Isaiah 42:1, 6-7 42:1Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. 42:6I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
42:7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
Galations 3:16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say and to seeds, meaning many people, but and to your seed, meaning one person, who is Christ.
In the Bible, blessing refers to flourishing and the multiplication of life. But it doesn’t always look like these things, and for many of us, life often looks and feels like the opposite. We look around us and find a broken world filled with suffering, corruption, poverty, and war. We experience chronic illness, family dissension, and addiction. Our minds and bodies endure abuse. For many of us, it feels more real to say life is about suffering than life is about blessing. And perhaps there’s a feeling within all of us that something has happened. Something has gone wrong. This is not the way it should be. Another part of blessings is when Our Heavenly Father gives you blessings. He gives you things, his word, or gives you gifts, if it is in his will. Blessings do not always look great, but sometimes they are really nice. An example of this would be if you become a child of Our Heavenly Father. They are not always bad, but it looks like they are at times.
Think in the first place about what this statement says to us regarding God’s intentions. The fuller expression of God’s promise points to his greater plan for the world. God certainly intended to bless Abraham and his descendants, but he never meant his blessing to be exclusive. God singled out Abraham (and later his physical descendants, the nation of Israel) as a first strategic step in what God always determined would be a world-embracing plan of salvation.
In other words, God’s selection of Abraham (and Israel)—his choosing them out of a mass of humanity who had drifted far from him—was a tactical move. It was a means to an end, rather than the end itself. The theological way of putting this is to say that election is for the sake of mission. The biblical way of saying it is found in a passage like Isaiah 42:1, 6-7:
Here is my servant . . . my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. . . . I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness . . . I will . . . make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
The role that God assigned to the Old Testament people of Israel was a crucial one. They were the first recipients of God’s gracious promises. To them belonged the covenant, the wonderful agreement by which God first established a relationship with a community of people from among the estranged human race. God gave Israel the law, the revelation of his holy nature, of his character and expectations. Supremely, Israel was the instrument God chose to give his Messiah, his Servant, to the world, his Chosen One, who would be the means of salvation for everyone. As the New Testament makes clear, these promises of blessing that God made to Abraham ultimately point to Jesus Christ and find their fulfillment in him (Gal. 3:16). Blessings are biblically important to us. God blesses so that we will be His hand of blessing to others. Whether we feel like there is overflow in our lives or not, God calls us to look with grace and mercy on others, blessing through words, actions, and material possessions.
Closing Prayer; Heavenly Father we hope that the people reading this see how important blessings are. We pray that the Holy Spirit will help them understand. We pray this in the name of Our lord and savior.
Prayer of Salvation: Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior.Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and I know you will answer my prayers. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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