Suffering is both a blessing, and a means of blessing, when it is suffering for Christs sake: For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). If a nation repented of its sin and turned to God, its threatened judgment could be averted. And my people shall never again be put to shame. I must do whatever it takes to be happy, even if that involves disobedience to Gods revealed Word.. If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or extended our hands to a strange god; Would not God find this out? The trials and afflictions of the Israelites did not end with their exodus from Egypt. Because all of Gods blessings are a gift of His grace, through the work of Jesus Christ, we have no basis for demanding His blessings. Paul says, The world is yours. Theres nothing like that in the New Testament. All rights reserved. I will take away sickness from among you. Exodus 23:25 (NIV), Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9 (NIV), Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV), Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. All of this made no sense to the Jews. They suppose prosperity is ones reward for being spiritual and that suffering is the consequence of sin. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV), Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. The Book of Hebrews brings the Old Testament faith into focus and clearly describes the nature of the blessings God promised and for which believers waited in faith. Some toyed with the thought of turning back into Judaism to escape persecution. Eternal blessings are full and complete, the enjoyment of physical and material prosperity, the full manifestation of Gods goodness and glory, and the absence of sin, Satan, death, and the curse. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. He called those blessed whom the Jews regarded as accursed. Deuteronomy 8:2-6; 28; 30:15-20 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. It cuts across all ethnicities, all geographies, all politics, nationalities. (3) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in terms of material prosperity and His cursings in terms of material adversity and physical affliction. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (2) Gods curse is the process of bringing about mans deserved retribution of divine judgment. For I was envious of the arrogant, As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (17) The blessings our Lord accomplished on the cross of Calvary will not all be poured out on men in this life. Steps. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your Gods, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. Deuteronomy 15:10 (Msg), Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The story of the rich man and Lazarus underscore this principle (see Luke 16:19-31). His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:1-2 (NIV), Blessed are those who keep my ways. Proverbs 8:32 (NIV), Each of these blessings depends on your not turning aside in any way from the laws I have given you; and you must never worship other gods. Deuteronomy 28:14 (Living), Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law. Psalm 94:12 (NIV), It is sin to despise ones neighbors; blessed are those who help the poor. Proverbs 14:21 (NLT), It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 (NIV), A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 (NIV), Good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do. Isaiah 32:8 (NLT), Blessed is the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13 (NIV), A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:20 (NIV), The Lords curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. Proverbs 3:33 (NIV), People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell. Proverbs 11:26 (NIV), He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy. Proverbs 14:21 (NIV), Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20 (NIV), An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. Proverbs 20:21 (NIV), It will go well with those who convict the guilty and rich blessing will come upon them. Proverbs 24:25 (NIV), Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. Proverbs 28:14 (NIV), The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. Our Lord Himself took upon Himself the task of serving. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Adam was cursed with hard labor, providing for his family by the sweat of his brow. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. M Put simply, Gods blessing does not mean that we are free to indulge in every sensual pleasure, but neither does it mean that we must deny every earthly pleasure. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Like Job, they would be badgered by their friends to find the sin in their life, and confess it so they could be blessed. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. When Israel turned from God, the promised cursings came. The apostle John heard a voice from heaven saying, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13). We will experience Gods comfort: They shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). Proverbs 10:22 tells us that "the blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.". Before one can receive . We can never, in and of ourselves, be worthy of divine blessings. Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Psalm 21:6. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. P Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. Neither Gods blessings nor His wrath are fully manifested in this life. As we come to the study of divine blessing in our series, we begin by considering Gods promised blessings in the Old Testament. The blessings of God are not inconsistent with suffering. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear. Download a Personal Copy of these Bible Verses about Blessings! This leads us right into the fourth blessing ( Ephesians 1:7 ), the redemption through His blood. May these Scripture quotes increase your faith and trust in our Lord! To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. The Israelites were greatly blessed in number while they sojourned in Egypt (Exodus 1:5-7). Gods temporal blessings are not inconsistent with suffering. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future all are yours, and you are Christs, and Christ is Gods. For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. For the Christian, good includes the blessing of all those who are the called in Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 28:1-2. They knew these blessings would not come in life, but after death and resurrection: All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are righteous, And that in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me (Psalm 119:75). You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. All of us deserve to suffer for our sins. (6) Gods glory is revealed in both His blessing and His cursing (see Exodus 34:5-7). You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on Gods interests, but mans. Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. The simple fact is that our prayers betray us. In the Old Testament we find that while the righteous were those who believed Gods promise of blessing, they were also those who suffered innocently.100 David suffered for his sins (Psalm 32), but he also suffered innocently for the Lords sake (see Psalm 22). He leads me beside still waters. O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? Proud member It does not tell us that he was seventy-five when he first received the promise of a son. So remove evil from your house. Job 22:23 (NCV), Even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice. Luke 11:28 (NLT), (Help the unfortunate) and you will be blessed. Death turned earthly, external appearances upside-down. With that in mind, what is a biblical definition of what it means to be truly blessed?. Since the Mosaic covenant spelled out Gods blessings and cursings in this way in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-30, this is not difficult to understand. Now thats a different discussion, one initiated by a discerning listener to the podcast named Jordan. If we get hungry for God and follow his commands if we seek spiritual growth, physical blessing will follow. Whether God in His goodness enables us to succeed, or whether His grace enables us to endure our suffering, let us realize that God is able to make use of suffering to produce blessings. And if it costs you your life, lay it down. Jesus says very plainly, Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:33). The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Nearly six hundred years passed from the promise of possessing this land to the time his seed actually acquired the land. For You make him most blessed forever; No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. Publication date: Mar 3, 2023. The first group--those who succeeded by faith--are described in verses 32-35a. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. First and foremost, Gods blessing involves the forgiveness of our sins, the defeat and destruction of Satan, the passing away of that which is old and corrupted by sin, and the creation of that which is holy and acceptable. God promised to finish the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). Zechariah 8:13; 14:11 1. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. While not a pleasant experience in itself, suffering can be the source of comfort and assurance. Moms come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing's for sureall moms need to connect with other moms! In God we have boasted all day long, And we will give thanks to Thy name forever. Salem Media Group. We must live by faith trusting God to fulfill His promises, even when our eyes tell us the opposite is happening now. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Thats the orientation of Jesus Christ the king. But Thou hast saved us from our adversaries, And Thou hast put to shame those who hate us. Through Thee we will push back our adversaries; Through Thy name we will trample down those who rise up against us. Our prayers reveal an understanding of Gods blessings virtually identical with the mistaken view of the Jews in Jesus day. Jordan puts his finger on the nub of the issue, I think, by referring to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. God chose Israel as the object of His blessings. Physical John 3:5 ESV / 23 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface: "It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Many were the times in Israels history when God brought calamity upon His people due to their sins, yet the nation Israel never seemed to learn her lesson (see Psalm 78). He also promised Abraham that he would become a blessing to all who would bless him. In what ways does God bless only Christians? To have enough faith is to have the means to move God into blessing us as we think best, they say. Related Topics: Dispensational / Covenantal Theology, Theology Proper (God), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. In order to receive God's spiritual blessings, one must be in the right spiritual location, that is, in Christ. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. This is not a blessing. The great nation was still one seed, Jacob. 4-14. They will attack you from one direction, but they will run from you in seven directions. In the context of prayer, Paul prayed that he might have the Lord's prospering on his physical journey to visit the saints at Rome (Rom. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. He restores my soul. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Thou dost make us a byword among the nations, A laughingstock among the peoples. Such men say if we employ the right approach, (their approach, usually for a donation), success is assured. You will be blessed when you come in and when you go out. If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? And he said, Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account (Matthew 5:11). And instead of telling the world to come to us Come see how I bless my people; God never says that he says, Go go to the world. Next we will look at our Lords teaching on blessing before turning to the rest of the New Testament to study divine blessing. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT (Romans 4:3-8). The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. Psalm 41:1-2 (NIV), Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. Put it at the disposal of me and my mission. Thats the kind of radical life were called to live in the New Testament. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Gods earthly blessings were dependent upon Israels obedience to His Law. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. TopicalBible Paul adds that itis set apart by God in accordance with His Word and prayer,a clear indication that we are to offer thanks to the Lord forwhat we have at every meal. 11:23-26). But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Gods blessing is not based upon human merit or works, but upon His grace. And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? We now desire that which we once found offensive and repulsive. But in addition to the deserved suffering of Israel, many godly Israelites suffered. Some Christians seem to be saying that we can be assured of receiving all the promises now. Your infinite glory, greatness, grander, majesty, and unlimited ability. Verse Concepts. He blesses only Christians spiritually and eternally. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. F On the other hand, Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time. But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you Luke 6:20-28). Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Matthew 5:3-11 (NIV), Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Luke 11:28 (NIV), Jesus said, Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed. John 20:29 (NIV), In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 (NIV), Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 (NIV), The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 (NIV), Even if you should suffer for what is right, you will be blessed. 1 Peter 3:14, If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1 Peter 4:14 (NIV), If you cant carry that ten percent of your harvest to the place where the Lord chooses to be worshiped; if you live too far away, or if the Lord gives you a big harvest, then sell this part and take the money there instead. Deuteronomy 14:24-25 (CEV), You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the Lord will make you successful in everything you do. Deuteronomy 15:10 (CEV), Each man is to bring a gift as he is able, in proportion to the blessings that the Lord your God has given him. Deuteronomy 16:16-17 (TEV), Obey the Lord your God so that all these blessings will come and stay with you: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Marriage and children are both a blessing, but neither is without its trials and suffering.) The primary goal of Gods perfect plan is to demonstrate the glory of God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. His teaching was radically different from that of the Jewish religious leaders of His day. (2) In what ways does God bless all men? Surely Thou dost set them in slippery places; Thou dost cast them down to destruction. (3) What is the relationship between blessing, faith, and obedience? But what of Gods eternal blessings? These were much more perplexing times as we see from the agony of this psalmist: Thou art my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob. What the Bible says about Blessings, Physical ( From Forerunner Commentary ) Proverbs 3:9-10 By paying to God what we owe Him (that is, His tithes), He rewards us with blessings. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. As Gods suffering brought blessing to us, so our suffering is viewed as a blessing for us and a potential blessing for others. (4) What, if any, are the differences between temporal and eternal blessings? Whereas, in the Old Testament, Israel had the promise of physical blessing, the church today has been promised spiritual blessings "in the heavenly realms." Our inheritance is reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4). Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. We seek to obey God when we used to delight in disobedience. 5:18). I Just a few - of many - New Testament texts make this clear: Mark 1:4-5 And so John the Baptist appeared . Let's take a close look at blessing from the bible: who blesses who, how we receive blessings, how we give blessings, physical versus spiritual blessings, and finally how the flow of blessing can influence our prayers. Or heres the way James puts it: Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).

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