Today, we begin a series about sSoaring with God to flourish. The foundational scripture for this series is 3 John 2
“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 2
When we flourish, we thrive. When we flourish, we prosper. When we flourish, we soar in the sweet spot of who God created us to be and what God created us to do.
Today I want to take a look at the Biblical meaning and origins of the word(s) blessed and blessing.
The first recorded blessing in the Bible was not given to men. It was given on the fifth day of creation and spoken over the living creatures of the sea and the birds flying above the earth.
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Genesis 1:22
We actually do not hear of God blessing man until later in Genesis in what we know as the Abrahamic Covenant.
Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3
Like Abraham, God has blessed you to be a blessing.
As an artist, I work with canvases of different sizes and shapes. I select the size of the canvas to fit the space, the scale of the room, and the purpose of the painting. You are God’s masterpiece uniquely qualified to fulfill the purpose for which He created you.
Like the different sizes and shapes of canvases, and the unique way we are all created, our blessings from God all look different and come in differing sizes and shapes IN ORDER TO FULFILL GOD’S PURPOSES!
The word translated “bless” and “blessed” in Genesis 12:1-3 is the Hebrew word “Barak.” According to Strong’s Concordance it literally means “to kneel.” This is also the Hebrew used in the Genesis 1 passage.
In order to understand this word, you need to think about a posture of admiration or worship.
As an act of pleasure, God blessed the earth and Abraham.
As an act of worship, we kneel and bless God.
There is another Hebrew word that is translated “bless” in English. That word is “asher.”
May his name endure forever;
May his name increase as long as the sun shines;
And let men bless {barak} themselves by him;
Let all nations call him blessed {asher}.
Blessed {barak} be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone works wonders. Psalm 71:17-18
The word “Asher” according to Strong’s Concordance means “to go forward, honest, prosper, and bless.”
Asher requires action. It requires responsibility to do something. To sum up the differences between barak and asher:
Barak is God’s granting something to man. It is also man kneeling down in worship to God.
Asher is about man’s/our choices.
Both are blessing. Both bless God.
It is important to realize our role in flourishing, prosperity, and blessing. In other words, being blessed is a two way street. We are in fact called to bless others with the blessings we receive from God.
In what way has God blessed you?
In what way are you in turn blessing Him by blessing others?
You are blessed to be a blessing! Hallelujah!