In this post I’m going to go through the verses that pertain to blessings that are attributed to fearing the Lord. There are many more verses that talk about specific blessings that I will cover in another post, but in this one I just wanted to cover blessings in general.
What is a blessing? One of the definitions the dictionary gives is:
Something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity.
I think that’s the most appropriate definition to keep in mind for these following verses.
Let’s dive in.
Exodus 1:21 (ESV) And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
This verse does not say the word “blessing” directly, but it stuck out to me as a specific example of what the other verses in this post convey.
The midwives in Egypt were ordered to kill all the male Hebrew children, but they did not do it because they feared God. Instead of choosing to be wicked they feared God and He blessed them.
What caught my attention here is that the midwives feared God instead of Pharaoh, and because of that God blessed them with families of their own. On the other hand, Pharaoh disobeyed God and ended up losing his oldest son and heir.
Job 1:8-10 (ESV) And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
This is a particularly interesting part of the Bible. Not just in terms of this study, but in terms of the Bible itself.
Here God is talking to Satan, pointing out a man who seems to be particularly faithful and pleasing to God. And then Satan points out how much God has blessed him.
There’s so much to think about and meditate on here, but for the purposes of this study I can say that God does notice those who fear Him, and even Satan can’t deny that God blesses those people.
Job says later, in Job 1:21 “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” This shows that Job is aware of the blessings that God has given him, and also aware that God is the one who took away those blessings. The true sign of faith in this statement though is that Job still blesses the name of God. He accepts what God has done and still fears Him. And eventually God gives Job more blessings than he had before.
Fearing God just so that you can get stuff from Him is no fear at all. Truly being in awe of God happens whether we are blessed or not. We tend to think of blessings in terms of physical things like health and possessions, but the real blessings that God gives us are those of faith, hope, and love.
Psalm 112:1 (ESV)Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor.
The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
This whole Psalm is about the blessings of offspring, wealth, and honor that come to the one who fears the Lord and delights in His commandments.
Notice how verse 1 is phrased in parallel.
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who fears the Lord
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who greatly delights in his commandments
It’s as if fearing the Lord and delighting in His commandments are the same thing. Fear and delight. The Lord and His commandments.
And the blessings that are bestowed are amazing. You can’t read Psalms 112 and not want to be that blessed one.
It’s not talking about “a blessing,” but the full measure of all blessings. Fearing God certainly has its rewards, but that is not what should motivate us. We should be in awe of God because of his greatness, not because of our desires. The blessings are a side effect of our sacred respect for God.
Psalms 128 (ESV)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!
Psalms 128 is actually titled “Blessed is Everyone Who Fears the Lord.” And, again, this whole Psalm is about the blessings that come to those who fear the Lord.
The blessings that come from fearing God spread across your whole life - from the fruit of your labor, to your spouse, to the place where you live, to your children and grandchildren.
Verse 1 is phrased in parallel again:
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who fears the Lord
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who walks in his ways
So, to fear God is not just to pay homage to Him, but to actually live the way He wants you to.
I’ve already talked about how fearing God means to have a sacred respect for Him. Well, how respectful is it to ignore the guidance and direction of God? How can you both respect Him and not do what He wants you to do? You can’t!
Do you think you’re going to miss out on something if you live the way God wants you to? Well, this Psalm right here says that you certainly will not miss out on anything. It seems to me that it’s the people who do not follow God that are the ones missing out on the better things in life.
The blessings mentioned in this Psalm are really all that anyone could ask for out of life. Fulfilling work, a loving spouse, healthy children, a prosperous community, and a long life.
When you think about it, the blessings that come from following God are all anyone (reasonable) really wants out of life anyways. But fearing God is a way of life, and you will likely only experience the fullness of these blessings to the degree that you have lived that way.
I don’t think it’s necessarily God playing favorites. I think it’s similar to having to eat healthy and exercise in order to enjoy a healthy body. Or having to practice and work hard to become a great musician. You can’t just expect your external world to turn upside down the moment you get saved. But your internal world will, and the external world will gradually follow suit after that.
Psalm 66:16-20 (ESV)Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
The Psalmist here is listing off the blessings that God has done “for my soul.” It’s important to remember that blessings are not necessarily physical in nature, and the greatest blessings are the ones for our souls.
He says that the blessings he received from God were done for his soul. He says that God listened to his prayer, and did not remove His steadfast love from him. What can compare to these blessings!
Truly, God is our blessing. His love, and mercy, and grace are the greatest blessings we could ever receive.
Take a moment to enjoy the blessings of God by praying to Him, meditating on His word, and giving Him praise.
Proverbs 28:14 (ESV) Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
Many times Proverbs uses contrast in order to convey a point. Here the contrasts are between those who fear the Lord, and those who harden their heart. The first gets blessings, the latter falls into calamity.
It’s straight forward and to the point. Not much explanation is needed. But I would ask you, how do you define blessings verses calamity?
Beyond the typical physical definitions of these words… Is it a blessing to know God? Is it a calamity to constantly be searching for peace and never finding it?
I would say that the more you consider God Himself to be your blessing, the less you will even consider the physical things to be a blessing. Of course, it’s nice to have good health and valuable possessions, but does that even matter to the person whose highest treasure is their relationship with God?
Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 (ESV)Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.
But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
This passage from Ecclesiastes is a bit challenging at first.
The sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life… But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow…
Does prolong his life… Won’t prolong his days…
I feel like days is referring to eternity. Like, the wicked might get a few extra days on earth, but that’s not going to do them any good eternally. I don’t know.
I can say this, though - it will be well with those who fear God, and not with those who don’t fear Him. Given the nature of life on Earth, I still have to say that this feels like an eternal pronouncement rather than just an earthly one.
And when it comes to eternal blessings, Jesus is the one who gives us the ultimate, eternal blessing of God - the forgiveness of our sins - and that is certainly what makes it well with us.
God loves us, and through Jesus He accepts us into His kingdom. In the end, that’s all the blessing we really need.
με αγαπη,
BJ