Christ

Galatians tells us where the promise ultimately leads. Galatians 3:8 says, And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Then Galatians 3:16 identifies the Seed: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

The great blessing promised through Abraham centers on Jesus Christ. So when Genesis 12:3 gets reduced to “Give money to Israel and God will give money to you,” one of the Bible’s great prophetic promises concerning Jesus Christ has been converted into a prosperity formula. That is quite a downgrade.

From the Pulpit to American Foreign Policy

This teaching has traveled beyond church pulpits. Members of Congress have publicly invoked Genesis 12:3 with essentially the same reasoning: America should bless Israel so that God will bless America. That does not mean every member of Congress thinks this way, nor that American foreign policy toward Israel rests entirely on this verse. But the idea has clearly entered our political thinking.

Amid Israel’s conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, “blessing Israel” can easily become synonymous with financing Israel and supplying its military needs. But where does Genesis 12 say America has a biblical obligation to arm Israel? It doesn’t. Christians can debate foreign policy, national security and military alliances, but Genesis 12:3 should not be used as God’s mandate for any of them. The verse does not say, “Send Israel bombs and I will bless America.”

What Are Christians Told to Do for Israel?

Here the New Testament becomes beautifully simple. Romans 10:1 says, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. There it is. Pray for Israel, and pray specifically for Israel’s salvation.

Israel’s greatest need is spiritual. Israel needs her Messiah. The nation produced through Abraham needs to receive Abraham’s Seed—Jesus Christ. That is when the prophetic picture changes: I will save you, and ye shall be a blessing (Zechariah 8:13).

This Is Not Antisemitism

This is not an argument against Jewish people. It is not an argument that God has abandoned Israel or that His promises concerning Israel will fail. Romans 11:1 says, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. Paul also warns Gentile believers in Romans 11:20, Be not highminded, but fear.

Christians should love Jewish people, pray for Israel’s salvation and believe every promise God has made concerning Israel’s future restoration. But loving Israel does not require us to rewrite Genesis 12:3. Questioning whether money, military aid or bombs constitute a biblical “blessing” is not antisemitism. It is Bible study.

Don’t Turn God’s Promise Into an Investment

The woman with the condominiums sincerely believed her prosperity confirmed what she had been taught. She supported Israel. She prospered. Therefore, Genesis 12:3 worked. But experience does not establish doctrine. The Bible establishes doctrine.

The danger comes when Christians begin thinking, “I gave to Israel, so God will bless my finances,” or, “America supports Israel, so God must bless America.” That turns giving into a transaction and makes sincere Christians vulnerable to ministries that know exactly which verse to quote when asking for money. Peter warned in 2 Peter 2:3, And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.

Genesis 12:1-3 is one magnificent sentence. It begins with Abram, produces a nation, reaches all the families of the earth and ultimately points us to Jesus Christ. So be very careful about extracting I will bless them that bless thee from the sentence God placed it in and converting it into a promise of personal prosperity or a mandate for American foreign policy.

Genesis 12:3 does not say, “Support Israel and God owes you a blessing.” Romans 10:1 tells us plainly what should be on the Christian’s heart: My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Richmond