亚伯拉罕蒙神赐福。这里的福不是物质的事物。已过我们许多人有错误的印象，以为得着好的职业或物质的好处，就是主祝福我们。这些不是金福，乃是土福。在创世记二十二章，神没有这样祝福亚伯拉罕。神乃是以繁增的子孙祝福他，说，“论福，我必赐大福给你，论子孙，我必叫你的子孙多起来，如同天上的星，海边的沙。”（创二二17）。
神以两类的人祝福亚伯拉罕，一类好比天上的星（创二二17，十五5），另一类好比海边的沙（创二二17），也好比地上的尘沙（创十三16）。一类是属天的，另一类是属地的。我们基督徒是星，是亚伯拉罕属天的子孙；而真正的犹太人，神属地的子民，是沙、尘沙。最终，犹太人要在地上作神的祭司，并要教导万国。为甚么神把犹太人描述为沙和尘沙？海表征撒但所败坏的世界，而尘沙属于神所创造的地。犹太人已经被恢复到神的创造，因此他们由沙来表征，沙就是海边的尘沙。虽然他们是属地的子民，但他们不是海底的尘沙，乃是海边的尘沙。他们从败坏的海，从撒但所败坏的世界分别出来。然而，星不仅从败坏的世界分别出来，并且还是属天的。星的种子撒在创世记二十二章，要在启示录二十和二十一章收成。新耶路撒冷是由代表旧约圣徒的以色列十二支派和代表新约信徒的十二使徒所组成。这两班人最终要同被建造，成为永远的新耶路撒冷。这就是亚伯拉罕的福。
在创世记二十二章这里，我们看见一个基本的原则，就是凡神所赐给我们的，都要繁增。神给亚伯拉罕一个以撒，亚伯拉罕将他献回给神，然后这一个以撒就繁增成无数的星和沙。亚伯拉罕若不愿将以撒献回给神，他可能只有一个以撒。但亚伯拉罕将以撒献回给神以后，以撒就繁增为新耶路撒冷。将神所赐给我们的献回给神，这就是使神的恩赐在我们身上繁增的路。
神赐福亚伯拉罕，最终产生基督为独一的后裔，地上的万国都要因祂得福（创二二18，加三16）。在加拉太三章十六节保罗说到那独一的后裔，就是基督。我们众人都包含在这一个后裔之内。我们岂不是都在基督里么？“在基督里”这短句在新约里多次使用。在基督里我们得称为义。在基督里我们得圣别。在基督里我们得着儿子的名分。与我们有关的每件事，都是在基督里。阿利路亚，我们在基督里！我们确实是基督的一部分。
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Abraham Blessed by God – the Multiplication of Seed – Gen. 22:16-18
Abraham was blessed by God. The blessing here is not a material thing. In the past, many of us had the wrong impression that getting a good job or material benefits meant the Lord was blessing us. These are not “golden blessings” but “earthly blessings.” In Genesis chapter 22, God did not bless Abraham in this way. Rather, God blessed him with the multiplication of his descendants, saying, “indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17).
God blessed Abraham with two categories of people: one like the stars of the heaven (Gen. 22:17, 15:5), and the other like the sand on the seashore (Gen. 22:17), which is also like the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:16). One is heavenly and the other is earthly. We Christians are the stars, the heavenly seed of Abraham; while the real Jews are God’s earthly people, the sand and the dust. Eventually, the Jews will be priests to God on earth and will teach all nations. Why did God describe the Jews as sand and dust? The sea signifies the world corrupted by Satan, while the dust belongs to the earth created by God. The Jews have been restored to God’s creation; therefore, they are signified by the sand, specifically the sand on the seashore. Although they are earthly people, they are not the sand at the bottom of the sea, but the sand on the seashore. They are separated from the corrupt sea, the world corrupted by Satan. However, the stars are not only separated from the corrupt world but are also heavenly. The seed of the stars sown in Genesis 22 will be harvested in Revelation chapters 20 and 21. The New Jerusalem is composed of the twelve tribes of Israel representing the Old Testament saints and the twelve apostles representing the New Testament believers. These two groups of people will eventually be built together to become the eternal New Jerusalem. This is the blessing of Abraham.
In Genesis chapter 22, we see a basic principle: everything God gives us must be multiplied. God gave Abraham one Isaac, Abraham offered him back to God, and then this one Isaac was multiplied into countless stars and sand. If Abraham had been unwilling to offer Isaac back to God, he might have had only one Isaac. But after Abraham offered Isaac back to God, Isaac was multiplied into the New Jerusalem. Offering back to God what He has given us is the way for God’s gifts to be multiplied in us.
God blessed Abraham, eventually producing Christ as the unique Seed, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 22:18, Gal. 3:16). In Gal. 3:16, Paul speaks of that unique Seed, which is Christ. We are all included in this one Seed. Are we not all in Christ? The phrase “in Christ” is used many times in the New Testament. In Christ we are justified. In Christ we are sanctified. In Christ we have the sonship. Everything related to us is in Christ. Hallelujah, we are in Christ! We are truly a part of Christ.