Someone sneezes and even a complete stranger will say, “Bless you” or “God bless you.” Many people say a blessing before they eat their food. God had the priests speak a blessing over the children of Israel. At the end of his life, Jacob blessed his children. Jesus blessed the little children. So the question we are going to answer today is what is a blessing anyway?

The general concept is easy to describe. Take this simple dictionary definition: “God’s favor and protection.” Simple. Straightforward. Easy. But as with most concepts, there is a depth of meaning that can be found if we are willing to take the time to dig deeper.

All Blessings Start with God

God is the creator of all that exists. He created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. He spoke everything into existence until it came to the creation of man. Instead of speaking the man into existence, God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into him and he became a living being (Genesis 2:8).

The very first recorded words in the Bible that God spoke to man was a blessing. Genesis 1:28 says,

God blessed them (Adam and Eve); and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

God creates man in His image and gives them the authority to rule the earth. This rule was to be conducted through a personal relationship with Him. Man is created out of the love of God to love Him and rule with Him.

So it only makes sense that God desires for man to flourish and experience his favor and protection. He wants Adam and Eve to grow into the fullness of life as He intends it to be. This is as it should be since,

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

Recognizing that God’s love is the wellspring of every blessing is foundational. God loves us with an everlasting love and wants to pour out His blessings upon us.

Blessings are Spoken to People

There’s power in words. God spoke words and creation came into existence. The Bible tells us that we can speak words that will bring life to people and words that will bring death.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

Blessings are very similar to prayer. The difference is that in praying we speak to God and in blessing we speak to people.

A blessing is more than kind thoughts toward a person. A blessing is more than a prayer lifted up to God in your mind. A blessing is a spoken word said in the presence of the person(s) being blessed.

Blessings are Speaking God’s Intentions for Others

A blessing is not the kind intentions that we have toward a person and what we want to happen in their life. It is a declaration of God’s intent toward a person.

Since God is the source of all blessing, we must go to Him to find out what His intentions are toward the person we want to bless. In one sense a blessing is very similar to a prophecy.

Prophecy is more direct where it says what the Lord will do, whereas, blessings are what God wants to do in a person’s life. The reason I say wants to do and not will do is that we can short-circuit what God desires to do in our lives through disobedience.

God has immeasurable riches He desires to pour out upon us. These riches are only available as we learn to walk in His ways

Blessings are a Conduit for God’s Grace

Frank Dimazzio speaks of a blessing as a “transmission or endowment of the power of God’s goodness and favor poured into my life.” When we speak a blessing over a person, it opens the door for God to work in their lives as only He can do.

Another way to describe it is to say that when we bless someone we are directing God’s goodness to them. We are inviting God’s power to show up in their lives to bring about a change in their situation.

Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary says a blessing is,

The act of declaring, or wishing, favor and goodness upon others. The blessing is not only for the good effect of the words; it also has the power to bring that to pass.

Once we understand that God is the source of all blessing and we have received a blessing from Him for a person, we can be assured that He has the desire and ability to carry it out in the life of the person we blessed.

Blessings Always Release Increase

The first phrase in God’s blessing of Adam and Eve is “Be fruitful and multiply.” Both of these terms signify a great increase. God desires to pour out His blessings in ways that will astound us. He is the God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

I found this great definition in the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament,

To endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity [which means, the ability to produce an abundance of offspring or new growth], longevity, etc;

God wants us to experience the fullness of His blessing in every area of our lives. Here are a few of the things He desires for us:

love, joy, peace,  gentleness, kindness,  goodness, meekness, patience,  eternal life, compassion, mercy, grace, strength, encouragement, freedom, wholeness, support, purpose, meaning, value, hope, gifts, talents, fulfillment, right relationships, blessings, promises, an inheritance, strength, comfort, healing, restoration, reconciliation, unity, harmony, edification,  fellowship, communion, soundness of mind, prosperity, abundance, an overflowing cup, generosity, companionship.

Two Examples of Blessings

The first blessing comes from Genesis 27:28-29. It is where Isaac thinks he is blessing his son Esau, but in fact is blessing Jacob. Notice how the word “may” is used.

28 Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you.
And blessed be those who bless you.”

The second example is the blessing that God commands Aaron to speak over the children of Israel. This blessing doesn’t use the word may. It simply speaks what the Lord desires to take place in their lives. God calls it invoking His name on the sons of Israel.

22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
     24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;
     25 The Lord make His face shine on you,
     And be gracious to you;
     26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
     And give you peace.’
27 So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27)

Next week we will look at this last blessing in more detail to help us understand how the Lord wants to bless His people.

My Blessing For You

Before you go I would like to speak a blessing over you:

May the Lord open your eyes to the greatness of who He is.
May you understand all the richness of His blessing.
May you receive a revelation of the importance of speaking blessings.
May He give you insight into how you can speak blessing into the lives of others.
May He give you ample opportunity to speak His blessings to those around you.
May you abound in the things of the Lord and increase in His favor

See you next week.