Focus: Blessed By His Death

Text: Gen.25:11

"And it came to pass after the DEATH of Abraham, that God BLESSED his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi."

God's blessing is heaven's capital given to the believer for God's mission on earth and for all of life's ventures. Solomon says that the blessing of the Lord enriches us, and the riches are completely sorrow-free. God's blessing in a man's life sets the stage for him to labor productively, achieve great feats, advance to greater heights, and experience the good life. In every venture success is the result of God's blessing, good planning and great effort. God's blessing is the mechanism that makes for success and total wellbeing in the life of any man.

Now concerning Isaac, God waited until Abraham dies before He blesses him. One man's death becomes the reason for another's blessing. We have no record of Abraham blessing Isaac as Jacob did for his children before he passed on; but God made it His own business to bless Isaac. Later on, we read, "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: AND THE LORD BLESSED HIM" (Gen.26:12). This is the blessing of obedience and due diligence. He stayed where God wanted him and invested his energy into a worthwhile venture, and it paid off so well, and on top of that, God blessed him. Later on, those who chased him away from their territory, saw how well God has blessed him, and they came back to him, regretted their actions, and said to him, "Thou art now the blessed of the LORD" (Gen.26:29). Right there and then, they made peace with him and covenanted to look out for each other. No wonder the Scripture says that "when a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov.16:7).

Isaac is blessed because Abraham is dead. That sounds like a transfer of blessing from one person to another.

Abraham was greatly blessed by God. The Scripture says, "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: AND THE LORD HAD BLESSED Abraham IN ALL THINGS" (Gen.24:1). God wants you blessed in all things. It is possible to enjoy all-round blessings from God, and I encourage you to embrace God's reality in your life. Abraham's chief servant boldly and gladly declares to Abraham's brothers, "And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses" (Gen.24:35). What a powerful testimony of God's blessings! It's interesting the way his blessing is narrated in chapter 13 of Genesis. Verse 2 says, "And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." The man is blessed spiritually, physically, and materially. Favor and fortunes are in his life. Verse 5 says, "And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents." His nephew, Lot, who followed him around, also experienced Abraham's blessing in his own life. Abraham's blessing has rubbed off on him, too. Verse 6 says, "And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together." Abraham's blessing is so huge that himself and Lot have no space enough to accommodate all the blessings. They have to go their separate ways in order to broaden their horizons and break into new frontiers. That is how blessed Abraham was.

At the death of Abraham the blessings passed on to Isaac, his son. God blessed him, and I want you to know that blessing from God to man is a fountain that never runs dry. Isaac got his blessing through his father's death. In a similar fashion, we are blessed for Christ's death. His death is for our own advantage. We are the beneficiaries of the blessings accruing from his death. Paul says that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. From his own fullness we have received grace upon grace, and blessings after blessings. Through Christ we are now partakers of Abraham's blessings. In Christ we lack nothing. Thank you, Jesus! Amazingly, Jesus Christ did not only die for us to be blessed, but He also rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and now sits at the Father's right hand in order to keep the blessings constantly cascading down to us, and to ensure that the blessings linger for time and eternity.

Now it's time for you to draw from the illimitable wealth of divine blessings available for you in Christ. Get this: the blessings touch and affect every aspect of life. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter