[2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given in Christ Jesus before the world began.]
From Genesis to Revelation we read about God blessing man, man blessing God, and man blessing man. One of the most prominent stories is the story of Abraham. Believe it or not the covenant that God made with Abraham applies to all of God's children. [Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto o land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in the shall all families of the earth be blessed.] God's second promise to Abraham was just as miraculous as the first. [Genesis 15:1-6 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir, And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.]
God's promises and blessings didn't end there. God made a covenant with Abraham and with his seed after him, their generations. [Genesis 17:3-7 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shalt thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I wilt make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and Kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for on everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.]
Did you notice who was talking to Abraham? We see in [Genesis 15:4 And, Behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying... Who is the word of the Lord?] We read in the book of John that the word of God is Christ Jesus. [John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.] God also spoke directly to Abraham . [Genesis 17:3 ...and God talked with him saying,] Why did God change Abraham's name from Abram to Abraham? Abram means 'high father' or 'father of elevation'. Abraham means 'father of a multitude'.
The Apostle Paul teaches the Galatians who the children of Abraham are and that the children of Abraham are blessed. [Galatians 3:6-9 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, forseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.]
God blesses us in different ways. God blesses by giving riches and prosperity. [Genesis 39:5 And it come to pass from the time that he had mode him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house and in the field.] God blesses by giving spiritual and temporal good things. [Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the Gad and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:] God blesses by consecrating or hallowing. [Genesis 2O:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, and hallowed it.]
Men bless God when they praise him for his goodness. [Psalm 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.] Men bless God when they thank him for his benefits to them. [Psalm 1O3:1, 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:]
A blessing is the favour, kindness, and goodness of God, making what his people do succeed and prosper. [Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.] A blessing is all good things which God bestows upon his people, whether spiritual or temporal. [Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.] A blessing is the mean's of conveying a blessing to others. [Isaiah 19:24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:] Blessing is wishing, praying for, and endeavoring for the good of our enemies. [1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railings for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.] A blessing is a gift or a present. [Genesis 33:11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.]
Many declarations were made by the Master in the opening of His Sermon On the Mount. [Matthew 5:3-11 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which ore persecuted for thy righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed ore ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shalt say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.]
Not only do we receive blessings from God, we can bless other men by uttering a solemn benediction, as a father praying for his son, and naming him heir and successor. [Genesis 27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.] We can also bless other men when we pray to God for his blessing on them. [Numbers 6:23,24 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel saying unto them, The Lord bless thee and keep thee: 2 Samuel 6:18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.]
There is much controversy as to who can inherit the kingdom of God. We find the answer in the book of Matthew. [Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:] Who is blessed by God? Remember what we read about Abraham? [Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seeds after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.] At times the children of God are chastened, not to punish them, but to teach them. [Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; Revelation 3:19,20 As many as I love, I rebuke (point out faults) and chasten (correct): be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.]
God blesses those who trust in him. [Psalm 34:8 O taste and see the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.] We are blessed for hearing the word of God and obeying. [Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.] God blesses people for believing in him. [Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.] The Lord has promised a crown of life to them that love him. [James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.] We are to love our enemies. [Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;] God blesses those who are looking for the coming of Christ. [Luke 12:37,38 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall came in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.]
Abraham was blessed by God not only as the founder of the Hebrew nation, but as a father to a child who was born to him by his wife, Sarah, who was barren. God tempted Abraham by telling Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, for a burnt-offering. [Genesis 22:1,2 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, take now thy son, thine only Son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Abraham did just as God told him to. He believed the promise that God made to him and trusted him. Just as Abraham raised his knife to kill Isaac, the Lord stopped him. Genesis 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.]
The offering up of Isaac, an only son, seems a prophecy in facts of the sacrifice of the Messiah by His Father. It seems that beneath the whole incident is buried the mystery of the great sacrifice that was to take place two thousand years later on Calvary. [John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but hove eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.]
While deciding whether or not Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, consider that they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. [Galatians 3:9-14 5o then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful {believing) Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: far it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: That THE BLESSING OF Abraham might come an the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.]
God made promises to Abraham and his seed. [Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.] The seeds of Abraham are not limited by nationality . [Galatians 3:25-29 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a school master. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.]
*Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.*
*Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:*
*Psalms 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?*
Written By Lisa Collier Clewis, 02-18-14
