A Great Nation

A nation is a politically organized body of people under a single rule or government.

Introduction

Every nation is built on ideas and concepts. The appropriate terminology of this phenomena is called nationalism. Nationalism refers to those political ideologies and movements fostering national consciousness and advocating the right of nations to self-determination. (Storrar, W. (1996). “Vertigo” or “Imago”? Nations in the Divine Economy. Themelios, 21(3), 4.)

Ideas build nations and empires.

John Winthrop set out to sail to America in 1630. During this time he wrote a sermon entitled, A Modell of Christian Charity. In this sermon, he laid the framework for what would become known as Manifest Destiny. He introduced the idea that God was in covenant with America, and therefore, America is obliged to a certain covenant responsibility that is not extended to other nations.

This idea led to much of the ambitious attempts towards a utopian nation that is under the divine hand of God—leading to some of the most vicious acts against the natives of the land they sought to claim. It also led to the idea of Manifest Destiny.

The History.com states,

Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845, is the idea that the United States is destined—by God, its advocates believed—to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent. The philosophy drove 19th-century U.S. territorial expansion and was used to justify the forced removal of Native Americans and other groups from their homes.

Donald M. Scott, Professor of History at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York shares, “the idea of Manifest Destiny claimed that America had a destiny, manifest, i.e., self-evident, from God to occupy the North American continent south of Canada.”

This idea started wars and led to the birth to a new type of nationalism. Yet, if we read the Scriptures, the ideas are not actually promises given to America. Rather, they are inferences made from Scripture.

In our text today, Abraham did not make an inference based on his reasoning. Rather, he had a promise from God.

Abraham’s Promise

When we read Genesis 12:2 it becomes easy to apply such a delightful promise to one’s personal circumstance. However, attention to the context really lends a more beautiful point than the one we may apply to our own selves.

Genesis 10 mentions nations four times before we ever hear of a nation pertaining to Abram (See Genesis 10:5, 20, 31, 32). The importance of this fact is that there were all sorts of nations that descended from Noah before we get to the nation that God promises Abraham to be.

For every descendent listed in Genesis 10 there is a nation with its own ideology and consequently, its own government. And for every government there was a different idea of how government/ rule should be exercised.

And in the midst of this creational chaos, God chooses one man and says, “I will make you a great nation.” For the first time in the Bible, God builds a nation and its name is not America, its name would become Israel.

Therefore, the objective becomes becoming associated with this nation instead of trying to duplicate or steal the blessing of that nation God built.

We didn’t replace the nation, we joined it. And the promise of this newly formed covenant are uniquely different from the ones of the first covenant with Israel.

How Are We Connected?

Isaiah 2:1-4 “1 The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. All nations will stream to it, 3 and many peoples will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so that we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.”

Acts 10:28-35 “28 Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner, but God has shown me that I must not call any person impure or unclean. 29 That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So may I ask why you sent for me?” 30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house. Just then a man in dazzling clothing stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. 32 Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’ 33 So I immediately sent for you, and it was good of you to come. So now we are all in the presence of God to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.” 34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is r…”

1 Peter 2:9-10 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

We have been called for greatness and invited into greatness.

The Value of Greatness

The promises are found in Genesis 12:2, but the instruction is in Genesis 12:1. Greatness requires you to leave something. Many of us have not achieved greatness, because we refused to leave things that want to keep us ordinary.

The word “great” means remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree, magnitude, or effect.

How much does being great matter to you? In God’s promise there emphasis on being great. God promises Abraham will have:

great name

great nation

Abraham new greatness was worth the departure.

Genesis 12:4 CSB

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

We move because God is faithful.

Romans 4:19–21 CSB

19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do.

Concluding Thoughts:

God grants us natural manifestations of His promise as a means of accomplishing His spiritual purposes.

When we receive the material manifestations, we must remember that these were given for a spiritual purpose.

Greatness is measured, not by how much the blessings helps me, but how much the blessing blesses others.