God demonstrates in Balaam’s story that anyone who has revelation from God will bless Israel and not curse them! God chose Israel because He had made a covenant with Abraham. The bible says he “believed God and it was accorded to him as righteousness.” Abraham became the father of faith. The entire revelation of Judaism and Christianity is based on keeping covenant with Abraham’s God. As a grandson of Abraham, Jacob recognized the value of inheriting that blessing. Jacob risked all to possess it. God changed Jacob and renamed him Israel. He became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. God identifies Himself as “God of Jacob.” God chose Israel because He kept covenant with Jacob’s grandfather. God chose Jacob because he understood receiving God’s blessing was the most valuable thing a person could possess. Because of that covenant God assures the heirs of His covenant “in blessing I will bless you. I will bless you and make you a blessing. You will blessed and all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3.

Balaam’s story is a blatant example of God standing with Israel. He continues to do so in spite of many nations attempts to wipe out the Jewish people and deny them the land God gave them by covenant. A covenant God said would last forever. The history of nations is before us as proof including the rise and fall of the Roman empire, the rise and fall of the British empire, the rise and fall of Hitler’s Germany and deep darkness oppressing the Middle Eastern nations whose religious culture daily pronounces curses on Israel and the Jewish people. God forbid that America, or any nation should follow that path.

Keeping covenant, what the Bible calls “obedience to God,” is the key to secure your blessing. Balaam stood on the mountain and looked out over the Jewish people as they came trembling up out of 430 years of slavery. There wasn’t much about them that was impressive. They were all former slaves! But the terror of them came on the prophet and he pronounced: “The utterance of him who hears the words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down with eyes wide open: “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult… his enemies shall be a possession while Israel does valiantly.” Numbers 24:16-18.

Balaam was prophesying that the Savior of the world would come out of the nation of Israel to rule the whole world. This ancient revelation stands up in the face of all who would deny Christ or prefer those who seek to destroy God’s chosen people. God gives us two choices: Blessing or cursing. There is no middle road. One path leads to life the other to destruction. From ancient times until now we see people from nearly every culture affected by blessing or cursing. In many cultures and religions people pay to have curses put on others or pay to have curses broken off themselves. We bless Israel because God chose them and commanded His blessing to and through them. A tremendous price was ultimately paid to break the power of the curse and release God’s blessing: the price of innocent life paid by Jesus on Calvary. Choose blessing today.
To a Thousand Generations

Blessing comes by keeping God’s covenant. Keeping covenant, what the Bible calls “obedience to God,” is the key to secure your blessing. The ultimate revelation of covenant is with God through the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. He became a curse so that all who come to Him may receive God’s blessing. Imagine the curses faking upon a people who would destroy Israel and deny Jesus. Psalm 105 reiterates: “For He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant. He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness. He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, and they inherited the labor of the nations.”

That’s God’s action and blessing. What does He require in return? “That they might observe His statutes and keep His laws.” (v. ). God says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me…for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:2-6).” Notice the tremendous power of God’s blessing: a thousand generations later the heirs are still receiving it! Notice that cursing also has a price: children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren will be affected!

The nation of Israel has a history of proving that God stands with His people counting their enemies as His own. God keeps covenant to a thousand generations. What about you? What about your family? What about your nation? This very month Iran threatens Israel with destruction. At the same time U.S. policy wavers, shifting more and more toward sympathy with nations who are sworn enemies of Israel. The United Nations continually sides with those who vow destruction on the people God has chosen. The strategic key to blessing for any nation is twofold: choose the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Bless Israel. A good place to begin a big blessing for your home church and keep the vault of heaven flowing is to join in agreement with more than 200,000 churches in 175 nations who are participating in the largest Jerusalem-focused prayer event in history. Sunday October 4, 2009 is the international Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. This week we are praying for the next great awakening of spiritual revival and return to God for America. One of the keys is to bless Israel. Wherever you are you can join in and pray for your nation along the same lines.

Lord God who made the heavens and the earth we pray today for Your mercy upon our nation. As Your ambassadors we intercede concerning the decisions of our national leaders and spokesmen. We ask that for our sakes and for our children’s sakes You would turn the hearts of our nation’s leaders to choose the God of Israel and choose Israel for blessing and friendship. We present our national policy and position to You and pray for pardon where we have departed from Your command to bless Israel. Turn us that we stand with Israel and not with her enemies. Let the terror of Isaac come upon America and our leaders and people today. In the name of the Lamb of God we bless Israel today and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Amen!