“Blessing the Lord”


BIBLE READING: Psalm 103-105

                The concept of the “blessing” in the Bible is a very interesting one.  The word essentially means “to kneel” but has also been known to be translated as a “present of gift”.  The first mention of the word is found in Genesis 1.22 when God “blessed” Adam and Eve and told then to “be fruitful and multiply”.  Then again in Genesis 5.2 with reference to Adam in the first record of the genealogy.  The word is also used of Noah in Genesis 9.1 of God “blessing Noah and his sons”.   Then in Genesis 12.2.  It is here that God is “blessing” Abraham with His promise that He would have a great name and every family of the earth would be blessed because of him.  Then from that moment on, we see this blessing being passed down to Isaac, then Jacob and so on.  Therefore, from the earliest of record in the Scripture the word has been used of God, blessing man. Yet in today’s reading of Psalm 103.1-2 that is not the case. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits…”.  David’s plea in this passage changes the direction in which the blessing flows from man to God.  It is here that although it is the same word in Hebrew as used in the previous passages, the word begins to take on an additional meaning.   In the case where the “blessing” is transferred from man to God, it’s meaning shifts to a “praise with affection and gratitude” (Pulpit Commentary on Psalms, page 382).  David’s intent within this song is for us to offer praise to God with the whole nature of our bodies including our hearts, intellect, lungs, emotions, tongue, etc.  In addition to his plea for us to offer up to God this praise it is repeated for the sake of emphasis in the second verse.  What a wonderful expression that David provides for us that we should have today as we continue in our worship and adoration of God for all of the blessings we receive from Him.  God continues to “bless” us every day with a plethora of things.  It seems only fair that we return the same gift or present of us “kneeling” before Him with a blessing of our entire being.  May our lives be a continual action of blessing our God.                                                                                                   MH


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday - October 4, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study TUESDAY BIBLE READING:    Genesis 32:22-32 Do you want to be blessed? That sounds like a rhetorical question, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I guess it really depends on your definition of “blessed.” Many people desire blessings that will make them wealthy or, perhaps, material goods. However, being blessed is not limited to those physical things. In fact, sometimes we can be blessed in the most unusual ways. For instance, in Genesis 32:26, we find Jacob wrestling with what we often call an angel. Within the story, Jacob is overtaking the angel and holding him down; refusing to let go until the angel gives him a blessing. The angel obliges Jacob, but not in the way he might have imagined. The angel changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel,” but he also did something else. He put Jacob’s hip joint out of socket, causing him much pain and difficulty walking. In part, his blessing had to do with him walking with a limp. How is tha...
Read more

Resolutions: Draw closer to God through study of His word

BIBLE READING: John 14.7 Spend time alone with God’s Word.  Besides the spiritual growth we will gain from study, we will also come to know Him better.  Reading His word brings us in touch with Him.  Jesus tells us in John 14:7 – “If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also.”   Just studying the life of Jesus will help us to know God better.   In seeking God’s help, we can draw closer to Him through prayer, meditation, nature, and study.   “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:2  I Tim.4:13,15 - “Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine… meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them.”   Regardless of our circumstances we can rely on God’s unchanging character.  God is good. God loves me. God is with me. God knows my problems. God cares. Romans 8:31(b) tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Make a resolution to slo...
Read more

“Examples”

BIBLE READING: Mark 13- Luke 1 DISCUSSION                                                                                   This past week we have read of some great examples in the bible.   We read in Mark 13 about us being ready and being prepared for when Jesus returns.   We need to all stay awake!   In Mark 14 we read of one action having such an impact.   How this woman gave her very best to Jesus because of her love for Him.   In Mark 15 we read of Pontius Pilate and his desire to keep his power.   He loved his power and did not want to give it up even if that meant sending an inno...
Read more