God’s Blessings
Malachi 4:1-2
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”
This passage from Malachi tells us about the coming of the Great Tribulation and how all of the wicked will be called into account for their deeds upon the earth. It will be a day of destruction for the proud and all that do wickedly, but it will be a day of deliverance for the righteous. The righteous will receive healing from the risen Christ who will come back for his bride.
The righteous will not experience the wrath of God, but will be gently warmed by the Sun of righteousness, in the person of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. His healing wings will bring a swift healing to the righteous that are in need of it.
The righteous will go forth and grow up as calves of the stall. Meaning, that just as the calves grow fat from being feed in the security of their stalls, so shall the righteous receive abundant blessings in the security of our Lord. God’s blessing will pour out among those that fear His name.
God affirms to us many, many times in the bible how He is not cheap on the giving of blessings. God in the book of Malachi even asks us to test Him in his giving, for it is written:
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:10
Test Him and see that He will do what He says, for the bible tells us in Numbers 23:19:
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
So give a little of yourself to His house and see how much He will give to your house.
Now before we sit back and start calculating the blessing you ought to be receiving for your efforts in His kingdom; I need to explain something about God’s blessings:
• Firstly, His blessing’s come to us through our obedience to His Word.
• Secondly, His blessings come in two forms: spiritual and temporal, meaning material blessing.
• Thirdly, His blessings will be needful things and not just any old strange thing you may have your heart set on.
So let us now look at each point that I have just laid out for God’s blessing:
• Blessing’s come through obedience:
o Job 36:11 gives us some understanding to this principle
“If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.”
o Likewise, Isaiah 1:19 also spells it out for us
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”
o Does God give blessings to the wicked?
Yes I believe He does because Matthew 5:45 tells us that allows the sun to rise on the evil and the good. And that it rains on the just and the unjust.
(Explain some of the ways) (Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people.)
Psalms 37 and 73 tells us to not worry that wicked people are also blessed with spiritual and material things, because if they do not change their ways they will be cut down.
• These numbers of Psalm are interesting ones as they kind of mirror image each other 37 – 73. One is written by David and the other by Asaph.
o David tells us in the 37 number of Psalm the many blessings that God has for us if we remain obedient.
We shall dwell in the land and be fed if we trust the Lord.
We shall inherit the earth if we wait on the Lord.
That it is better to have a little and be righteous than to have a lot and be wicked.
God knows the days of the upright and their days shall be forever.
In days of famine the upright will be satisfied.
If the righteous should fall the Lord will hold he up with His hand.
The Lord is our strength in the time of trouble.
o Asaph tells us in the 73 number of Psalm the many good things that happen to the wicked, but that we should remain trustful in the Lord otherwise we will cut down.
Asaph almost slipped into the ways of the wicked because he saw how they seem to have it so good. He even starts to believe that all of his acts of righteousness was all in vain because the wicked were prospering.
But all of those thoughts changed when he went into the sanctuary of God; there everything became clear to him that the wicked would meet their end soon.
o So we see that although the wicked may also receive blessings, theirs will be short and will bring about their own end if they do not see it as a gift from God, letting them know that He wants them to change their ways and be saved. While the blessings of the righteous will be infinite and will come at the time that we need it most. As Job says, “He may not come when you want Him, but He will be there right on time.”
• Blessings come in two forms: spiritual and temporal, which is material blessings
o Isaiah 40:31 gives us a form of God’s spiritual blessing, and it reads
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
o God’s spiritual blessings are those things uses to strengthen us, to guide us, to motivate us, and to comfort us. Prayer is one of God’s greatest blessings in my opinion. Because it we find the greatest comfort. God has blessed us with a way to communicate with Him.
o 1 Chronicles 4:10 shows us a form of God’s material blessing, and it reads
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”
o God wants to bless each of us and enlarge our territories. He wants to clothe us and feed us. He wants to provide for all of our needs and cares. But we must be obedient to His Word and committed to His ways, and joyful in serving Him. For it gives God pleasure to bless us. God has untold blessing waiting for us, and all we have to do is wait on Him, trust in Him, and seek His guidance for our lives. For this is what 2 Corinthians 2:9 tells us about those who truly love the Lord
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
So wait on the Lord and trust in Him to give you those things which you need. Although the wicked may seem to prosper their end will be soon while you will live on eternally, in the glory of the Father.
The saying goes that you should count your blessings. Well I say to not count your blessing but count on the Lord. Don’t be the one who is looking for a return investment on every righteous act you do. Do your work for the Lord cheerfully, joyfully, and rejoice that He has given you a place in His kingdom. Don’t look back on your righteous acts, let God do the counting. I tell you that men can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed.
God has blessed each of us with many things. For God there is no big or small blessing, all blessings work for the good of those who love the Lord.
