BERAKAH - BLESSING

Blessings (berakot) crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. 

Proverbs 10: 6 (NIV)

(1)

INTRODUCTION

I wish that you would blessed be,

that favor of God would follow thee.

I wish that when trouble you face,

You will overcome it with grace.

We all pursue something in life. Some pursue fame, others money. Some have dreams that they would put all on the line for. They say that there is nothing new under the sun. Ancient people pursued all of the mentioned. The well-known son of Isaac, Esau, was one of them, too. He pursued his father’s blessing after it was stolen from him by Jacob. 

The Hebrew word for blessing is Berakah (in plural berakot). And there are two distinctive ideas that it represents - a public declaration of a favored status with God, and the endowed power for prosperity and success. (2) But by far the best and greatest blessing one could have in life is knowing Yeshua. 

LET THE LORD’S BERAKAH BE UPON YOU

A heartbroken cry of a betrayed soul was heard one ancient night long ago. One of the sons of Isaac cried out to his father, ““Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” (Genesis 27: 38; NIV).

Esau wept. There was no blessing bestowed upon him. Jacob took not only the birthright, but also the blessing that fell upon the firstborn of the family. 

Nowadays, everyone chases after more knowledge, more cars, more money, fame, status, and so forth. But in the ancient days, what people were really after was the blessing of their father, as can be seen from the story of Esau. 

The Hebrew word for blessing is berakah (in plural berakot). It comes from the Hebrew word barak, which means “to kneel, to bless”. (3) The word to curse, ‘arar, means to restrict and bind. They conclude at Abarim Publications that the “ act of blessing had to do with the act of giving someone the freedom to do whatever this person had in their heart to do. The freely moving knee, after all, makes it possible to walk and run and go wherever one wants.” (4)

THE BIBLICAL MEANING OF BLESSING

Two distinct ideas emerge from the meaning of the word blessing. The first is that it is a public declaration of God’s favor upon someone's life. The other is that it endowed the receiver with the power to succeed and prosper in life. (2)

A blessing of God means that God favors us and that we have His wisdom, protection, abundance, ability, grace, joy, freedom, and peace resting upon us. It means that we are anointed to win and empowered to overcome. It means that we are led and chosen by Him. And it is not only for one lifetime but for generations. (5)

JESUS IS OUR BERAKAH

But the greatest blessing of all is knowing Yeshua HaMaschiach. He is our everything. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1: 3 (NIV)

When we have Yeshua, we have access to the Father, for no one can come to the Father except through Him. 

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” 

John 14: 6 (NIV)

CONCLUSION

All men seek and pursue something in life. Some pursue fame, fortune, knowledge, and status, while others, like Esau, had pursued blessings. The Hebrew word for blessing is berakah. It is rooted in the word barak, which means to bless, to kneel. The concept of blessing someone had to do with the act of giving someone freedom to do what they desired to do. There are two ideas hidden behind the biblical concept of blessing. The first is that it is a public declaration of God’s favor upon someone's life. The other is that it endowed the receiver with the power to succeed and prosper in life.

Application

Abba, Father, today I pray that you would bless me and those of my family so that Thy will be done in our lives.

SOURCES

1. Image created via canva.com

2. Bibl Study Tools. Blessing. Available at https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/blessing/

3. Bible Hub. Berakah. Available at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1293.htm

4. Abarim Publications. Beracah meaning. Available at https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Beracah.html

5. Discover Historic Jesus. Berakah - The blessing. Available at https://discoverhistoricjesus.com/berakah-the-blessing/