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Messiah Out Of The Seed After Shem, the Messianic lineage
continues at least nine generations before his descendant, Abraham, is called by God. Abraham lived in the
Tigris-Euphrates Valley, the cradle of civilization, when he received the
following call from the Lord: Leave
your country, your people and your father's household bless you, and whoever curses you I will
curse; and all peoples on earth will be The calling here was three-fold : There
is first the physical calling to the land of Israel; there is secondly the national
calling, that Abraham would be the progenitor of a great nation; and,
thirdly, there is the spiritual promise that the Messiah would descend from
Abraham.
Regarding the spiritual promise of the Messiah, God says in [Abraham]
all nations of the earth shall be blessed. (2) He clarifies this in a later passage by
stating, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. (2)
The word for seed contained in this passage refers to the one descendant, the
Messiah, who would descend from Abraham and who would bless the nations.
The Abrahamic promise was transferred to Isaac when
God said, For in Isaac shall thy
seed be called. (3) Isaac was the result of a
miracle. Sarah, previously barren, conceived him when she was 9O years old, well past the age of child bearing. Abraham
was 100 years old. Although Abraham's eldest
son by Hagar, Ishmael, would have been Abraham's natural heir, God chose
Isaac as the one through whom the Messianic lineage would continue.
The selection of Isaac as heir to the promise was confirmed when Abraham
showed his willingness to sacrifice his only legitimate son. This call was
God's way of testing Abraham's faith. God did not intend to let Isaac
die. After Abraham proved his faith. God said to him: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. because thou hast obeyed my voice. (4)
Jacob was the next heir to the promise, even though he was the younger
of Isaac's twin sons. This selection was made by God while the children were
still in Rebecca's womb, when He told her, The elder shall serve the
younger. (5)
Jacob wrested his brother Esau's birthright from him. This occurred when
Esau, hungry after an unsuccessful hunt, begged Jacob for some of the stew
Jacob was preparing. Jacob agreed to share it after Esau chose to trade his
birthright in return.
Jacob was assured of the Messianic promise in a dream, when God spoke to him saying, And in thee and in
thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. (6) Jacob, then,
undoubtedly knew that he would continue the lineage of his father, Isaac, and
of his grandfather, Abraham, in some significant way known by God. References :
What
The Rabbis Know of the Messiah by Rachmiel Frydland For further
information contact
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