Life Walk Lesson 56 — Blessings for the Children of God
Blessings for the Children of God
This lesson is for encouragement, through the Promised Blessings, from God our Father, to all God’s Children.
Psalm 33:12-15 New American Standard Bible
12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His Own inheritance. 13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; 14 from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 He Who fashions the hearts of them all, He Who understands all their works.”
Matthew 5:3-12 New Living Translation
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 God blessed those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice (for righteousness) for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.
12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”
Psalm 34:8 NASB
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
Romans 4:1-13 NLT
1 “Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’
4 When people work their wages are not a gift but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God Who forgives sinners.
6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
7 ‘O, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin. [Psalm 32:1-2]
9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles (is this blessing only for the circumcised, or is it also for the uncircumcised)? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.
10 But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!
11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous — even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.
12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 Clearly, God’s promised to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.”
Scripture Reading:
Genesis 17
Romans 9
Psalm 41:1-3 New King James Version
1 “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed upon the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. 3 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 NASB
1 “The Spirit of the Lord (YHWH) God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted (humble); He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners (opening to those who are bound); 2 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks (terebinths) of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Luke 4:17-21 NASB
17 “And the Book (Scroll) of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the Book (Scroll) and found the place where it was written, 18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’
20 And He closed the Book (Scroll), gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing (ears).’”
[See also: Luke 23:35; Ephesians 4:8]
James 1:12, 25 NLT
12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him…25 if you look carefully into the perfect law that set you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
Cross references:
Matthew 7:12 NLT
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the Law and the Prophets.”
Deuteronomy 28:1-13 NLT
1 “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all His commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.
2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:
3 Your towns and your fields will be blessed.
4 Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed.
5 Your fruit basket and breadboards will be blessed.
6 Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.
7 The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!
8 The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.
9 If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in His ways, the Lord will establish you as His holy people as He swore He would do. {1Peter 2:9-10}
10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.
11 The Lord will give you prosperity in the land He swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops.
12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from His rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them.
13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.”
Abraham: Genesis 12, 15, 18, 22
Isaac: 24, 26-27
Jacob: 28, 33, 46
Sons of Israel: Genesis 49, Deuteronomy 33
NOTE: Isaiah 9:15 explains “the head…the tail” — “the leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail.”
Isaiah 58:6-14 NASB
6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 10 and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
11 And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
13 If because of the Sabbath, you turn your foot from doing your own pleasure on My Holy Day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the Holy Day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, desisting from your own ways, from seeking your own pleasure and speaking your own words, 14 then you will take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The heritage of Jacob: Genesis 28:13-15, Genesis 35:11-12, Genesis 46:2-4
Encouragement
Psalm 1:1-6 NLT
1 “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the Law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. [Psalm 119]
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. [Ezekiel 47]
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”
Read 1Enoch 1-5
3Enoch 8:1-2
“Rabbi Ishmael said : Metatron, [Enoch] the Prince of the Presence, said to me :
(1) Before He appointed me to attend the Throne of Glory, the Holy One, blessed be He, opened to me
three hundred thousand gates of Understanding
three hundred thousand gates of Subtlety
three hundred thousand gates of Life
three hundred thousand gates of grace and loving-kindness three hundred thousand gates of love
three hundred thousand gates of Tora
three hundred thousand gates of meekness three hundred thousand gates of maintenance three hundred thousand gates' of mercy
three hundred thousand gates of fear of heaven
(2) In that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, added in me wisdom unto wisdom, understanding unto understanding, subtlety unto subtlety, knowledge unto knowledge, mercy unto mercy, instruction unto instruction, love unto love, loving-kindness unto loving-kindness, goodness unto goodness, meekness unto meekness, power unto power, strength unto strength, might unto might, brilliance unto brilliance, beauty unto beauty, splendour unto splendour, and I was honoured and adorned with all these good and praiseworthy things more than all the children of heaven.”
Psalm 40:3-5 NLT
3 “He has given me a new song to sing, an hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. 4 Oh, the joys of those who trust in the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. 5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”
John 21:25
“Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.”
Blessings for the Chosen Children of God
Scripture Reading: Psalm 65
Psalm 65:4
“Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, of Your holy temple.”
Psalm 84:4-7
4 “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You. Selah. 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. [the God of gods shall be seen in Zion]”
Psalm 84:12
“O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!”
Psalm 89:15
“Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.”
Psalm 94:12-15
12 “Blessed is the man who You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, 13 that You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. 15 But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.”
Psalm 106:3
“Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!”
Psalm 112:1-9
1 “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. 2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. 5 A good man deals graciously and lends; he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 “Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. 7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. 9 He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted with honor.”
Psalm 115:11-15
11 “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. 12 The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. 14 May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. 15 May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 118:26-29
26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord, and He has given us light; bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
From: The Kebra Nagast, E.A.W. Budge, Chapter 41, Concerning the Blessing of Kings CONCERNING THE BLESSING OF KINGS
"Hearken thou now to the blessing that shall come upon thee, if thou wilt do the Will of God. Thou shalt be blessed in all thy ways, blessed shalt thou be in the city, blessed shalt thou be in the field, blessed shalt thou be in thy house, blessed shalt thou be outside it, and blessed shall be the fruit of thy belly. And those who were gathered together said, Amen. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy land. Amen. Blessed shall be the fountains of thy waters. Amen. Blessed shall be the fruit that thou hast planted. Amen. Blessed shall be thy cattle-runs and the flocks of thy sheep. Amen. Blessed shall be thy granaries and thy barns. Amen. Blessed shalt thou be in thy coming in. Amen. Blessed shalt thou be in thy going forth. Amen.
"And God shall bring to thee thine enemies who have risen up against thee, and they shall be trodden small beneath thy feet. Amen. And God shall send His blessing on thy houses and on everything to which thou hast put thine hand. Amen. And God shall multiply for thee good things, namely, children of thy body, produce of thy land, and births among thy flocks and herds. Amen. And in the land which He swore [to give to] thy fathers, He will give thee according to the days of heaven. Amen. And God shall open for thee the storehouse of the blessing of the heavens, and He shall give thee blessed rain, and shall bless the fruit of thy labour. Amen.
“Thou shalt lend unto many peoples, but thou shalt not borrow. Amen. Thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. Amen. And God shall set thee at the head and not at the tail, and thou shalt be at the top and not at the bottom. Amen. And thou shalt gather together of every blessing of the land for thy flocks and herds, and thou shalt take the spoil of the nations for thine army, and they shall bow down to thee to the face of the earth, to thy sovereignty, because of the greatness of thy glory. Thine honour shall rise up like the cedar, and like the Morning Star, the brilliance of thy glory shall be before all the nations of the earth, and before every tribe of thy people Israel.
"For God shall be with thee in all thy ways, and He will perform thy will in everything that thou determinest. And thou shalt inherit the countries of thine enemy, and the greatness of thy people shall be praised because of the greatness of thine awesomeness, and because of the multitude of thy soldiers. And all those who do not perform the Will of God will fear thee because thou dost do His Will, and dost serve Him, and therefore He will give thee great majesty in the sight of those who see thee. Their hearts shall tremble before the bridle of thy horses, and the quiver of thy bow, and the glitter of thy shield, and they shall bow down to the face of the earth, for their hearts shall be terrified at the sight of thy majesty.
“And when those who are in the mountains see thee afar off they shall come down to the plain, and those who are on the seas and in the deep waters shall come forth, so that the Lord may bring them into thy hand, because they have transgressed the command of God. And thou, when thou doest His Will, shalt receive from Him everything for which thou hast asked; for if thou lowest Him He will love thee, and if thou keepest His commandment He will grant thee the petition of thy heart, and everything that thou seekest thou shalt receive from Him. For He is the Good One to the good, and the Compassionate to the compassionate, and He doeth the will of those who fear Him, and He giveth a reward to those who wait patiently for Him.
“Be patient in respect of wrath, and at the end He will make thee to rejoice; love righteousness and He will make life to blossom for thee. Be a good man to the good, and a reprover of sinners. And put aside the wickedness of the evil man by rebuking and correcting him, and condemn and disgrace the evil man who doeth violence to his neighbour in the court of law. And do justice to the poor man and to the orphans, and release them from the hand of him that doeth them wrong. And deliver him that is forsaken and the man who is in misery, and release him from the hand of him that causeth him to suffer. Judge not with partiality, and have no respect of persons, but judge righteously. When thou undertakest to judge, love not gifts (i.e., bribes) and accept not persons. And admonish thy governors (or, judges) that they be free from the taking of gifts, and that they accept not the persons of their friends, or of their enemies, or of rich or poor, in giving judgment; and they shall surely judge their neighbours in righteousness, and with a just judgment.”
