Bless
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This morning I want to open up a three week series on BLESS - Bless, Blessed, Blessing!
The word BLESS in the Hebrew is “baraka” - it is a derivative of the word brek for praise - but indicates a deeper praise of the whole person.
It is praise accompanied with reverence, gratitude and affection.
The reverence is deemed from the fact that it implies to kneel down - which is an act of reverence or honor toward another!
Our society has recently adopted the term “BLESSED” often as a sign of being enriched in some way whether that be monetarily or in relationship, etc. Having our desires met.
However, we cannot truly comprehend being blessed, blessing others until we start with what it means to BLESS GOD!
Not in the southern expression, Bless God! but in the Biblical expression of Blessing the Lord (Yahweh) Blessing the ONE WHO IS THAT HE IS!
Let’s begin with
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
I am reading this from the NKJV because I believe that it’s use of the word BLESS over the NLT use of Praise is the more accurate translation.
1. Give Notice to Bring It
1. Give Notice to Bring It
What does that mean, bring it? Just what it sounds like.
David was preparing to bring praise and blessing to God, and these first verses were really a preparation of the heart.
Sometimes we come in to pray, praise, spend time in God’s presence - but we have not really given our whole being preparation to bring to God what He is WORTHY of!!!
Let ALL THAT I AM Bless the Lord - All that is within me!!!
David is telling himself, body - mind - spirit - it is time to bring it to Yahweh!
It is insulting to not bring the Lord OUR HIGHEST PRAISE. We can so easily give the Lord half hearted worship, lip action, and not surrender our full being in honor to him.
David says - I will bless His holy name — if you were with us on Wed night we began studying the name of God - I am that I am - is the first person, but for us - He is that He is - the third person version that the name Yahweh represents.
IT indicates that the god we serve -is GOD - His name means He is self existent, sustaining and sufficient! He does not exist based on anything or one beside the fact that HE IS!!! SOVEREIGN.
Do we recognize this GREATNESS? HIS AUTHORITY? THAT HE iS THE ULTIMATE EVERYTHING IN ALL THE WORLD?
That means He is deserving of our praise.
The fact that the Psalmist repeats himself is EMPHASIZING the need of our bringing Him everything - emotion, intellect and will!!!
Our intellect speaks of our mind and understanding, our will of our choice and emotion with all we can muster up within.
One commentator said this...
“We might think modest praise is better than no praise at all. But it is not true. Modest, formal, lifeless praise is an insult to the very God it is supposedly honouring.”
2. Benefits of Forgiveness
2. Benefits of Forgiveness
When the Lord blesses us, he reviews our needs and responds to them, however,
When we bless the Lord, we are reviewing his excellencies and responding to them -
Remember that bless indicates a level of honor and reverence toward God, but also appreciation of what He has done!
David goes on to list the “GOOD THINGS” or the BENEFITS He brings into our lives...
There is so much to simply be thankful for - blessing God is combing praise with thanksgiving!
First and foremost is the forgiveness of our sins and healing of our spiritual infirmities.
When the psalmist writes diseases, he speaking of the spiritual weaknesses of sin in our lives where God brings remedy.
Sin has a way of destroying our whole person, not just our spiritual man, it effects our emotions and physical condition as well, but God is in the business when he forgives to restore!
Our spirit is instantly healed upon our confessions, but the emotional and physical repercussions are a deeper work He is often doing in our lives over time.
He has pulled us back from the clutches of death - eternity in the grave and given us His mercy and kindness and promise of eternity with Him. As New Testament Christians we have so much more than the Psalmist even experienced to bless God for!!!
Look at vs
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
3. Benefits of His Prevailing Love
3. Benefits of His Prevailing Love
How much good has the Lord filled our lives with??? How much mercy, how much kindness?
Even on our bad days, his peace and comfort and help are there beside us.
V. 5 says He fills my life with good things!
So much good, from provision to support, being loved, having our physical needs met - the Lord is faithful!
God has supplied an abundance to be praised for!
13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
What good Father has not provided for the needs of His child?
One of the greatest things the Lord provides to us is the strength He gives us each day.
5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
When he says in verse 5 my youth is renewed like the eagles - he talks about the strength He brings into our lives.
Did you know that the eagle really has no natural predator, and that he lives out his 25-30 year life (potential up to 70 years) with the same strength in his body as when he began?
The eagle is such a strong bird, it is actually his beak and talons and their growth that prohibit him from eating at the end, creating a means of starvation that naturally takes his life. Even then, some have been known to head to the mountains and beat their beaks on the rock allowing them to grow back to allow their ability to hunt once again.
That said, the eagle is a strong bird and that same strength is ours. As long as we keep feasting on the Lord and His goodness, our strength will be renewed!
God has given us His Word as food for our soul! It is daily bread for us to feast on, as long as our spirit man will EAT THE WORD, partake of its nourishment - we will be strong like the eagle.
All this the Lord has done, is cause to BLESS HIM!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
22 Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
22 Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.
THe Psalmist closes this psalm with a call for all creation to bless the Lord with all that is with Him.
There is strength for our life when we choose to bless God. We may have to give ourselves notice, but when we choose to bring it all in praise and to remember our forgiveness and the strength He provides us, blessing God becomes easy.
May we, the church of Jesus Christ, never fail to BLESS THE LORD! He is so worthy of our appreciation for all He has done. We can be quick to request and request and request, but let us be swift to BLESS AND BLESS AND BLESS!