BLESSING. There are three points of view in which the acts of
blessing may be considered. The first is, when men are said to bless
God, as in Psalm ciii, 1, 2. We are then not to suppose that the divine
Being, who is over all, and, in himself, blessed for evermore, is
capable of receiving any augmentation of his happiness, from all the
creatures which he has made: such a supposition, as it would imply
something of imperfection in the divine nature, must ever be rejected
with abhorrence; and, therefore, when the creatures bless the adorable
Creator, they only ascribe to him that praise and dominion, and honour,
and glory, and blessing, which it is equally the duty and joy of his
creatures to render. But when God is said to bless his people, Gen. i,
22; Eph. i, 3; the meaning is, that he confers benefits upon them,
either temporal or spiritual, and so communicates to them some portion
of that blessedness which, in infinite fulness, dwells in himself, James
i, 17; Psalm civ, 24, 28; Luke xi, 9–13. In the third place men are said
to bless their fellow creatures. From the time that God entered into
covenant with Abraham, and promised extraordinary blessings to his
posterity, it appears to have been customary for the father of each
family, in the direct line, or line of promise, previous to his death,
to call his children around him, and to inform them, according to the
knowledge which it pleased God then to give him, how, and in what
manner, the divine blessing conferred upon Abraham was to descend among
them. Upon these occasions, the patriarchs enjoyed a divine
illumination; and under its influence, their benediction was deemed a
prophetic oracle, foretelling events with the utmost certainty, and
extending to the remotest period of time. Thus Jacob blessed his sons,
Gen. xlix; and Moses, the children of Israel, Deut. xxxiii. When
Melchizedeck blessed Abraham, the act of benediction included in it not
merely the pronouncing solemn good wishes, but also a petitionary
address to God that he would be pleased to ratify the benediction by his
concurrence with what was prayed for. Thus Moses instructed Aaron, and
his descendants, to bless the congregation, “In this wise shall ye bless
the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep
thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee; the Lord lift up his
countenance upon thee, and give thee peace,” Num. iv, 23. David says, “I
will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord,”
Psalm cxvi, 13. This phrase appears to be taken from the practice of the
Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the
remainder of their sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the
priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; when, among other rites, the
master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand and solemnly blessed
God for it, and for the mercies which were then acknowledged, and gave
it to all the guests, every one of whom drank in his turn. To this
custom it is supposed our blessed Lord alludes in the institution of the
cup, which also is called, 1 Cor. x, 16, “the cup of blessing.” At the
family feasts also, and especially that of the passover, both wine and
bread were in this solemn and religious manner distributed, and God was
blessed, and his mercies acknowledged. They blessed God for their
present refreshment, for their deliverance out of Egypt, for the
covenant of circumcision, and for the law given by Moses; and prayed
that God would be merciful to his people Israel, that he would send the
Prophet Elijah, and that he would render them worthy of the kingdom of
the Messiah. See also 1 Chron. xvi, 2, 3. In the Mosaic law, the manner
of blessing is appointed by the lifting up of hands. Our Lord lifted up
his hands, and blessed his disciples. It is probable that this action
was constantly used on such occasions. The palm of the hand held up was
precatory; and the palm turned outward or downward was benedictory. See
BENEDICTION and LORD’S SUPPER.
blessing may be considered. The first is, when men are said to bless
God, as in Psalm ciii, 1, 2. We are then not to suppose that the divine
Being, who is over all, and, in himself, blessed for evermore, is
capable of receiving any augmentation of his happiness, from all the
creatures which he has made: such a supposition, as it would imply
something of imperfection in the divine nature, must ever be rejected
with abhorrence; and, therefore, when the creatures bless the adorable
Creator, they only ascribe to him that praise and dominion, and honour,
and glory, and blessing, which it is equally the duty and joy of his
creatures to render. But when God is said to bless his people, Gen. i,
22; Eph. i, 3; the meaning is, that he confers benefits upon them,
either temporal or spiritual, and so communicates to them some portion
of that blessedness which, in infinite fulness, dwells in himself, James
i, 17; Psalm civ, 24, 28; Luke xi, 9–13. In the third place men are said
to bless their fellow creatures. From the time that God entered into
covenant with Abraham, and promised extraordinary blessings to his
posterity, it appears to have been customary for the father of each
family, in the direct line, or line of promise, previous to his death,
to call his children around him, and to inform them, according to the
knowledge which it pleased God then to give him, how, and in what
manner, the divine blessing conferred upon Abraham was to descend among
them. Upon these occasions, the patriarchs enjoyed a divine
illumination; and under its influence, their benediction was deemed a
prophetic oracle, foretelling events with the utmost certainty, and
extending to the remotest period of time. Thus Jacob blessed his sons,
Gen. xlix; and Moses, the children of Israel, Deut. xxxiii. When
Melchizedeck blessed Abraham, the act of benediction included in it not
merely the pronouncing solemn good wishes, but also a petitionary
address to God that he would be pleased to ratify the benediction by his
concurrence with what was prayed for. Thus Moses instructed Aaron, and
his descendants, to bless the congregation, “In this wise shall ye bless
the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep
thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee; the Lord lift up his
countenance upon thee, and give thee peace,” Num. iv, 23. David says, “I
will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord,”
Psalm cxvi, 13. This phrase appears to be taken from the practice of the
Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the
remainder of their sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the
priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; when, among other rites, the
master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand and solemnly blessed
God for it, and for the mercies which were then acknowledged, and gave
it to all the guests, every one of whom drank in his turn. To this
custom it is supposed our blessed Lord alludes in the institution of the
cup, which also is called, 1 Cor. x, 16, “the cup of blessing.” At the
family feasts also, and especially that of the passover, both wine and
bread were in this solemn and religious manner distributed, and God was
blessed, and his mercies acknowledged. They blessed God for their
present refreshment, for their deliverance out of Egypt, for the
covenant of circumcision, and for the law given by Moses; and prayed
that God would be merciful to his people Israel, that he would send the
Prophet Elijah, and that he would render them worthy of the kingdom of
the Messiah. See also 1 Chron. xvi, 2, 3. In the Mosaic law, the manner
of blessing is appointed by the lifting up of hands. Our Lord lifted up
his hands, and blessed his disciples. It is probable that this action
was constantly used on such occasions. The palm of the hand held up was
precatory; and the palm turned outward or downward was benedictory. See
BENEDICTION and LORD’S SUPPER.