blessing Archives - A Bible A Day

In modern usage, a blessing is thought of as a prayer, as in saying a blessing before a meal.

In the Bible and in religious contexts, a blessing, or to bless someone, takes on greater significance. Blessing someone is wishing, bestowing, bequeathing, or praying for good will, prosperity, or God’s mercy. A blessing is given to a lesser person by a greater person (Hebrews 7:7).

A secondary definition of blessing is “to honor as holy” or “to glorify.” In this respect, we can “bless God” or “bless the Lord.” Not all translations of the Bible use this phrasing; in this context, often praise or exalt are used instead of bless

For additional insight, consider that the opposite of bless is curse.

Key verse about Blessing: ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die’ (Genesis 27:7, NIV).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

When Abram went to the land God promised him, he took Lot with him even though he wasn’t supposed to. Abram had to deal with the consequences of his decision.

For Lot, there were consequences too. When he traveled with Abram, Lot prospered; he was a blessed man. However, once they separated, things turned bad for Lot.

Without his uncle’s influence, Lot made some poor choices, eventually holed up in a cave he was fearful, broke, and alone – except for his two daughters, but that’s another story.

Sometimes things may go good for us just because of who we hang out with. But once we leave their umbrella of favor our positive outcomes can evaporate.

That’s why the company we keep is so important.

[Genesis 19:16-17 and 30]