The Scriptures Proclaimed the Good News
to Abraham in Advance
3: 8-9
DIG: How does the example of Abraham here support Paul’s argument? How is our faith in Messiah a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham? How does each scripture from the TaNaKh here expose the problem of trying to be right with ADONAI by trusting in one’s ability to keep all 613 commandments in the Torah? How does Yeshua solve this problem for us in Galatians 13 and 14?
REFLECT: What was different about Peter’s target audience for salvation and Paul’s? It was not a different gospel, but a different audience. How did Abraham receive his gospel? How would you explain the promised “blessing” in verses 8-9 and 14 to a seeker? What is the difference between Messianic Jews’ and Orthodox Jews’ view of being a blessing to all the nations of the world?
It is important to understand that how the Good News was pronounced to Abraham in advance was identical to Paul’s salvation equals faith-plus-nothing gospel.
Christians often wonder if the righteous of the TaNaKh are “saved.” Have you ever heard that question? When the Jews met at the Jerusalem council (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Bs – The Council at Jerusalem), the question was, “Are these Gentiles saved?” But today, far too many times, the question has become, “Are these Jews saved?” Did Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Isaiah and others go to Abraham’s side when they died? Did they go to heaven? If not, where did they go? Will those men and women who confess the name of Yeshua Messiah ever be resurrected?
During the three days that Messiah was in the tomb, He descended into the low, earthly regions of sh’ol (Ephesians 4:9). The TaNaKh refers to the place of the dead as sh’ol (Deuteronomy 32:22; Job 26:6; Psalm 16:10). One part of sh’ol was a place of torment and agony, occupied by the unrighteous dead and by the demons who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built (First Peter 3:20a). Another part of sh’ol was a place of contentment and rest, inhabited by the righteous of the TaNaKh who had put their faith in God. Abraham’s side (Luke 16:22) was a common phrase for shot at the time of Messiah. The righteous of the TaNaKh rested there until Yeshua paid for their sins on the cross. Then, after declaring victory over those very demons, the Lord of life liberated the godly captives and led them to heaven when He ascended on high (Ephesians 4:8). Among those who went with Him were Adam, Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah and the righteous of the TaNaKh before the cross, including those mentioned in the hall of faith in the book of Hebrews (see the commentary on Hebrews Cl – The Hall of Faith).
Then, in the far eschatological future, during the seventy-five day interval (see the commentary on Revelation Ey – The Seventy-Five Day Interval) between the battle of Armageddon (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon) and the Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom), the righteous of the TaNaKh will be resurrected (see the commentary on Revelation Fd – The Resurrection of the Righteous of the TaNaKh).
The Bible does display a pattern of progressive revelation. ADONAI did reveal more and more of His plan of redemption to His people as time went on, and He did grant earlier generations hints, clues, and glimpses of the future, just the same as He has granted such hints, clues, and glimpses to us. Abraham saw the day of Messiah through some revelation, and he rejoiced to see it. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was thrilled (John 8:56).
The Bible does not give any indication that Abraham knew the name of the Master or the details of the gospel or the four spiritual laws or the sinner’s prayer. To put it truthfully, Abraham did not accept Yeshua Messiah as his Lord and Savior. But if not, what does the Ruach ha-Kodesh mean when He says: The Scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the Good News to Abraham in advance, saying: All the nations shall be blessed through you (Galatians 3:8). The word “gospel” means “good news.” Paul had his own version of the gospel, a slightly different telling of the Good News. Paul’s gospel declared that the Kingdom and the world to come are open to Gentiles also. According to Paul in Galatians 3:8, the Good News proclaimed in advance to Abraham proclaimed: All the nations shall be blessed through you.
The seven word gospel proclamation preached to Abraham in advance came from the call of Abraham in Genesis 12. ADONAI called Abram from his home in Ur of the Chaldeans, told him to leave his country and his father’s household and travel to Canaan. God promised to make Abram into a great nation, to bless him, and to make him into a blessing. YHVH promised to bless those who bless him, and to curse those who curse him. Then Ha’Shem added: and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3b).
With an Apostolic Age reading from the Hebrew text, Genesis 12:3b could be translated: In you all the families of the earth shall be grafted in. The sages agreed as we read in the Talmud. Rabbi Elazar, a contemporary of Paul, expounded, “What is meant by the verse, ‘And all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, ‘I have two godly shoots (Hebrew: berachot) to engraft (Hebrew: lehivrich) on you: Ruth the Moabitess and Naamah the Ammonitess.’ All the families of the earth, even the other families who live on the earth are blessed only for the sake of Isra’el. All the nations on the earth, even the ships that go from Gaul to Spain are blessed only for the sake of Isra’el” (Yebamoth 63a).
Rabbi Elazar uses the passage to explain how two Gentile women came to be regarded as part of Isra’el and even mothers of the Davidic kings. Ruth was a Moabite and Naamah was an Ammonite. The Torah specifically says: No Ammonite or Moabite is to enter the community of ADONAI – even to the tenth generation none belonging to them is to enter the community of ADONAI forever (Deuteronomy 23:4). Ruth became the wife of Boaz, the mother of the Davidic line (see the commentary on Ruth Bd – Coda: The Genealogy of David). Naamah became the wife of Solomon (First Kings 14:21), mother of the Davidic line. How could a Moabite and Ammonite be mothers of the kings of Isra’el? Rabbi Elazar says that the answer is that they were no longer to be considered Moabite and Ammonite. They had been grafted into Abraham through the blessing that ADONAI announced in advance, “In you all the families of the earth shall be grafted in.”
When Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, he addressed the Gentile God-fearers (see the commentary on Acts Bd – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah) there by saying: For if you were cut out of that which by nature is a wild olive tree, and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree . . . being a wild olive, [you] were grafted in among them and became a partaker of the root of the olive tree with its richness (Romans 11:17 and 24).72
Abraham was saved by faith. When Gentiles are saved, they are saved as Gentiles, just as Jews are saved as Jews. But the Judaizers were trying to tell the Gentiles that they had to become Jews before they could be saved. Those who are saved are saved because of their faith, and those who are lost are lost because of their unbelief. The Good News for Abraham was that he would have a son, Isaac. In the same way, the Good News for the Gentiles is another Son, the Lord Yeshua Messiah, through whom salvation comes.
Therefore, Paul draws his conclusion: If you want to go back to the TaNaKh for salvation, go back to how Abraham was declared righteous. So then, the faithful are blessed along with Abraham, the faithful one (3:9). Gentiles who take their stand on the basis of faith are the candidates for the blessings of Abraham. Which they already had! Going back and trying the impossible task of trying to perfectly obey the 613 commandments of Moshe, as the Judaizers were pressuring them to do, would in no way draw them closer to the blessings of Abraham because that can only come on the basis of faith.73
Dear Awesome Heavenly Father, How fantastic You are and how much we love You! Praise You for Your gracious mercy for You told Abraham, the father of your Jewish nation, “in you all the families off the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3, 18:18, 22:18, 26:4). Thank You that from the very beginning, your gracious heart included all who choose to come to You (Matthew 11:28-29) thru faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), whether Jew or Gentile (Galatians 3:26-29). It cost You so much to love us sinners! We so want to thank You by giving You our whole lives- our thoughts, our plans, our desires, anything that we have or do-for Your glory! We love You! In Your Holy Son’s name and power of resurrection. Amen
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