BLESS THE PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of The Lord.”  1 Chronicles 16:2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When the Israelites brought the ark of God to Jerusalem, they placed it in the place that David had prepared for it inside the tent. (1 Chronicles 16:1)  David gave thanks unto The Lord and worshiped Him with burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.  Then King David blessed the people in the name of The Lord.  This is a repeat of the events which is recorded earlier in The Bible Book of Second Samuel. (2 Samuel 6:17-18)  Afterwards he gave the people something to eat and then he appointed the Levites to various roles to minister before the ark of God.  The majority of the chapter records the roles he assigned to the various individuals. (1 Chronicles 16:4-43)

APPLICATION

As followers of Christ we are to tell people about Him and show them the way to Him.  We are to live our lives in such a way that they can see Christ in us, see our good works, and give God glory. (Matthew 5:16)  We are to bless the people.  We can pray that God will bless them and help them.  We can also be a blessing to them as we help them.  This is more than just giving them money.  People have many other needs that we can help them with.  As we bless others, we will also be blessed. (Proverbs 11:25) 

HE THAT BLESSES OTHERS WILL HIMSELF BE BLESSED

Proclamation:

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”  Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb, like all but the last two of the proverbs, was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The eleventh proverb of Solomon continues the pattern of presenting a series of seemingly unrelated sentences that compares and contrasts that which is good and righteous with that which is not.  After stating and apparent contradiction, one who gives freely, gains even more, while one who holds onto his, loses it.  Then he states that the generous person who gives to help others will prosper.

Application:

This very Christian principle is that you gain by giving.  “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.”  (Proverb 11:25 KJV)  In both physical and spiritual things, he who blesses others will himself also be blessed.  “Give, and it shall be given unto you …” (Luke 6:38)  If you want more of something, try giving more of that to others.  “As you sow, so shall you also reap.” (2 Corinthians 9:6 and Galatians 6:7)

BLESSINGS COME TO THOSE WHO BLESS OTHERS

Proclamation:

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Genesis 12:3 (NIV)

Explanation:

Abraham, the father of the faithful, was initially called Abram but The Lord God changed his name. (Genesis 17:5)  Abraham walked in the ways of The Lord and was obedient when God told him to leave his homeland without telling where he was going. (Genesis 12:1)  God said that He would bless him and make a great nation out of him and make his name great. (Genesis 12:2)  The nation refers to Israel.  The three great religions of the world, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, all hold Abraham in great respect.  God also said that He would bless the people who blessed Abraham, and that all of the people on earth would be blessed through him.  The earthly genealogy of Jesus, The Christ, can be linked to Abraham. (Matthew 1:1-16)  That is how all of the people on earth were blessed through Abraham.

Application:

When God said, "I will bless those who bless you ..." He was clearly talking directly to Abraham.  It can also be said, however, that He was talking to us today.  That would be consistent with the statement in Proverbs 11:25, "... and he that watereth shall be watered also himself" (KJV) or as stated another way, "... he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (NIV)  He that blesses others shall himself be blessed.  Because we are believers, God will bless those who are a blessing to us, and He will bless us for being a blessing to others.

GOD WILL SUPPLY ALL OF OUR NEEDS

Proclamation:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul in a letter to the believers in Philippi.  After telling them that he had learned to be content whatever the circumstances, (Philippians 4:11) and that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him, (Philippians 4:13) Paul thanked them for the gift they had sent to him.  The gracious and generous gift that they gave him was probably sacrificial, decreasing their material and monetary supplies.  Paul wanted them to know that they would not suffer because they were such generous givers.  He said that God would supply all of their needs.

Application:

Considering the context in which this verse was written, it implies that if we are doing God’s will, He will take care of us.  God wants us to share.  We will not suffer because of our sacrificial giving to help others.  Giving to help others does not always refer to giving money.  There are many ways that we can help someone who is in need.  We can share our time or our talents and help someone.  As we give to meet the needs of others, God will bless us and meet our needs.  Jesus said "Give, and it will be given to you ... running over, will be poured into your lap …” (Luke 6:38)  Poor people have unmet needs all year long and not just during the holiday season.  We were blessed so that we could be a blessing to others.  Share with someone who is not related to you.  When we give to someone or help others, it should not be with the expectation that we will get something in return.   However, we will be rewarded for our giving but it is just nice to be nice.  The Bible says “He who is kind to the poor lends to The Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17)  As we bless others God will bless us.

Be A Blessing To Others And Be Blessed

"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."  Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)  The King James Version of The Holy Bible reads: "The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." (KJV)  

These are the words of King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live (2 Chronicles 1:10-12), written under the divine inspiration of The Holy Spirit of God to the people of God.  He told the people that, by God's blessing, generosity will be rewarded with an increase to the giver.

We are blessed in order to be a blessing to others.  The blessings which we receive are meant to be shared with others.  Remember what Jesus said to His disciples about a certain rich man and the beggar named Lazarus. (Luke 16:19-31)  The Lord God blesses the generous.  Give, to help others, and it shall be given unto you. (Luke 6:38)  When we give to help the poor, we are actually lending to The Lord, and He will repay us. (Proverbs 19:17)  When we give, we will receive far more in return than we gave.

Who We Really Are Determines What We Do

"In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him...Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man...he said "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."  Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

Luke, the physician, recorded this parable regarding the good Samaritan which Jesus spoke in response to a lawyer who was questioning Him.  The lawyer asked Jesus who was the neighbor that he should love as he loved himself.  After Jesus told him the parable about a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road.  He told him that a priest walked past him and did nothing.  A Levite, a religious person who worked in the temple, also walked past him and did nothing.  A Samaritan, a non-religious person of a different culture, saw the man as he was walking by, had compassion for him, cleaned and bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn, and took care of him.  Then Jesus asked him which man of the three was a neighbor to the beaten man.  When the lawyer answered "The one who had compassion for him", Jesus told him to go and do likewise. 

The point is that our title, or position, or religious affiliations do not determine our behavior.  Our behavior is determined by the convictions within our heart.  "Who we really are inside determines what we see, and what we see determines what we do." (Unknown)  If we have the Christ-like compassion for others within us, then we will do what we can to help those who are in need.  If we don't have it within us, then we won't help others.  The lawyer asked Christ "who is my neighbor?"  The much more important question for us today is, "who are we?"   Who we are will determine what we will do.  If we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we will help those that we can.  Those who help the poor are lending to The Lord God, and He will repay the debt. (Proverbs 19:17)  He who blesses others shall himself be blessed. (Proverbs 11:25)  If we give, then it shall be given back unto us, and we will receive more than we gave. (Luke 6:38)  Let us share with those who are less fortunate and in need.  Remember the words of The Lord Jesus, it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

Blessed Is He Who Has Compassion

"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; The LORD delivers him in times of trouble.  The LORD will protect him and preserve his life; He will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.  The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness."  Psalms 41:1-3 (NIV)

This psalm of King David records the blessings and the sufferings of the people of God.  Those believers who are poor, weak, sick, down or depressed, will be blessed by The Lord God.  He will protect them, preserve them, uplift them, sustain them, cure them, and restore them.  David also said that The Lord will bless those who have compassion for others who are suffering and in need.

We are blessed in so many ways, most of which we take for granted.  The Lord blesses us when He protects us, preserves us, sustains us, and restores us from and through the things which confront us as the storms of life.  Some of the storms that we go through are for our benefit in order to strengthen us. (Romans 5:3, James 1:2-3, and 1 Peter 1:6-7)  However, He also blesses us for having compassion on those who are suffering and are less fortunate. (Proverbs 11:25 and 2 Corinthians 1:4)  When we have pity on the poor and less fortunate, we are lending whatever to The Lord, and He will repay us. (Proverbs 19:17)  Jesus, The Christ, said that as we treat the less fortunate, we are doing the same unto Him. (Matthew 25:40)  When we are a blessing to others, we will ourselves also be blessed.

Be Thankful Share And Pray With Thanksgiving

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."  2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers in The Church at Corinth to encourage them to be generous with those who were less fortunate.  He told them that they had been blessed, and would be blessed even more so that they could be a blessing to others. 
He also said that their generosity would result in them giving thanksgiving to God. 

O, give thanks unto The Lord. (Psalms 105:1, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, and 136:1)  We should begin our thanksgiving celebration with prayer, as Nehemiah was first to do. (Nehemiah 11:17)  We are encouraged to always come before the presence of The Lord with thanksgiving. (Psalms 95:2)  When we enter into our place of worship, we should do so with thanksgiving. (Psalms 100:4)  We should sing unto The Lord with thanksgiving. (Psalms 147:7)  This should not be something that we do one day of the year, every day is a day of thanksgiving.  We have been blessed in more ways than we can count, and we should be thankful. (Psalms 100:4 and Colossians 3:15)  We have been blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. (Proverbs 11:25)  Let us thank God for the blessings which we have already received, and let us share with those who are less fortunate.  Let us not worry about anything, and pray about every thing with thanksgiving to God. (Philippians 4:6)  Let us do this every day, and not just on this day of celebration, but continually. (Colossians 4:2)  Have a blessed day of thanksgiving.  O, give thanks unto The Lord. 

Be Generous And Prosper Bless And Be Blessed

"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.  A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."  Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, (1 Kings 4:29-30), said that he who gives, will gain, and he that hordes, will lose what he has.  Those who are generous with others will prosper.  He also said that he who blesses others, shall himself be blessed.

The Bible says, give, and it shall be given unto you. (Luke 6:38)  When we give to help the poor, we are actually lending to The Lord God, and it is He shall repay us for giving. (Proverbs 19:17)  Remember the Bible story about the rich man and the poor beggar man named Lazarus who sat outside his gates.  When they both died, their roles were reversed. (Luke 16:19-31)  We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. Christ said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)  If we bless others, then we will also be blessed.  Let us make it a point to be a blessing to at least one person each day.  Let's practice random acts of kindness.

Bless Others And Be Blessed

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul said that God will supply all of their needs through Christ Jesus.  They had generously blessed Paul out of their meager possessions, and he said that God would bless them even more generously out of His unlimited riches for the kindness which they had shown to him. 

Being a blessing to a man of God will result in receiving a generous special blessing.  Anyone who even gives a man of God a drink of water, will be blessed and will receive a special reward. (Matthew 10:40-42)  Those who help supply the needs of a man of God or the needs of a righteous believer, will have all of their own needs met through blessings from The Lord.  As we give and share with others, especially with the needy and with the believers, so we will be blessed. (Luke 6:38)  When we are generous, helpful, and a blessing to others, we will ourselves be blessed. (Proverbs 11:25)  Be a blessing to others, and receive a blessing from God.  Bless others and be blessed.