THE ANATOMY OF A BLESSING

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"After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." Genesis 35:9-15

After Jacob returned to Bethel and constructed the altar of worship as God had commanded, he returns to Paddan Aram where God once again appears to him. After blessing Jacob, He tells him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel...So he named him Israel." Jacob, no longer a deceiver, did not need to keep the name that defined his sinful nature. He was anew man after his encounter with God at Bethel so God gave him a new beginning with a new name…the name that the Promised Land would bear even to this day…the name of Israel.

This wasn’t all God did however for he also blessed the newly named Israel with the same covenant promise He had made with Abraham. God said, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." Thus, the blessing passed from Abraham to Isaac was now passed to Israel.

As we look at this blessing, note three very important components:

1. First, God establishes His dominion and authority saying, "I am God Almighty." In other words, everything I am about to say to you I will do because I am God and there is nothing beyond the work of My hands.

2. Next, God issued a command saying, "be fruitful and increase in number." He didn’t say enjoy yourself and, if you get a chance, have children. He said, "Be fruitful and increase in number." There is no option given. God commanded it and Israel was to obey.

3. Finally, God gives a promise stating, "A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you." This was the transfer of God’s covenant to Israel with an assurance that it would be passed onto Israel’s descendants.

Now, think about the blessings we receive from God. Maybe they aren’t as prominently documented as the one passed from God to Israel, but they follow the same general pattern as mentioned above if we think about them.

1. First, God would want us to remember who He is and acknowledge His awesome power and majesty. He would further always want us to remember that there isn’t anything beyond the work of His almighty hands. As the doxology begins, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow…" They ALL come from Him.

2. Second, He expects us to fulfill all He has commanded. We have seen through many of our devotions how God blesses those who are obedient to His word and will. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 affirms this. It reads, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God." God blesses obedient living.

3. Finally, God stays true to His promises. Numbers 23:19 states, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Remember this when you start to doubt whether God will stay true to anything He has promised. In the final analysis, God doesn’t fail us…we fail God.

One other important item of note from our scripture today. After receiving God’s blessing, Jacob "set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it." In other words, Jacob immediately distinguished the place where he encountered God as holy, constructing a pillar where he was able to worship and present an offering of thanksgiving to the Giver of every good and perfect gift from above. Receipt of a blessing initiated a response of gratitude, reverence and thanksgiving to God…from whom all blessings flow.

Question: How do you distinguish places where God has richly blessed you? Do you treat them as sacred and special, possibly constructing a pillar in your mind that will always serve as a reminder of God’s goodness for you? Marking significant times and places where we experience God’s providence will keep us keenly aware of how good He has been to us. This will help us when we experience life’s trials because we realize that we have been far more richly blessed than we have not been...and definitely far more blessed than we deserve. As the saying goes, count your blessings every day and when you finish count them over again. Remember…God is God and possesses the power to do anything, He favors and grants special provision to the faithful and obedient, and He is ALWAYS, ALWAYS true to His promises. This is truth and the anatomy of a blessing. Thanks be to God.

In Christ,

Mark

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