Gen. 32:24-29
"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there."
Jacob said, “I won’t let go, until you bless me…”
What could he be looking for, since he was married, he had children, he had money, he had possessions, he had a flourishing business…
When sb receives money, he says, “I’ve been blessed with money…I’ve been blessed with a car, etc.
The money/car/house, etc, are not the blessing, but the result of the blessing.
When you hear the rustling of the wind and see the leaves flying, you say, ‘that is the wind.’ But that isn’t the wind, but the effects of the wind. If money was the blessing, then, every thief, crook, is blessed.
The blessing is different from blessings, which are the effects or result of THE blessing.
The blessing is the root to the fruit.
It is a spiritual deposit, an invisible power, an endowment, an empowerment, an anointing, an unction to function with gumption.
That’s what Jacob wanted – the blessing. He didn’t just want the fruits, he wanted the root. He wasn’t satisfied with a visitation, he wanted a habitation. He wanted the power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18).
To bless means to empower to prosper. The opposite, to curse, means to empower to fail.
The blessing, therefore, is the power to prosper; the power to succeed.
They can take the car; they can take the money; they can take the job, but they can’t take the blessing from you.
Isaac = Gen 26. They strove with him over the wells, he moved on, until he wore out his opposition. They finally drove him. Eventually, they had to follow him and enter a covenant with him, for they saw that the Lord was with him, and he was now the blessed of the Lord.
He had always been blessed, but now they could see (the manifestation of it).
The blessing!
Prov. 10:22 – the blessing of the Lord…
Deut. 28:8 - command the blessing upon thee…
Psa. 133:3 – there the Lord commanded the blessing… {The commanded blessing => Commanded the ravens/the widow
Ezek. 34:26 – I will make them…a blessing; and there shall be showers of blessing
Mal. 3:10 – I will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing
Gal. 3:13,14 - …that the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles…
Ephes. 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
We are blessed! Empowered to prosper.
The nature of the blessing
1. It is invisible but produces visible effects
2. It is a Maker – Prov. 10:22. It is self-propelled.
3. It is generational – Exo. 20:5,6; Deut. 7:9. U’re not under a generational curse but under a generational blessing – the blessing of Abraham.
4. It is transferrable – Mark 10:13-16 – an impartation. Lot was blessed by association – Gen. 13
5. It is permanent – Gen. 27:33 – TLB (irrevocable); MSG (blessed for good).
6. It is irreversible - Num. 23:20. You are uncursable.
7. It sustains – Gen. 27:37 – with corn and wine have I sustained him. It’s not d job or d money that sustains. Anything physical is subject to physical changes – and the brook dried up (1 Ki. 17:8)
8. Defies opposition – Num. 23:20-23; Gen. 26:1,12,16,19,23, 28-29
9. Ignores location – Gen. 39:1-6,20-23
10. Automatically in Christ – Eph. 1:3; Gal. 3:7,9,13-14.
Walking in the blessing
1. Obedience – Lev. 26:3-9; Isa. 1:19,20
2. Service – Job 36:11; Exo. 23:25-27
Obedience in finances opens the door for financial blessings – Mal. 3:8-12
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