For many people God is still the unmerciful judge and unapproachable heavenly ruler who only punishes them and condemns them. Such an image of God has led to a situation where even Christians do not necessarily desire to have a closer relationship with God. This study will show from the Scriptures the image of God as a God who has blessed his own and who desires to continue to bless them in the future. Additionally, there is a short mention that it also is God's will that we in the church of God bless others.
Even among Christians God is sometimes still a God with whom both good and evil have their origin; He is seen as a God who, as the unmerciful judge, is looking out for any and every evil thing we might do on earth in order to then punish as accordingly at the judgement of the last day. He is regarded as the absolute ruler in heaven to whom everything is in subjection and who is an unapproachable being for man. But, is this the image of God which is given in the Word of God?
This study will show that God is a heavenly Father for us as Christians, and He wants to bless us. Yes, God is a just judge who will give all according to their deeds, but it must be carefully observed in reference to whom such statements which also include things regarding God's wrath are said and need to be applied. When God's Word speaks of the born again believers, of Christians, it declares that God is our heavenly Father, that He already has blessed us and that it is his great desire to bless our lives in any way possible.
A passage from Ephesians 1 will first of all put in front of our eyes the truth that God has already blessed us as believers in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3–6:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
What a tremendous truth: God has already blessed us, the believers in the church of the body of Christ, with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies through Christ. This is an already accomplished reality. Sometimes, we may not feel like it and despite the all spiritual blessings we rather would like to have some material blessing here on earth. We need not be anxiously concerned about this for even in this matter God does not forsake us.
With these verses in Ephesians we start so to say "at the very top" – with what God has already given us in blessings through Christ. This blessing is far more than if we here on earth always had the necessary money and didn't need to work one bit for it, which wouldn't necessarily even be a blessing at all. As already briefly mentioned, material and physical well-being also is a blessing which God provides for us, such blessings in the earthly realm are also part of God's working. Nevertheless, all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies through Christ is far more than what we may receive in earthly blessing.
God has from the beginning of this earth provided His blessings for those beings He created. Genesis mentions that He blessed both the animals and also mankind
Genesis 1:21 and 22:
And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
After God had made the animals, He blessed them. Part of this blessing was that they would grow and multiply upon earth. God's first words to any of his creatures on earth were a blessing. Then follows the record about the creation of man, and again we will read that God blessed them
Genesis 1:27 and 28:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Again, the first words exchanged between God and man were a blessing from God upon man. God did not act in a threatening manner, hard and unmovable; He dealt in a manner full of grace with man and promised man His blessing
Next in our study, we want to take a look at a passage in Genesis 12 where we have the record of the call of Abraham. Once again, a blessing of God is vitally important in this incident
Genesis 12:1–3:
Now the LORD had said unto Abram (1), Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a 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 thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
To this tremendous promise, in which God assured Abraham of His blessing, reference is made in many places in God's Word. This blessing which God promised did become reality to Abraham and his seed, and in a very particular way it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham
One passage in which reference is made to this blessing of Abraham is found in Acts 3 where we can read what is recorded of Peter's sermon to the assembled people in Jerusalem after the healing of the lame man.
Acts 3:22–26:
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Here is recorded that God sent His son Jesus because He wanted to bless Israel in a special way. Peter also speaks of the covenant of God with Abraham, of the promises which God made to Abraham. Firstly, the promise was for Abraham and the people which would come of him, Israel, as we also can see here. But it also said, that not only this people would be blessed but all people would be blessed through him.
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, foreseeing 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.
One aspect of this blessing is mentioned in verses 13 and 14.
Galatians 3:13 and 14:
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
What God had promised a long time ago, now became available. Now, all those who believe on Christ, who walk in the steps of believing of Abraham are blessed with believing or faithful Abraham(2). Abraham believed God, and that has become a blessing for all. The blessing of Abraham is now also come among the Gentiles and extends beyond just Israel, because now also those of the Gentiles who believe on Christ receive the same holy spirit of promise.
That God provides for his own blessing and not evil and punishment can also be seen from the record about Job. Job had much material abundance, a large family, and everything was going well for him. He was abundantly blessed until some day various terrible things happened. The devil, God's enemy, went to work and used some of the means available to him to destroy Job's good situation. Job himself became very sick from head to feet, his children were killed and he suffered damage in many other things as well. But Job held on to God and didn't allow himself to be swayed from trusting in God's goodness and God's blessing. Job realized that God was the source of all good and that God had not changed and would not change.
Job 42:10–17:
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.
So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
He had also seven sons and three daughters.
And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.
And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
So Job died, being old and full of days.
In the end, Job was again abundantly blessed, with even more than he had had before. The time of his sufferings, when things were not going well for him, was not very long. Sometimes, people think when reading the book of Job that Job was suffering for most of his life. That was not the case, he suffered for only a short period of time and afterwards was again blessed with God's blessings. His trust in God was bearing fruit in abundance, and Job lived after this another 140 years.
How God is concerned with blessing His own and that He is concerned for their well being, becomes evident from several passages in Psalms as well. God is ready and willing to bless His people abundantly, He wants to bless His own.
Psalm 5:12:
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
God blesses the righteous, His own, those who belong to Him. Those who believe Him are counted righteous. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. God does make distinctions as regards whom He blesses. He blesses the righteous, to them He gives grace and favour and He covers them with a protecting shield.
Psalm 21:1–4:
The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
"Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness" – these words show us that God doesn't extend his blessing in just small amounts but rather abundantly.
Psalm 24:1–5:
The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
This section points out again what has been seen in several other passages as well, that God doesn't just bless everybody, not all men without exception rejoice at receiving his blessings. He blesses the righteous, He blesses, as it says here, those with clean hands, those with pure hearts, those who are not thinking of lies and vanity or swear deceitfully. These expressions describe those who believe and trust God, and they can expect God's blessing on their lives.
Psalm 65 is a wonderful Psalm of thanksgiving for spiritual and physical blessings received.
Psalm 65:1–13:
Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
This Psalm describes in very vivid words the manifold blessings which God bestows upon His people. He give increase to the land so it can bear fruit in abundance. He visits the land and provides water, makes it rich, let's the corn grow richly and blesses the fruit of the land. It is God who let's the plants grow and produce fruit. He gives the increase so that His people can enjoy and rejoice at the fulness of His blessings and that they can in every place shout for joy and sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to Him for His blessings.
Psalm 115:12–15:
The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
In Old Testament times, Israel were God's people, whom He had chosen to be His people from among all the nations. They were the "Blessed of the LORD", and God's blessings now extend in the same manner to the church of God, the chosen in Christ Jesus, the believers on Christ, they are indeed now "the Israel of God"(3).
It is interesting that in some instances even unbelievers had part in the blessing which God bestowed upon a believer. In Genesis 39 we can read about Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Jacob also was called by the name of Israel). Joseph’s older brothers decided one day to get rid of him. The things which had been revealed to Joseph and which he had told them about did not please them at all. So it was convenient to their plan that just then a caravan on its way into Egypt came by, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites who took him into Egypt.
Genesis 39:1 and 2:
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; …
People sometimes speak of others "just being fortunate" or "having luck" when it appears that everything the other person does seems to come out a blessing and success. But, if people, as in this case Joseph, walk with God and keep God's Word, it is not a matter of luck or fortune if they are prosperous in everything they do; rather, it's the way in which God's blessings are seen in their lives.
Genesis 39:2–5:
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
And it came to pass from the time that he had made 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.
Here we read about an Egyptian who enjoyed God's blessings because he appointed Joseph to be over his house This Egyptian had obviously realized that there was someone with Joseph, and he was blessed tremendously in all things because of Joseph.
Psalm 133 tells us of a blessing commanded by the LORD, even life everlasting.
Psalm 133:1–3:
A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Another remarkable and important scripture for our study is found in Jeremiah 17. There, two men are contrasted with each other, one of them trusts in the LORD, whereas the other puts his trust into flesh, man. One is blessed, the other is cursed.
Jeremiah 17:5–8:
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
These verses also show that God doesn't just bless "everyone and anyone" – He cannot and will not do it! His great distinctive blessings are not granted to those who put their trust in man, those who make flesh their strength. He blesses them who believe Him, those who put their trust in Him. He blesses the righteous. This is not negating the truth, that He lets the rain fall on the just and the unjust alike, and - yes - having rain fall in due season is a blessing as well. Here we are speaking of certain blessings which indeed only are bestowed upon him who trusts in the LORD, whereas the man who maketh flesh his arm will not be blessed but rather cursed.
Another important point about a blessing and about blessing shall not go unmentioned in this study. We have seen that God blesses us. Now we will look at some verses in which it is mentioned how we now should bless others as well. One section of scripture is found in Luke 6 where we read about Jesus Christ speaking to his disciples about this topic.
Luke 6:27 and 28:
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Here we read about Jesus' command, "Bless them that curse you!" He instructed his disciples that they were not to repay in equal measure but that they should even have a word of blessing for their enemies. The words "to bless" and "blessing" are related to each other in the English, and they are translated from a Greek word which in essence means "to speak well of" or "to have (speak) a good word". Even for our enemies we should have a good word instead of cursing them.
I Corinthians 4:12:
And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
In this verse we read about the example which Paul and his fellow workers gave others to follow – they too blessed those who reviled them, surely because they remembered and knew Jesus' commandment.
The word "blessing" is also used in a bit of a different context, and the term "bountiful" and "bountifulness" describes the state of being blessed and acting in blessing.
II Corinthians 9:6:
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Sowing and reaping "bountifully" – this describes surely more than just plain quantity. Here we read of this wonderful promise of God that he who sows bountifully (in a blessed and as a blessing overflowing manner) shall also be reaping in a blessed and bountiful way.
I would like to mention another interesting scripture from Ephesians 4 in the context of our study. This verse doesn't actually use the word "bless" or "blessing", but it describes once again what we already read before about the words which are to come out of our mouths. The words used here to communicate this same truth are "good" and "grace".
Ephesians 4:29:
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
We are to pay attention to the words proceeding from our mouths. And we are to keep a good reign on our lips and only speak that which is good to the use of edifying, speak that which can minister grace unto those who hear us. This is not very different from what Jesus declared, is it? Even in the case of enemies speaking evil of us, and in cases of being cursed and reviled, we are still in a position to bless even those who act in such a manner toward us. As we bless, as we speak well of others, as we speak that which is good, edifying and ministering grace, we are going to be blessed tremendously because we are blessing others.
May this study be an encouragement to all of us as God's children to open our hands toward God and be more ready than ever before to receive the blessing which God has mean for us to have in Christ. God is able and willing to bless His children in every facet of their lives. He already has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in Christ in the heavenlies.
Many people throughout the day wish each other either a "Good morning!" or "Good Day!" or "Good evening!" when
they meet. Some perhaps quickly mention in addition a "Good luck!" in certain situations. We, as members of the church
of the body of Christ, as Christian believers, have something else we can wish and express as a heart's desire to one
another, and which I wish all readers from a sincere heart —
(1) "Abram" was Abraham's original name. God gave him at a later time the name "Abraham". In the text of this study the name "Abraham" is used throughout.
(2) Compare Romans 4:11–12.
(3) Compare Galatians 6:16.