What Blessedness Meant In a Deeper Sense, e4
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So, as though speaking a language we don't, Bible denizens out of the Old and New Testaments threw around the word "blessing" with a clear knowledge of why they wanted a "blessing." ... in article e3, we saw that when a person sought a "blessing," she sought (1) a license for prosperity from the Creator, and (2) an honor and commendation from Him.
As if those two mind-numbing benefits were not enough, the word "blessing" carries even more. We see the third facet to this concept-gem in the following verses (among others), when Caleb's daughter asks a "blessing" from her father, and Abigal asks David to receive a "blessing" from her:
Jos 15:17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
Jos 15:18 And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?
Jos 15:19 Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.
Jos 15:20 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families.
1Sa 25:26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withheld thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
1Sa 25:27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
Here the word contains the idea of giving somebody a present, a gift, just like at Christmas. Not a token gift, but one with weight, one that would bring joy and delight. A "gift" was was one thing, but a "blessing" like a well of water -- or carloads of food for starving men -- was another thing. The "blessing" carried with it the idea of beauty, of benevolence, of goodwill. The physical gift was the iceberg above water; the rich love behind it was the iceberg below water.
When Paul Allen gave $1.5 million to Tsunami Relief, you might call that a "blessing" -- if Allen meant the organization future goodwill, if he hoped its success, and if he publicly commended it.
Then would it be a "blessing"? Sure it would. "Blessing" wasn't a strictly religious word. It was a word of goodwill. It was used in everyday situations, as Abigail used it.
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Even THAT is not all that was contained in the word "Blessed." Finally, the word contained the idea that the recipient of the gift was worthy -- it contained the high praise that the receiver DESERVED the blessing, had MERITED the blessing.
Go through the examples above -- Caleb's faithful daughter asking a blessing in return for her loyalty to her father, Abigail thanking David's men for treating them well -- and you'll see the compliment to the RECEIVER of the give.
For example:
Deu 23:5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
A preacher trainee might ask a senior preacher for a "blessing" in the Old Testament sense: please bless my preaching career. And announce to all that we're working together. And help me move my work forward.
So, even a full-blown blessing from a MAN (much less from God) was a precious thing! Consider as Isaac pulls all four of these concepts together in one passage:
Gen 27:26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
Gen 27:27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
Gen 27:28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
Gen 27:29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
If you count them up, you'll see Isaac giving Jacob all four gifts contained in the word "Blessing": Prosperity, Honor, Specific Gift, and Commendation of Merit.
At age 16 Andor Foldes was already a skilled pianist, but he was experiencing a troubled year.
In the midst of the young Hungarian’s personal struggles, one of the most renowned pianists of the day came to Budapest. Emil von Sauer was famous not only for his abilities; he was also the last surviving pupil of the great Franz Liszt.
Von Sauer requested that Foldes play for him. Foldes obliged with some of the most difficult works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann.
When he finished, von Sauer walked over to him and kissed him on the forehead. “My son,” he said, “when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, ‘Take good care of this kiss–it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.’ I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now I feel you deserve it.”
Blessed is a stronger word than "happy." It has the idea of, you win. You gain moral peace and prosperity.
Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with a promise of blessing, and He told us how to get it. If God became man, does it make sense that He would start that way?
Kind regards,
Jeff
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