Generational Blessings

Many have talked about generational curses but not generational blessings. The term ‘generational blessing' is not to be found in Scripture. There are however, many references to a blessing given to Abraham that include his seed.

Matthew chapter 1, verse 1, says: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." This establishes Jesus as ‘seed of Abraham.' We, who are born again, are brothers and sisters of Jesus and as such are therefore part of the seed of Abraham. That makes us entitled to all that God blessed Abraham with which is more fully explained in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy.

Scripture references are from the King James version. Dates mentioned are approximate. They were determined by Frank R. Klassen after studying Bible chronology full time for ten years.

This is not intended to be an in-depth study of the subject but rather to whet the appetite of the reader to explore the subject in more detail on their own.

God blesses Abram as He sends him out to a new country away from all his kinfolk. God did not tell Abram where He was sending him, only that He would show it to him. This occurred about 1967 B.C.

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)

Then in about 1830 B.C., God spoke to Abraham to offer up his son, Isaac, for a burnt offering. God blessed Abraham when he did not refuse to offer up his only son as a sacrifice. This blessing was not only for Abraham, but also his seed.

And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:15-18)

In 1740 B.C. there was a famine in the land and God renews His covenant with Abraham through his son Isaac.

And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. (Genesis 26:1-5)

It is now a little over 300 years later and the Israelites are about to cross into Canaan. Moses is reminding them of the promise God had made to Abraham because of his willingness to obey Him in the sacrifice of his only son Isaac.

Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. (Deuteronomy 7:12--15)

The first fourteen verses, of the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy more clearly spell out the future blessing for Israel if they will harken to God's commandments. Verses 15 through 68 of this chapter outline the consequences of disobedience but have no relevance for those who harken to God's commandants.

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)

King David praised God and prayed for His blessing upon his house that it may continue forever before Him. In this prayer he reminds God of the promise made to Abraham of the blessing belonging not to him exclusively but also to his seed, of which David was.

And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever. (2 Samuel 7:26-29)

These two verses are part of the sermon Peter preached after the ‘tongues of fire' fell upon those in the upper room and began to speak in the languages of the ones gathered in the street outside. He is explaining that Jesus came to the Jews first to fulfill the covenant promise given to Abraham and his seed.

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:25-26)

While Christ came to the Jews first, scripture speaks of the gentiles as the ‘branch grafted in.' This ‘grafting in' extends the covenant made with Abraham to everyone who accepts Christ as their saviour. That means we have that blessing, which is more clearly spelled out in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, as God's promise to us today. We are the seed of Abraham as born again believers!

In the following verses of Hebrews it is explained how it was guaranteed by Himself as there is no greater power than Him.

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. (Hebrews 6:13-14)

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, explains our "adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself" and how the heavenly Father has "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." This establishes the fact we are Christ's and also that we are related to Him by adoption. We are part of the family of God, just as is Abraham, David and Jesus. As such, we also have been given ‘all spiritual blessings' through the new birth purchased for us by Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

We who are born again are spiritually the ‘seed of Abraham' and as such are entitled to the full benefits of that promise God made to him. It is essential for us to fully understand what that promise included. Then we must appropriate that promise and begin living in it.

Father, we ask, in Jesus' Name, that the eyes of our understanding be opened so we might see the greatness of this covenant you made with Abraham which also includes us. As we gain understanding of the precious provision this covenant gives us, may we then begin to walk it out in our lives. Amen.

Some additional verses from the Psalms speaking of blessing.

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)

The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. 13He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. 14The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. 15Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. 16The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. 17The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. 18But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD. (Psalm 115:12-18)

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. 5The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. (Psalm 128:4-5)

 

Bill Liddle
February 21, 2004

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