They are not in trouble as other men; Nor are they plagued like mankind. Through Thee we will push back our adversaries; Through Thy name we will trample down those who rise up against us. It is not that one group is more spiritual than the other. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. Hebrews 11 and 12 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. Browse the best Bible verses about blessings in this collection of scripture quotes: Photo credit: GettyImages/Digitalskillet. 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. While not a pleasant experience in itself, suffering can be the source of comfort and assurance. Bible Verses About Blessings and Prosperity. The writer to the Hebrews differs with such thinking. (1) Gods blessing refers to His purpose, pronouncement, and process of bringing about a persons good. Let that sink in. (12) Gods temporal blessing is neither synonymous with prosperity nor incompatible with suffering. O Routinely, such letters go in the trash without my even opening them. Thou dost cause us to turn back from the adversary; And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves. In this glorious anthem, in which the apostle, tracing all to the Divine Fountain, enumerates the glorious privileges of the Church, and blesses God for them, he first (ver. Such men say if we employ the right approach, (their approach, usually for a donation), success is assured. How they are destroyed in a moment! Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. Related Topics: Dispensational / Covenantal Theology, Theology Proper (God), Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. Neither do we have basis for complaint if and when He withholds His blessings. They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:12-14 (NIV), You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Because he was just and right in all his dealings. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Jesus simply did not fit the mold of Jewish expectations. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. Amram's sons: Aaron and Moses.Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of Yahweh, to minister to Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. L We can never, in and of ourselves, be worthy of divine blessings. It does not tell us that he was seventy-five when he first received the promise of a son. (2) The Jews thought of Gods blessings in primarily physical and material terms and not in spiritual terms. And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. of (5) God is able to bless men because He has borne their curse in Christ, and thus His holiness is maintained in His grace (see Romans 3:24-26). The Israelites of Jesus day also held a distorted view of divine blessings. Germantown, WI 53022-0756 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 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. Judaisms errors concerning divine blessings can be summed up in these statements. It is I who answer and look after you. Gods earthly blessings were dependent upon Israels obedience to His Law. (8) Divine cursing or condemnation is based upon an individuals decision and works. Peter, who once rejected the idea of suffering, later has much to say about suffering in his epistles. Our blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Paul answers in Ephesians 1:3: God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing every blessing that heaven can conceive for the eternal happiness of Gods people will be ours. Verse Concepts. 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. 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. Suffering at the hand of a gracious God is a comfort, for our chastening evidences that we are Gods sons: For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Gods temporal blessings are not inconsistent with suffering. It is that New Jerusalem which comes down from heaven at our Lords return (Revelation 21:1-2). The land of Canaan was not to be possessed until Abrahams offspring had been oppressed and enslaved for four hundred years. And he said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10). Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" ( Matthew 5:5 ). These are not always material blessings, however. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Some preachers and teachers promise Gods blessings as confidently as the mail promises a free gift. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Well, normally we do rejoice in a merciful God who forgives. He makes me lie down in green pastures. Only in eternity will the full blessings of God be poured out on Gods people. Psalm 19:9. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. In his lifetime, Abraham would not possess the land of Canaan. Salem Media Group. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (10) Blessing and cursing have present manifestations, but they are not fully manifested until the second coming of Christ. Next we will look at our Lords teaching on blessing before turning to the rest of the New Testament to study divine blessing. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. Psalm 112:1-9 (NIV), Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The temporal blessings of Judaism were tempting in the light of the affliction they faced as Christians. From later history, we know that because of Josephs ill-treatment by his brothers, he was enslaved in Egypt. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. When we suffer, we do not ask God for the mind of Christ, or the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we ask God to bless us by giving us a life free from the pain and sorrow we are currently experiencing. They would do well to give more thought to the blessings of God as defined in Scripture. We must see that in the midst of our suffering, we are drawn nearer to God, and recognize this as true blessing. Verses 3-14. It cuts across all ethnicities, all geographies, all politics, nationalities. The complete and final fulfillment of Gods promise to Abraham is yet to occur. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Perhaps the most puzzling passage in the Old Testament concerning Gods blessings comes from the Book of Proverbs: It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it (Proverbs 10:22). One only needs enough faith to be confident God hears and answers our prayers as we desire. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth. He blesses men out of His grace and curses out of His holiness. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 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). And I think one of the most illumining texts about how we are blessed as Christians which we are; I would say we are infinitely blessed is 1 Corinthians 3:2123. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. God was in no hurry to fulfill His promised blessings. Death turned earthly, external appearances upside-down. Jesus teaching concerning His own suffering and death took His disciples by surprise: From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. It is the blessing to which Abraham and every other Old Testament saint looked forward. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of Gods own possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:3-14). Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. The difference is that one group seems to succeed on the basis of faith while the other group suffers by faith. Abraham may not have left Haran immediately which would mean that Abraham was younger when the promise of a son was first given to him. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. John 14:1-3 And my people shall never again be put to shame. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets. Arouse Thyself, why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Just a few - of many - New Testament texts make this clear: Mark 1:4-5 And so John the Baptist appeared . Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. On the other hand, Jesus said, Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). 3) states summarily the ground of thanksgiving, expanding it with glowing fullness in vers. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. 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. The simple fact is that our prayers betray us. A Psalm of David. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Surely Thou dost set them in slippery places; Thou dost cast them down to destruction. R 1. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. The promise of blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac (Genesis 26:24) to Jacob (Genesis 27:27-29; 28:12-15). P Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. (7) Divine blessing is based upon divine grace and not human merit or effort. Thou dost sell Thy people cheaply, And hast not profited by their sale. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). First the trial, then the blessing, the crown. Storing up spiritual treasures in heaven is far more important than physical prosperity. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him . Neither Gods blessings nor His wrath are fully manifested in this life. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 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 common grace is extended to all men, without distinction. Divine blessing refers to Gods purpose to bring about the good of an individual or nation, His proclamation of this purpose by His promise, and a program of bringing about this blessing which includes suffering and adversity. Your infinite glory, greatness, grander, majesty, and unlimited ability. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Acts 3:25-26 Trust in Him, and you will be blessed. As to the first, many will claim that God loves and forgives us all unconditionally. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. In Christ, God bore the curse of sin and death and provided for us eternal life in its place. Somehow, in Gods perfect plan and according to Gods promises, Gods blessings would not come apart from suffering. 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 ESV / 21 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 5:18). A beautiful way to begin any new year is with a dox But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:2-5). When God promised Abraham that his seed was to be a blessing to all nations, this was a part of Abrahams blessing. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. (Marriage and children are both a blessing, but neither is without its trials and suffering.) This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.. What the Bible says about Abrahams life was not one of uninterrupted bliss, yet he was blessed of God in every way (Genesis 24:1). Along with sin came the curse. And that about wraps it up. 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. It can range from getting a new girlfriend, a new job, or a pay raise, to finding a ten-dollar bill on the sidewalk or getting surprisingly good news. God not only graciously blesses men, He also graciously delays the curse so that men might be saved (see Romans 9:22-24). Our Lord Himself took upon Himself the task of serving. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And He said, Write, for these words are faithful and true. And He said to me, It is done. I will take away sickness from among you. - THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR DIVINE ORDINATION TO THE BLESSINGS OF GRACE. Steps. (7) How do the temporal blessings and cursings which God promised the nation Israel relate to the life and experience of the Christian today? Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless. His desire was to demonstrate His blessings to all men so that men from every nation would seek blessing in Him. Like Lot, we find our righteous souls vexed by sin (2 Peter 2:7-8). All things are yours. Jesus said, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).