The Blessing of Abraham

I would like to show you what the seven-fold blessing of Abraham is that God gave to him and how it relates to you as a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen 12:1-3)

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." (Gen 15:5)

I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Gen 22:17-18)

Components of the Blessing
Let's look at the seven components of the blessing:

1. The promise to bless Abraham

2. The promise that he will have a great name (reputation) 

3. The promise that he would become a great nation (have many descendants)

4. God will bless those who bless him

5. God will curse those who curse him
6. Abraham will be a blessing

7. All nations will be blessed through Abraham

Fulfillment of the Blessing
Here are some biblical examples of how the blessing of Abraham is fulfilled:

1. Abraham 

a) Great name: Had a great name and was considered a mighty prince among the people (Gen 23:6)

b) Many descendants: Had many descendants through Jacob and Esau/Edom his grandsons. 

• Ishmael became a great nation and had 12 sons who became chiefs
• Isaac’s son Jacob had 12 sons, who became 12 tribes
• Esau had 12 male descendants (among his 5 sons and 10 grandsons) who became chiefs of 12 tribes in Edom (aside from Amalek born to his concubine)
• Esau’s descendants had a part in the founding of Ancient China and Japan, and played an important role in Russian history.
• Abraham had 6 sons through Keturah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Of course, from Midian came the Midianites, who lived in the Arabian Peninsula.

c)   Became extremely wealthy (Gen 13:2)

2. Jacob 

a) Had good relationships with the Canaanites among whom he lived as a stranger

b) Became a nation called Israel that possessed the land of Canaan

c) God blessed Jacob’s unusual breeding practices

d) Laban was blessed through his association with Jacob (Gen 30:27,30)

e) Became exceedingly wealthy shortly after Rachel his wife gave birth to Joseph (Ge 30:43)

3. Joseph 

a) Joseph prospered while in Egypt (Ge 39:2)

b) The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did (Ge 39:3)
c) Joseph found favor in the eyes of his Egyptian master Potiphar, who put him in charge of his entire household and entrusted to his care everything he owned (Ge 39:4)

d) From the time Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything, the Lord blessed his household because of Joseph, and the blessing of the Lord was upon everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field (Ge 39:5)
e) While in prison, the warden put all the prisoners under his authority (Ge 39:21-23)

f) Became ruler of all Egypt (Ge 41:37ff)

g) Saved Egypt, Israel, and other nations from perishing during famine.

4. Judah became a tribe from which the line of David and many kings descended, included the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Solomon son of David became a very wise, wealthy and great king that was sought out by other rulers like the Queen of Sheba. God promised him wisdom, riches, honor, and a long life if he continued in righteousness, and it was fulfilled. (2 Chron 9:13-29). He was so unbelievably wealthy that he "surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches" (I Kings 10:23).

6. Esther became Queen of Persia (Est 2:18) and all the Jews in the Persian realm were blessed through her, because through her intervention they were not annihilated.

7. Mordecai became a high official of King Xerxes as well, and the same is true of him that all the Jewish people were blessed by him, just as King Xerxes was blessed when Mordecai reported the two, would-be assassins that intended to kill the king.

8. Daniel became ruler of the province of Babylon 

a) The head prefect over all the wise men there. 
b) He remained through the reign of 5 kings

c) Influenced those kings for the glory of God, and they were blessed through him.
d) He wielded tremendous power and influence
e) He served with great honor and distinction

9. The Lord Jesus - The blessing of Abraham is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the “Seed” of Abraham (Galatians 3:16).

10. The apostle Paul brought the gospel to the entire known Roman world of the first century (Rom 15:19), many people came to know Christ through him, many were healed, delivered from demons, and many churches were planted through him. Many people in Israel also received support from the Gentiles during the famine through the collection that Paul took up and the offering he brought to Jerusalem.

How This Applies to Us Today
This blessing continues today in the life of every true disciple of Jesus Christ, possessing the faith of Abraham that led him to obey God, since we are descendants of Abraham, the children of promise (Gal 3:7,14, 29; 4:31).

1) The promise to bless us 

a) Blessed spiritually with justification and with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)

b) Blessed in every area of our temporal and eternal lives

c) Note that the land God promised to Abraham is the type of the better land; the nation is a type of the spiritual nation, the temporal blessing is a type of the eternal blessing.

2) The promise that we will have a great name (reputation) 

3) The promise that we would have many descendants, especially spiritual ones

4) God will bless those who bless us

5) God will curse those who curse us 

a) “Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.” (Psa 34:21)

b) Also see Ps 35:1-8, 26

c) “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” (2Th 1:6-7)

6) We will be a blessing to others whom we associate with

a) Not merely a recipient of blessing, but a medium or conduit of blessing to others.

b) Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” So this is not a “bless me” message, but one that clearly has others in mind.

7)    All nations will be blessed through us

Your life has a ripple effect, like a pebble when it drops into the still water, causing blessings to ripple from one person to the next across the whole world. Each and every word -- even unspoken -- and action of yours causes a ripple that spreads throughout the entire world. It's time to take that seriously.

Closing Words
This is the gospel that was announced to Abraham. “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith,” (Gal 3:8-9).

This is what we were redeemed for. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promised of the Spirit.” (Gal 3:14).

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image courtesy of Jan van 't Hoff Dordrecht, copyright 2023 Gospel Images, www.gospelimages.com, used by permission.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this message, you may also like other articles about prayer, like Being Blessable, Prayer Promises, which you can find on the Home page of this blog, as well as other articles of mine Bowing Low in Worship. Also see What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel? I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master. Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Blessing Others

The Scriptural way of blessing others is very plain and simple, yet powerful. It is essentially speaking good things over their lives. It's just the opposite of cursing them, which is speaking negative things over their lives. Let's look at some examples from the Bible, which you can use to bless others.

Moses Blesses the Tribes
At the end of Deuteronomy, we find a record of the blessing Moses gave to each of the twelve tribes before he died. As with many verses of Scripture, you can use the following ones as models for your blessings over others:

Let [name] live and not die. (Dt 33:6)

Hear, LORD, the cry of [name], Oh, be his/her help against his/her foes! (Dt 33:6)

Bless all his/her skills, LORD, and be pleased with the work of his/her hands. (Dt 33:7)

Strike down those who rise against him/her, his/her foes till they rise no more. (Dt 33:11)

Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in You, for You shield him/her all day long, and the one You love rests between Your shoulders. (Dt 33:12)

May the LORD bless [name] with the choicest gifts and fruitfulness, with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of [name]. (Dt 33:13-16)

[Name] is abounding with the favor of the LORD and is full of His blessing; (Deut 33:23)

Most blessed is [name]. The bolts of his/her gates will be iron and bronze, and his/her strength will equal his/her days. (Dt 33:25)

The eternal God is [name's] refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out his/her enemies before his/her, saying, ‘Destroy them!’ (Dt 33:27)

So [name] will live in safety; he/she will dwell secure. (Dt 33:28)

Blessed is [name], a person saved by the Lord. He is his/her shield and helper and his/her glorious sword. His/her enemies will cower before him/her, and he/she will tread on their heights. (Dt 33:29)

As you can see, these can be used for different kinds of people in different situations, just as each of the tribes were different from one another.

Jacob Blesses His Sons
Before Jacob died, he blessed each of his sons, and perhaps the best blessing was given to Joseph. One of the blessings you can use from that is this one:

[Name] is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. (Gen 49:22)

Here is another one adapted from his blessing over Zebulun:

[Name] will provide a haven for those in need. (Gen 49:13)

The Beatitudes
In the passage known as the beatitudes of Christ, we find more blessings. Whenever we read this passage out loud, we are speaking blessings over the lives of all who fit the description in each beatitude. But you can also make it specific by naming the person you want to bless.

For one who is poor
Blessed is [name], the kingdom of heaven is his/hers. (Mt 5:3)

For one who mourns
Blessed is [name] as he/she mourns, for he/she shall be comforted. (Mt 5:4)

For one who is gentle
Blessed is [name], for he shall inherit the earth. (Mt 5:5)

For one who is merciful
Blessed is [name] who is merciful, for he/she shall receive mercy. (Mt 5:7)

For one who is pure in heart
Blessed is [name], who is pure in heart, for he/she shall see God. (Mt 5:8)

For a peacemaker
Blessed is [name] the peacemaker, for he/she shall be called a son/daughter of God. (Mt 5:9)

For one who is persecuted for righteousness
Blessed is [name] who has been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for his/hers is the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 5:10)

Paul's Epistles
Some of the promises written in Paul's epistles can also become wonderful blessings to speak over others. Here are some examples:

May all things work together for the good of [name] who loves you and is called according to your purpose. (Rom 8:28)

Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate [name] from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38)

May you grant them to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together they may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 15:5-6)

Lord, may You fill [name] with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit he/she may abound in hope. (Rom. 15:13)

In Christ may [name] be enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge(1 Cor 1:5)

May [name] not lack any spiritual gift as he/she eagerly waits for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (1 Cor 1:7)

Lord may you keep [name] firm to the end, so that he/she will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are faithful, and you will do it. (1 Cor 1:8)

May [name] be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord his/her labor is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:58)

May [names] aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and You will be with them. (2 Cor. 13:11)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with them all. (2 Cor. 13:14)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with [name's] spirit. Amen. (Gal. 6:18)

(May) Christ dwell in [name's] heart through faith—that he/she, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that he/she may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:17-19)

Now may You sanctify [name] completely, and may his/her whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Th. 5:23-24)

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort [name's] heart and establish him/her in every good work and word. (2 Th. 2:16-17)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip [name] with everything good that he/she may do His will, working in him/her that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)

The Prophets
There are many passages in the sacred writings of the prophets that can be turned into blessings. One of them is in Isaiah:

Beauty out of ashes 
There is a short, simple version you can use and then a longer version if you prefer.

May the Lord bring beauty out of ashes and life out of death for [name]. (Is 61:3)

Lord may you bestow on [name] beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair. (Is 61:3)

Comfort
May the Lord comfort [name] as he/she mourns, and provide for him/her as he/she grieves. (Is 61:3)

Anointing
The Lord has anointed [name] to proclaim good news to the poor, and sent him/her to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Is 61:1).

Conclusion
Speaking good things over others, according to the will of God, is one way to bless others, as I have just shown you. Blessing people is one form of prayer among many other types of prayer, such as petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.

As the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim 2:1-4, NIV).

Therefore, as you read the Scriptures, the Lord may show you many more passages that you can use to bless others, make petitions on their behalf, intercede for them, or give thanks for them. I hope this has helped to open up new ways for you to express yourself to God as you speak to Him on behalf of others.

Attribution Notice: Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible -- New International Version.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this message,  you may also like Standing in the Gap, Keeping a Prayer Journal , Intercession for God’s Ministers, and Who Intercedes for Us?. You can find more articles on this topic at the Home page of this blog. I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master."  Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.