Blessings To Thank For

“God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ’Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it’"  (Genesis 9:1-7, ESV).

There is dissatisfaction almost everywhere.

You could be dissatisfied or be discontented with the price of commodities. You could be dissatisfied not only the with cost of electricity, but also of its services, as well as of the internet. You could have that negative feeling toward your job, your business, your studies, your surroundings or toward your leaders, political candidates, friends, even the family.

So, it’s easy for one to criticize, to complain, or to accuse.

But God’s children are told to be thankful at all times.

Could we really do it? Especially so when are enduring many trials, where could we direct our attention to be thankful?

Having a Heavenly Father, who is Sovereign and Loving, we are actually enjoying many blessings. Let’s remember them always. And be thankful. Be thankful, not only for the physical or material favors that even an unbeliever could have.

So, this time let’s define some blessings intended for the elect, as we explore our topic: BLESSINGS TO THANK FOR , as we focus on our text (Gen. 9:1-7).

So, what are God’s blessings that we, as God’s children, could be thankful for?

We learned before that in the early verses of chapter 8, it related that the flood over the earth had abated and God commanded Noah to “Go out from the ark…” (v. 15.) And in verses 20-22, we saw what Noah did as soon as he went out from the ark. He provided the way to worship the God who saved him. He built an altar and offered an offering.

And Noah pleased the Lord. In our text we see that God blessed him. But, could we perceive what picture of blessing displayed in the passage? What are those things we could thank God for?

I – BE THANKFUL FOR HIS COMMAND (vv. 1 & 7).

We read verses 1 & 7, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.’… ‘And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it.’”

Notice the opening words of verse 1: “… God blessed…” When He blessed Noah and his sons, what did He give? He did not give something tangible.

The verse stated, “God blessed… and said…” God did not give them a house, a horse or anything for their transport. He did not give them extra strength, or life of comfort/convenience. He did not give them supernatural powers.

But, God “said” – He gave them His pronouncement or declaration. What He gave was His Word. And at this point, His words did not even include a promise. What words of blessing that Noah and his sons received? A command!

God said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” In order to stress the importance of the command, it was repeated in verse 7.

Try to recall that when we were going through before in Genesis, we learned that God’s commandment is good. Now, as we realize of its goodness, it is indeed a blessing.

Actually, it was pointed out to be so even in Genesis 1:29. We read, “And God blessed them (referring to Adam and Eve). And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…”

It’s so unfortunate that our first parents did not believe God’s Word. They did not believe that His command was a blessing.

Instead of praising God and thanking Him for it, they desired to become somebody or to have something else. And ever since, human beings have that kind of ungrateful inclination. For they could not see the goodness of God’s command. They could not apprehend and appreciate the blessing of His instruction.

Now, believers and lovers of Jesus, do we believe that God’s command is a blessing? Are we grateful that we are recipient of His instructions?

If so, then, whatever His command, we will follow. We will be careful to obey it. We will strive to learn about it. We will not compromise with what is wrong. We will have the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:1-8 in our heart, as we read in NLT: