Agents of Blessing

God delights to bless His people, and even those who are not His people, as we learn from Matthew 5:45, where He tells us that His sun shines and His rain falls on both the righteous and the wicked.

But God is not satisfied with a people who are consumers and only ever receive from Him. God is a giver, and He has designed human beings in His image also to be givers.

He is a blesser – an agent of blessing – and so His people are also designed to be agents of blessing.

In this article we will consider two ways in which those of us who are beneficiaries of God’s blessings can also be benefactors, agents of God’s blessings, passing those blessings on to others.

The first way is by passively REFLECTING the blessing of God; the second way is by actively, and authoritatively, PRONOUNCING the blessing of God.

1. Reflecting the Blessing

We have already seen how God made a promise to Abraham. Let’s consider that promise again:

God tells Abraham, “whoever blesses you, I will bless; whoever curses you, I will curse”.

Now, what does Abraham have to do in order for that blessing or that curse to be reflected on to those to whom it is due?

The answer, of course, is – nothing.

Abraham does not have to do a thing in order for this promise of God to be fulfilled, except, of course, to continue walking before God and being blameless, as God would later instruct him to do in chapter 17 verse 1.

As light reflects off a polished surface, so the blessing of God reflects off a surrendered life.

Even when that surrendered life is not as polished by submission and obedience to God as it ought to be, the blessing can still be reflected. We find an example of this in Abraham’s grandson Jacob, who had agreed to walk with God:

(You can read the full account of this, Jacob's first encounter with God, in verses 10-22 of Genesis chapter 28.)

Jacob spent the next twenty years in service to his uncle Laban and, despite the fact that the two men spent more time and effort than enough in trying to get the better of each other, Laban has to conclude at the end of it that he has benefitted from the relationship in an unexpected manner, which Jacob himself is able to confirm:

Jacob’s motivation throughout those years was entirely selfish, with no thought whatever of any blessing that might accrue to his equally narcissistic uncle! It turned out in the end, though, that being in relationship, however grudgingly, was enough to facilitate the blessing.

And who knows what depth of blessing Laban might have enjoyed had he had the decency to treat his nephew kindly and been a blessing to him?

(As an interesting aside, we can also see an example, in the following chapter, of the converse of this reflected blessing in Jacob’s life.

When Jacob and his family left Laban, his wife Rachel stole Laban’s ‘household Gods’ (Genesis 31:19) without Jacob’s knowledge. When Laban demands the return of his property, Jacob’s angry response is, “Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live” (Genesis 31:32).

Laban searched, but was unable to find what was missing. However, the curse that came from Jacob’s lips had already begun its work. We read in chapter 35 verses 16-20 of the death of Rachel as she gave birth to her second child, Benjamin.

Jacob unwittingly had cursed the woman that he loved the most and had thereby been the tragic architect of her untimely death.)

An even better, and more famous, example of this phenomenon of reflected blessing is found in the life of Jacob’s eleventh son, Joseph.

Joseph annoyed his ten older brothers by being their father’s favourite and cocky about it. When an opportunity came for them to get their own back on him, they sold him as a slave to some Ishmaelite traders and congratulated themselves on having solved the problem.

However, what became of Joseph over the next couple of decades prepared the ground for an important, if painful, moulding and shaping time in the process of God’s formation of Israel into a great nation – their years of slavery in the land of Egypt.

Joseph was sold as a slave to a man named Potiphar, a high-ranking Egyptian official. This is the testimony that we read about Joseph’s time in Potiphar’s household:

Following a rather unsavoury run-in with Potiphar’s wife (in which Joseph was totally innocent), he ended up in the dungeon, where the warden put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners:

When two of Pharoah’s officers – the chief butler and the chief baker – blotted their copy-books in Pharaoh’s sight, he had them thrown into prison. While there, they each had a dream, and Joseph was able to interpret their dreams for them, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This opened the door for Joseph’s release, because Pharaoh himself had a dream, which no-one was able to interpret, until, at the chief butler’s suggestion, Joseph was brought in. The upshot of this was that over the ensuing seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine, not only Pharaoh but all of Egypt were blessed by God because of him (see Genesis 41:37-54).

You have probably noticed that the word ‘bless’ does not occur anywhere in this passage, which ends with these words: “There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt, there was bread”. However, because Pharoah honoured Joseph, the blessing of God on Abraham, Joseph’s great-grand-father, came into play.

Joseph was blessed, and Pharoah and Egypt were also blessed because they had received Joseph and entered into a relationship with him, as had both Potiphar and the jailer before them.

In the New Testament, Paul calls upon this spiritual principle, noting that the gentile believers are enjoying the reflected spiritual blessings of Israel and should, in return, be happy to share their material blessings with Israel.

Paul also notes that, just as there is a blessing upon Abraham and his descendants, so is there a blessing in Jesus Christ, and when he comes to Rome to minister to the church there, that abundant blessing of Christ will be coming with him for the benefit of everyone:

By the same token, you and I, as obedient and faithful servants of Jesus Christ and recipients of His abundant blessings, are carriers of those blessings wherever we go, and everyone who is in a good relationship with us, directly or indirectly, or who treats us well, even if they don’t know us, will automatically come to share in those blessings to some degree.

Jesus put it this way:

If I stand before the fire, I will benefit from its heat; if I step into the light, I will benefit by being able to see; if I go down to the band-stand, I will benefit by hearing the music; and if I spend time with someone who is living in the blessing of God, I will benefit by sharing in those blessings.

So, enjoy the blessings of God in your life, and allow them to radiate from you so that others may also be blessed by being in your company, or otherwise associated with you.

2. Pronouncing the Blessing

God commanded Moses to instruct Aaron, his brother and High Priest, how to use his divinely delegated authority to put the name of God upon the people, so that God would then be obliged to bless them.

To this day, this is known as ‘the Aaronic Blessing’. Here it is in the Amplified version:

(Note that the word ‘LORD’ here represents the covenant name of God, the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15), and which, according to Jewish tradition, was not to be spoken by sinful human lips. If it were spoken, it would probably have been pronounced as ‘YAH-WEH’. The Israelis refer to it simply as ‘HA SHEM’ – The Name.)

There are a few points to note about the Aaronic Blessing:

• This is NOT a PRAYER. It is a PRONOUNCEMENT made by divine COMMAND.

• For this reason, the blessing must be addressed TO THE ISRAELITES, who are the beneficiaries of the blessing, and not to God, Who is the benefactor.

• It must also be spoken to the people so that they are able to respond by receiving the blessing for themselves and their families through FAITH.

• The blessing is conditional upon the obedience of Aaron, as the one who is granted authority to pronounce the blessing, and NOT on the obedience of the people, who have only to BELIEVE and RECEIVE it by faith.

• The blessing puts the name of God upon the people, and God commits to carrying out the blessing upon them as a result.

God WANTS to bless His people, and He wants His people to be blessed, even should their behaviour and general way of life not meet the high standards that He requires of them. Through this ritual, God binds Himself to blessing the people, because His name has been put upon them.

There is great power in the blessing of God. In the story of Balaam the sorcerer, we see how it protects the people from being cursed, according to Balaam’s own declaration:

Balaam had tried to use witchcraft to enable him to pronounce a curse on Israel, but had been unable to do it (Numbers 24:1). God’s power of blessing was greater than any demonic occult power.

However, we must always bear in mind that
GOD WILL NOT BLESS WHAT HE CANNOT BLESS.

Balaam could not launch a spiritual attack against Israel directly, so he advised subterfuge instead (Num.31:16).

In Numbers 25 we see how the Midianites held a celebration for their pagan gods and invited the Israelite men to join in. So, when Israel succumbed to the temptation to engage with the Midianites in their sacrifices and other activities involved in the worship of their false gods, which included fornication, God Himself unleashed a plague against them which killed some twenty-four thousand Israelites.

There is a vital lesson in this, not only for Israel but also for the Church of Christ.

The evil one cannot break through the blessing of God, but God Himself is both able and willing to suspend it in order to mete out appropriate discipline, or punishment.

We see this in his dealings with Job (in the book of that name), who was a righteous man in the sight of God, but also religious and self-righteous. He was a man whom God wanted to break so that he would come to understand his need of the grace and mercy of God, and God’s eagerness to reach out to him with that grace and mercy.

We see it also in God’s dealings with the Israeli nation, perhaps most clearly in the prophecy of Habakkuk, where God reveals that He is going to send against the backslidden Israel the armies of the Chaldeans, a godless nation who are more wicked than God’s people have ever been, so that they may learn the difference between serving God and serving the godless.

We see the same principle at work in relation to the church in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, where the Lord Jesus brandishes the ‘rod of iron’ over some of His own people, who have fallen foul of the temptations of the evil one, and have turned from the narrow way to walk in the way of Balaam (Revelation 2:14-15).

Sometimes God’s blessings are disguised as punishments, and sometimes the punishment is the blessing that is needed.

Who else is authorised by God to bless in His name?

Aaron was specifically commanded to bless the people, but we can see the same principle at work in the lives of other servants of God.

Let’s take the example of David, who in 2 Samuel chapter 6 is bringing the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem from the house of Abinadab, where it has been held since being returned from its brief captivity in the land of the Philistines:

From the position of authority as king over all of the inhabitants of the land, David blesses the people; then, from the position of authority as head of his house – husband of his wives, father of his children, and master of his servants – he goes home and blesses his household.

Significantly, one person who does NOT receive the blessing is Michal, David’s wife, who despised David in her heart (v16, 20b) when she saw him dancing before the Lord.

If we are open to God and to His ministers, we can receive His blessing through them; but if our hearts are closed against Him or his ministers, the blessing will not rest upon us, and we will enjoy none of the benefits that could have been ours.

David is a type not only of Christ but of a Christian. He is king, but also prophet, and steps over into the priestly role from time to time. On this occasion, he wears an ephod, which was a part of the priestly outfit, and pronounces blessings, which is a priestly function. At another time, he ate the Bread of the Presence, which only the priests were authorized to eat (1 Samuel 21:3-6).

As Christians, each one of us has a priestly calling and is able to function under the priestly anointing of Christ, our Great High Priest (Hebrews 3:1; 4:14).

The apostle Paul refers to the priestly duty of preaching the Gospel:

The apostle Peter confirms that this priestly calling applies to ALL in Christ:

Therefore, as priests of God, as Aaron was by appointment and David was by calling, we, as they, are able to pronounce the blessing of God upon everyone who is UNDER OUR AUTHORITY.

You may be asking at this point: “Does this mean that I cannot pray or speak a blessing on anyone, except for those who are under my authority? What about my neighbour, or my employer, or members of our government?”

You can, of course, PRAY for a blessing upon anyone you choose, and God will honour your prayer. You can also SPEAK a blessing over anyone you choose, and God will honour your words.

But to PRONOUNCE God’s blessing upon someone in the way that Aaron and David did, you need to be in that place of authority over them, where God will confirm your words, uphold them, as He did with Samuel (1 Samuel 3:19), and put the blessing into effect.

We see this principle of authoritative blessing established in the letter to the Hebrews, with three examples:

• Melchizedek the priest of God blessing Abraham;
• Isaac blessing his sons, Jacob and Esau;
• Jacob blessing his grandsons, the two sons of his son Joseph:

As with any organisation, the Kingdom of God can function effectively ONLY when lines of authority are recognised and adhered to.

In a position of authority, I hold both POWER and RESPONSIBILITY. When I exercise that power with the appropriate level of responsibility, then my word has weight and my will gets done.

By the same token, when I pronounce a blessing from that position of power and responsibility, the blessing has weight and is effective in the lives of those to whom it is addressed, so long as they are willing to receive it.

Michal did not receive David’s blessing, because she did not willingly submit to his authority.

When we consider the history around their relationship, we can understand why that should be (see 1 Samuel 18:20-27; 19:11-17; 25:42b-44; 2 Samuel 3:12-16).

However, her attitude toward the one in authority was the deciding factor in whether she did or did not receive the blessing, and not the righteousness or otherwise of the one pronouncing the blessing, for the blessing must be received through FAITH.

New Testament Blessings

There are a number of examples in the New Testament of authoritative blessings being pronounced.

When the baby Jesus is brought into the temple to be dedicated, the old prophet Simeon is there – a man who has walked with God for many years and has been praying and waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. When he sees them, Simeon begins to prophesy concerning the child, and then:

We should note that Simeon blessed Joseph and Mary, the child’s father and mother, but NOT Jesus Himself.

Why not?

The obvious answer is that, even though He was only a baby, Jesus was the Messiah, so Simeon did not have any authority over Him, and was therefore not in a position to pronounce a blessing upon Him.

However, because of his divinely delegated authority as a prophet, he did have the ability to pronounce the blessing of God upon the parents.

When Jesus sent out the Twelve, and subsequently the Seventy, to preach the Gospel, heal the sick, drive out demons, and raise the dead, He instructed them to either bless or to withhold blessing depending upon the character and attitude of their hosts:

Matthew’s version of the blessing seems to imply that the disciples had the authority to either let the peace come upon the house or to choose to take it back, while Luke’s would suggest that it either remains or returns automatically, based on the heart attitude of the house-holder.

Both were written under divine inspiration, so both are correct:

• As per Luke: if they pronounce the blessing and leave the matter up to God, it will either settle or evaporate based upon the house-holder’s attitude.

• As per Matthew: if they discern that the house-holder is not worthy, they may choose to rescind the blessing.

When the apostles Paul, Peter, and the others were writing their letters (or ‘epistles’, as they were called in the days of King James), their greeting at the beginning of the letter usually, but not always, took the form of an authoritative blessing.

They were able to do this by virtue of their high apostolic calling, which brought great authority with it, as well as the power to perform signs, wonders, and miracles in the name of Jesus (2 Corinthians 12:12).

Here is the greeting in Paul’s letter to the Romans:

All of Paul’s blessings to the churches are similar or, in some cases, identical to this.

Please note that the words, “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” do not simply constitute a greeting. These words have the power of an authoritative, apostolic blessing upon all those who either read it or hear it read.

Paul is not expressing a warm desire for the recipients of his letter; he is exercising his apostolic privilege, and duty, to pronounce the blessing of Almighty God, his Lord and Master, who has sent him out to do this very thing, so that, by doing so, the church will be encouraged, strengthened, and better prepared to fulfil its own high calling in God: to live in, and spread the truth of the Gospel of, the Kingdom.

Interestingly, the two blessings upon Timothy are slightly different, incorporating mercy. Perhaps this reflects the close relationship that Paul had with his young protégé and his knowledge of Timothy’s weaknesses. Here is the greeting and blessing from the first letter:

The letter to the Hebrews and the letter of James do NOT include a blessing, and neither does 1 John. Perhaps this is because they are general epistles, not addressed to a specific church.

Peter’s blessing in his two letters are very similar to Paul’s:

None of John’s three letters contains a blessing. As noted above, it may be that 1 John does not because it is a general epistle. The other two, however, are personal letters, whose recipients John addresses as friends rather than those over whom he exercises authority:

The greeting in John’s third letter is not a BLESSING but a PRAYER:

(This is rendered in the King James Version as follows: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.)

Jude’s blessing is similar to Paul’s blessings addressed to Timothy, incorporating mercy:

In the book of Revelation we find not a PRONOUNCEMENT of blessing, but a DECLARATION that a blessing will come to whomever fulfils the conditions specified:

Exercise

Think about blessing in your own life, both being a blessing and receiving blessings, and consider the following two questions:

• Who is in a position to bless you?
• Whom are you in a position to bless?

In order to provide the answers, think about who is IN AUTHORITY OVER YOU and over whom YOU ARE IN AUTHORITY in the various different areas of your life, such as:

• Family (parents or guardians and children)
• Church (clergy and laity / leadership and membership)
• Ministry team (leaders and members)
• Employment (management and staff)
• School (teachers and pupils)
• Sports team (coach, captain, players)

In what ways are you able to bless those around you?

In what ways would you like others around you to bless you?

And after having given your attention to that, let's look together at how WE can bless The LORD.