Bless בָּרַךְ

Our word today is בָּרַךְ bless, praise, kneel, kneel down, filled with strength, adored. It is used 326 times in the Old Testament. We first see our word used by God right after he creates. Genesis 1:22, 28. And God בָּרַךְ blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” … And God בָּרַךְ blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” He then uses our word in the same way with Noah after the flood. Genesis 9:1-2 And God בָּרַךְ blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.” So we see that when God blesses someone he is setting up a plan for them to follow in which he will be actively working to accomplish through them and orchestrate circumstances around them for everyone’s benefit. God makes this contrast in a subtle way by contrasting Genesis chapter eleven with chapter twelve. Notice the transition from the tower of babel where people wanted to make a name for themselves and to God who tells Abraham that he will make his name great. Right away at the beginning of chapter twelve we see our word used five times in the first three verses. As I read these remember how things turned out yesterday when we looked at the people who tried to make a name for themselves. Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will בָּרַךְ bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a בִּרָכָה blessing. I will בָּרַךְ bless those who בָּרַךְ bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be בָּרַךְ blessed.”Did you notice the difference? When we try to make ourselves or someone else great everyone suffers. But when God makes someone great everyone benefits, we all are blessed. As we continue our journey through the Bible we will see how God’s plan for Abram works out to bless him and make him a blessing to not just those in his life while he was alive but to everyone. The best blessing is of course Jesus and his saving work on the cross. Galatians 3:13-14, 16 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. … Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.