Genesis 22:17-18 "I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly like the stars..."

"I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies. In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:17-18).

Question:

We have children, biological and adoptive, and me and my husband read somewhere in the Bible that God will bless our seed if we live for him. And I'm always reminding the heavenly father of this and I would like to know first where it is in the Bible and then what is your understanding or interpretation of the Scripture.

Comment:

I usually quote from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible translation in answering these questions. But that translation reads "I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the heavens." It's the same idea, of course, but less vivid, I think, and less expressive of the spiritual truth being shared.   This is a part of the great Abrahamic covenant, repeated numerous times throughout the early Hebrew Scriptures. In this specific instance, it follows upon Abraham's reluctant willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac at what he believes to be God's direction. The result of this obedience is a renewal of the promise first made to him when he agreed to follow divine guidance. The meaning, in essence, is that Abraham's own spiritual commitment will have repercussions in the world far beyond his imagining.   We can understand “seed” to refer not just to the children of ensuing generations but to the “spiritual seed” of his faith. I think we express our spiritual seed every time we make a choice to trust God—to commit to a spiritual purpose that makes our individual lives unlimited in terms of their impact upon our collective consciousness.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed