Twisting Scripture: Why Using Genesis 12:3 to Excuse Atrocities is Fake Christianity

Recently I came across someone invoking Genesis 12:3 — “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” — as justification for blind support of the Israeli government. To put it plainly, that kind of reasoning is not only dangerous, it is a betrayal of the very faith it claims to defend. When Christians hide behind scripture to excuse the starvation of children and the oppression of civilians, they expose themselves as fake Christians — people who weaponize the Bible but ignore Christ.

Genesis 12:3 was part of God’s covenant with Abraham. It was never intended to serve as a political shield for modern governments. Its purpose was clear: through Abraham’s descendants, “all nations on earth will be blessed.” The prophets repeatedly reminded Israel that God’s favor was tied to justice, mercy, and obedience — not to military power or the oppression of outsiders. Amos 5:24 thunders: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

To suggest that Christians must endorse a government even when it violates the most basic human rights is to twist the covenant into something God never meant. The covenant was about blessing, not brutality.

And this is not just a Christian perspective. The broader Abrahamic tradition is consistent:

• The Torah is explicit in Leviticus 19:33–34: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who resides with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.” The stranger, the outsider, the vulnerable — all are to be loved and protected, not oppressed.
• The Qur’an emphasizes the sanctity of life in 5:32: “Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land — it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one — it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” Starving families by blocking humanitarian aid is not saving lives; it is taking them.

Taken together, these scriptures paint a consistent moral vision: God does not sanction injustice. He commands care for the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the oppressed.

This is why citing Genesis 12:3 to excuse the ongoing atrocities in Gaza is so offensive. Today, children in Gaza are starving to death as aid is restricted. Entire families are displaced, hospitals are collapsing, and communities are crumbling under siege. The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, yet reports from on the ground describe famine-level conditions. To look at this suffering and declare, “God blesses this government no matter what” is not faith — it is hypocrisy.