Thursday, March 12, 2020

The Solid Biblical Basis for “The Blessing,” Sung by Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes



This past Tuesday morning I first listened to “The Blessing.” I was moved to tears by the power and beauty of this song. It had just been posted for a few days and already had over a million views, so it seems like many others are also being blessed by “The Blessing.” The next morning, I listened to it again and was moved to tears again. There’s no doubt that the  Holy Spirit empowered gifting and skill of the musicians, singers, and the whole team that produced the video are part of what makes it powerful. But that’s not the only reason it is powerful or even the main reason. When Kari introduces the song, she says “it’s straight from Scripture.” It is, and that is what makes it powerful.

I also think it is being powerfully used by God because people are longing for its message. We live in a world that has been cursed because of sin. The effects of the curse are all around us. We see it in the news. We experience it in our lives and in our families. We long for something better. We long for God’s blessing. This song speaks words of truth based on God’s on Word that we long for and need.

In the rest of this post, I will share some of the biblical basis for the wonderful words of this song. Some of the words are pretty much direct quotes from Scripture. Others point to broad and deep themes found throughout the Bible. It would take a book to cover in detail every related Bible passage. That’s not my goal. My goal is to share with you enough of the biblical basis for the words in this song to affirm to your heart that it is all true and perhaps to help you understand the blessing and the words a little more deeply and fully. Before  I do that, here is the video that God is using to bless many thousands (and I pray that He will continue to use it to bless many more):




The blessing:

The song opens with words from a blessing that God directed the priests of His people to speak over them:

CSB17 Numbers6:23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. You should say to them,
24 "May the LORD bless you and protect you;
25 may the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 may the LORD look with favor on you and give you peace." '
27 In this way they will pronounce my name over the Israelites, and I will bless them."

You might wonder if this blessing for the Israelites applies to you. If you are a Christian, it does! When we come to trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are grafted into the family tree of Israel (Romans 11:17) and become part of God’s own people. Paul explains it this way:

CSB17 Galatians 3:28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise.

We “inherit the promises through faith” (Hebrews 6:12). In addition to this encouraging truth, the New Testament promises the same things (God’s blessing, protection, presence, and peace) for believers in many ways and in many places. So, thank God, the blessing applies to us!

What if you’re not a Christian? God wants you to become one! He is graciously ready to forgive all your sins and adopt you into His family and bless you if you will believe the good news about Jesus dying for your sins and start to follow Him as your Lord and Savior.


From the song:  “a thousand generations”

The song speaks of God’s blessing going to a thousand generations. This isn’t something that Kari and Cody made up. Six Bible passages speak of God showing love and faithfulness to a thousand generations:

Exodus 20:5 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' iniquity, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,
 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.

Exodus 34:6 The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: The LORD-- the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,
 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers' iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

Deuteronomy 5:9 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' iniquity to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,
 10 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.

1 Chronicles 16:15 Remember his covenant forever-- the promise he ordained for a thousand generations,
 16 the covenant he made with Abraham, swore to Isaac,
 17 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree, and to Israel as a permanent covenant:
 18 "I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion."

Psalm 105:8 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he ordained for a thousand generations--
 9 the covenant he made with Abraham, swore to Isaac,
 10 and confirmed to Jacob as a decree and to Israel as a permanent covenant:
 11 "I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion."

While we are often focused on making it through one more day, God is not only helping us do that, He is looking ahead and making plans to bless many future generations. He is going to be faithful to our great, great, great grandchildren long after we are gone (if Jesus doesn’t come back first, which would be even better). That’s encouraging!

From the Song: “Your children and their children and their children”

I love the emphasis on God blessing our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Every godly parent longs for this. Since God has promised to be faithful to a thousand generations, it is a small thing for Him to be faithful to a few. Most of the book of Genesis is about God blessing a family and their children and their children and their children. God blesses Abraham in Genesis 12. In the rest of Genesis, God blesses Abraham’s children, then blesses Isaac and his children, then blesses Jacob and his children.

An excellent example of God blessing several generations in the New Testament is found in Paul’s final letter to Timothy:

CSB17 2 Timothy 1:5 I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.

God intends for us to pass on much more than the color of our eyes and hair to our children and grandchildren!

This wonderful principle of God’s love and blessing being passed on to future generations is not limited to biological generations. It also beautifuly applies to Christians teaching, encouraging, and serving other Christians who then go on to teach and serve and encourage others. It also applies to evangelism. Here is a passage where we can see this principle being applied to teaching over several generation of learners who become teachers:

CSB17 2 Timothy 2:2 What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

This diagram breaks it down to help you see the generations:




From the Song:  “May His presence go before you and behind you and beside you all around you and within you. He is with you.”

Moses could not stand the thought of going anywhere or doing anything if God was not with him and with His people:

CSB17 Exodus 33:15 "If your presence does not go," Moses responded to him, "don't make us go up from here.

I feel the same way, don’t you? I don’t want to do anything or go anywhere without God. Without God I can’t do anything (John 15:50). Praise God, He has promised to be with us as we serve Him. After giving us the great commission, Jesus promised: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20b CSB17).

This world is a scary place, but our good shepherd guides us and protects us. In fact, the idea of God going “behind you” is especially associated with His protection:

CSB17 Isaiah 52:12 For you will not leave in a hurry, and you will not have to take flight; because the LORD is going before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard.

CSB17 Isaiah 58:8 Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the LORD 's glory will be your rear guard.

CSB17 Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May you shelter them, and may those who love your name boast about you.
 12 For you, LORD, bless the righteous one; you surround him with favor like a shield.

CSB17 Psalm 125:1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.
 2 The mountains surround Jerusalem and the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.

Not only that, remember that Jesus was called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).


From the Song: “in the morning in the evening in your coming and your going”

Yes, God is with us all the time (day and night) whether we are going out to face the world or coming back home from a difficult day:

CSB17 Psalm 121: 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night.
 7 The LORD will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life.
 8 The LORD will protect your coming and going both now and forever.

From the Song: “in your weeping and rejoicing”

It’s not surprising that God is with us in a special way when we are praising Him. But He is also with us in a special way when we are broken, depressed, and discouraged:

CSB17 Isaiah 57:15 For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, says this: "I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.

From the Song: “He is for you”

When it comes to you, God is not neutral. He is passionately on your side!

The Apostle Paul said it best:

CSB17 Romans 8:31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
 32 He did not even spare his own Son but offered him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?
 33 Who can bring an accusation against God 's elect? God is the one who justifies.
 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
 36 As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


From the Song: “Amen”

“Amen” is a word we took straight out of the original Greek New Testament. It basically means “true.” When singing it in a song like “The Blessing,” it means that we agree that God’s promises are true and we receive with faith and celebrate them.

Conclusion

“The Blessing” is such a powerful song because it is full of declarations of encouraging truth that are founded on the unshakeable rock of God’s own Holy Word. So, as you listen to and sing the song, know that it is true! Amen!



Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .

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