You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household. Ezekiel 44:30 (NIV), Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. Deuteronomy 16:17 (NIV), Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on is word he meditates day and night. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Undergrace, eating a ham sandwich is acceptable. 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. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The second group--those who suffered and endured by faith--are described in the last half of verse 35 through verse 38. For You make him most blessed forever; You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, God forbid it, Lord! The difference between these two categories is not that one group has faith while the other does not. (19) Gods promised blessings do not assure us we will escape the wrath of men toward God, but only that we will escape the wrath of God toward men. In our identification with Christ, we enter into His rejection and persecution by men, and in so doing are blessed by a closer walk with Him, a deeper fellowship with Him, and a growing hunger for heaven and the full blessings of God (see 2 Corinthians 4 and 5; Philippians 3:10; 1 Peter 2-4). Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Oh, God, help us to live with faith. Thus, the blessings of the Old Testament are partial and provisional. For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee. The point I wish to underscore here are the two very different categories of saints. The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. - THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR DIVINE ORDINATION TO THE BLESSINGS OF GRACE. Eternal blessings are experienced by saints who have been transformed into the image of Christ, whose mortal bodies are left behind and who live in a new world free of sin, of Satan, and of the curse (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21 and 22). But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 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. 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. And he said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. TopicalBible - Numbers 6:24-26. Yet our prayers betray us. What a verse! Gods blessing is not based upon human merit or works, but upon His grace. (6) Gods glory is revealed in both His blessing and His cursing (see Exodus 34:5-7). All of those referred to were people who obtained Gods approval through their faith in Gods promise. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 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. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 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). Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 5:18). In Gods economy, serving others is a privilege and not a curse. The unnamed author of this epistle reminds these Christians of their Old Testament roots. There is no geographic center for Christianity. They suppose prosperity is ones reward for being spiritual and that suffering is the consequence of sin. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. More likely, he meant that they received some of the promises but not the promises which could only be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ, promises which are still future for us. (3) Gods blessing is opposed to cursing. They think of Gods blessings primarily in terms of that which is physical and material.102 They believe that because Christ has come, every promised blessing can be ours, now, if we but believe and ask for them in faith. Where Moms Connect is a unique mom's ministry curriculum that brings women together and helps them connect naturally, through discussion, Bible study and fun. When Jesus began to teach His disciples concerning His coming rejection, suffering, and death in Jerusalem, even His disciples reacted. Strengthen and help me, Lord. 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? The writer may have meant that they were given promises, but they did not receive them. 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. 1 Peter 2:21; 3:8-9, 13-17; 4:1, 14-16 Use these Bible verses to remind you of the many blessing you can claim as a child of God! When Israel turned from God, the promised cursings came. All of this made no sense to the Jews. John 3:16. Three Advantages You Gain From Trusting In God, i love belivers portal.very inspiring and informarive, Thanks for the efforts to compile this. 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. In fact, suffering can be a blessing in the hand of God. Proverbs 10:22 tells us that "the blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.". You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. When we struggle with sin and the flesh (Romans 7), we know it is because we have become a new creation in Christ. 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. . But for Thy sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Psalm 21:6. I believe this is the dwelling of which our Lord Jesus spoke just before His death: Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. Humble yourself as Jesus said: "Blessed are the 'poor in spirit': for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Read this and the other eight blessings for you as they were explained by Jesus, in Matthew 5, which are keys to unlocking such personal blessings. To belong to Christ is to belong to God as our Father and to be heirs of all that God owns that is, everything. Let that sink in. These are not always material blessings, however. Ephesians 1:3-5. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! We must view such blessing and suffering as temporary and not eternal. (6) How can a clear understanding of divine blessings help us to better understand Gods eternal plan, especially as it relates to man? All of us deserve to suffer for our sins. The term blessed is thrown around in our culture today, and its all over our Bibles too. We will be shown mercy: They shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). (3) What is the relationship between blessing, faith, and obedience? The prophets suffered themselves and also spoke of the Messiah to come as the One who would suffer for the sins of men (Isaiah 52:13--53:12). I must do whatever it takes to be happy, even if that involves disobedience to Gods revealed Word.. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Storing up spiritual treasures in heaven is far more important than physical prosperity. God does not promise to make us wealthy but that our relationship with Him will prosper. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. Biblical blessings are often associated with protection and happiness. Labs You do not have to fear the future when God's hand is over your life. For our soul has sunk down into the dust; Our body cleaves to the earth. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. His teaching was different not as the result of a change in Gods plan, but due to the Jews misconceptions concerning Gods promised blessings. Why are they wrong? By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God (1 Peter 4:14-16). in 1971. Our text speaks only of Old Testament saints. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. A Psalm of David. 1. L Blessings that we receive, whether material or spiritual, all have to do with the coming of God's Kingdom, whether here and now in small glimpses, or eternally when God makes all things new (Revelation 21:5, Isaiah 43:19). 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. The primary goal of Gods perfect plan is to demonstrate the glory of God. Israel was the showcase of Gods blessings among the nations. But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. Acts 3:25-26 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. To be spiritual they say is the assurance of earthly pleasures; to be sinful is to bring upon oneself pain and suffering.