But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works (Psalm 73:1-28). (3) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in terms of material prosperity and His cursings in terms of material adversity and physical affliction. Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. The writer to the Hebrews differs with such thinking. (2) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in primarily physical and material terms and not in spiritual terms. The Lord will help you defeat the enemies that come to fight you. And it shall come to pass, if thou . All too much like Jobs friends, they equate present affliction with sin, and they see it as a curse. Three Biblical Blessings That Illustrate Flourishing 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. 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. Good will comes to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. 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. The blessings here are plainly associated with happiness and welfare, both for Abram and others. Lets circle back now to Jordans reference to the Beatitudes. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. Pastor Sadler, you referred to our having physical blessings today. It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Thy statutes (Psalm 119:71). 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. P He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. This false view of blessing justifies ones expectations of no pain and all pleasure in this life. Living in the midst of a fallen world itself suffering from the curse of sin (Romans 8:18-25) results in a suffering of soul for the Christian. Blog, A And Im going to circle back and probably end there and affirm what he sees and show why it is such a great answer to his own question. How will Abraham be blessed, and how will he become a blessing to others? And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. Humanly speaking, men are blessed or cursed on the basis of their response to Abrahams seed, Jesus Christ (Genesis 12:3; Psalm 24:3-6; 32:1-2; 84:4-5; 89:14-18; John 3:16-18; 14:6; Acts 3:26; Romans 4:6-8; Galatians 3:9, 13-16; 1 John 5:11-12). I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. (20) If Gods blessing cannot be equated with prosperity and ease, neither can it be said that His blessing is automatically associated with asceticism (denying ourselves of earthly pleasures). Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8-12). Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee. HCSB, ISV, BBE. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. 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. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still . Often, the Old Testament Israelite had a mistaken concept of Gods blessings. I call that the showcasing of the blessing of God on the people of God in the Old Testament. 12 Bible verses about Blessings, Spiritual - Knowing Jesus The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (4) What, if any, are the differences between temporal and eternal blessings? The Whole Bible for the Whole Christian - CultureWatch 49 Bible Verses about Blessings From God - Knowing Jesus Uphold me with Your generous Spirit. A beautiful way to begin any new year is with a dox Help me to rejoice always, Father, for this is Your will for me. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. John 3:16. A Psalm of David. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. I believe this text provides the key to understanding Gods blessings, especially their relationship to suffering and adversity. Though Esau would not receive the physical blessings passed down from Abraham, Isaac did give him a smaller blessing of limited agricultural blessings . The promised blessings of the Bible are the good which God has purposed and promised. The difference is that one group seems to succeed on the basis of faith while the other group suffers by faith. (7) How do the temporal blessings and cursings which God promised the nation Israel relate to the life and experience of the Christian today? In Christ, God bore the curse of sin and death and provided for us eternal life in its place. Fax: (262) 255-4195 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. R They are based upon His sacrifice at Calvary but are realized in His coming to judge the earth: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. (5) What errors concerning divine blessing can we see in the Jews of old and also in Christians of today? 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. This means that you do not get all your blessings in this life, but that death itself belongs to you as a gift, as a doorway to infinite, eternal, immeasurable blessing. They mock, and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. The primary goal of Gods perfect plan is to demonstrate the glory of God. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 ESV / 21 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. It is also only in eternity that the curse of God will be fully poured out on sinners. But Peter was wrong for supposing that Gods blessings were incompatible with suffering. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV), Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. . This child was not merely an adopted heir, but Abrahams own son (Genesis 15:1-6). Theres nothing like that in the New Testament. In order to receive God's spiritual blessings, one must be in the right spiritual location, that is, in Christ. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). 1:9,10). And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. Transcript Craig Scott Pastor, United Church of God Browse the best Bible verses about blessings in this collection of scripture quotes: Photo credit: GettyImages/Digitalskillet. The very food we eat everyday would also be classified aphysical blessing. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. If we are a child of God, we know His eternal plan allows only those things into our lives which result in our ultimate and eternal good: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3:8-9). When our Lord presented Himself as Israels Messiah, He taught a great deal about the blessings of God. God chose Israel as the object of His blessings. Bible Verses About Blessing Others " The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." Numbers 6:24-26 Scriptures on Blessing and Favor Blessing and favor are found with the Lord and amongst His People. Our prayers reveal an understanding of Gods blessings virtually identical with the mistaken view of the Jews in Jesus day. What a verse! in 1971. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. I will take away sickness from among you. He said, "I am the God that healeth thee." . He leads me beside still waters. As we study the promised blessings of God, my hope is that the present pleasures of this life will fade in the light of the glory awaiting us. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. What the Bible says about Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21). Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. He referred to a blessing found in Numbers that . (15) Since divine blessing is based upon the sovereign grace of God, we cannot demand it, and we dare not protest when Gods dealings with us do not appear to be a blessing. Joseph, one of the Bibles great heroes and a son of Jacob, suffered a great deal in his early life. Deuteronomy 8:2-6; 28; 30:15-20 Like Lot, we find our righteous souls vexed by sin (2 Peter 2:7-8). Judaisms errors concerning divine blessings can be summed up in these statements. Biblical blessings are often associated with protection and happiness. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? At other times, Israels suffering was not due to her unbelief and rebellion. You cannot be richer than a Christian. Jeremiah 29:11 planning hope promises. 1. 1:9,10). Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Divine blessing certainly is not well understood. What Does the Bible Say About Blessings? - OpenBible.info - Philippians 4:19 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. This shall never happen to You. But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! Thats the New Testament pattern: sacrificial generosity and service now; spectacular blessing later at the resurrection. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Only God can make something good from that which seems evil at the moment. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Thus, his wait would have been more than twenty-five years. One would not have chosen Abrahams life to illustrate blessing. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! (16) One of the blessings God gave Abraham and his seed (which includes us as believers) is that of being a blessing to others. For there are no pains in their death; And their body is fat. I know that no matter how good their promises sound, they simply are not true. 5. Use these Bible verses to remind you of the many blessing you can claim as a child of God! For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. The Christian life should be lived out in the light of the superiority of God's promised blessings in comparison to the "blessings" an ungodly world holds out to us (Hebrews 11:24-26). 4-14. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. The point I wish to underscore here are the two very different categories of saints. And the failure to recognize this distinction between Gods plan for Israel in the Old Testament and Gods plan for the church in the New Testament has caused a lot of people to put way too much emphasis on earthly blessings today. And my people shall never again be put to shame. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect (Hebrews 11:32-40). What the Bible says about We can never, in and of ourselves, be worthy of divine blessings. AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. Labs Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. PO Box 756 Salvation is "in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:10). Job 1 and 2 And they say, How does God know? And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5). Are we becoming more like Jesus by the power of the Spirit? Their numerical growth concerned the Egyptians and brought about a time of great persecution and affliction. 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). Your blessings in this life will be mixed with sorrow. For He knows the secrets of the heart. The adversity of those whom Jesus called blessed made them discontent with this world, causing them to look ahead to the promised blessings of the kingdom of God. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 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).