The Blessings of God

(Gen 17:4–6) As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you.

(Gen 18:18–19) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Jehovah, to do justice and judgment; that Jehovah may bring on Abraham that which He has spoken of him.

(Gen 22:16–18) By Myself have I sworn, said Jehovah, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is on the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice.

(Job 42:12) So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

The Unique Manner and Characteristics of the Creator’s Utterances Are a Symbol of the Unique Identity and Authority of the Creator

Many wish to seek, and gain, the blessings of God, but not everyone can gain these blessings, for God has His own principles, and blesses man in His own way. The promises that God makes to man, and the amount of grace that He bestows upon man, are allocated based on the thoughts and actions of man. And so what is shown by the blessings of God? What do they tell us? At this point, let us put aside discussion of what kinds of people God blesses, or the principles of God’s blessing of man. Instead, let us look at God’s blessing of man with the objective of knowing the authority of God, from the perspective of knowing the authority of God.

The four passages of scripture above are all records about God’s blessing of man. They provide a detailed description of the recipients of God’s blessings, such as Abraham and Job, as well as of the reasons why God bestowed His blessings, and of what was contained within these blessings. The tone and manner of God’s utterances, and the perspective and position from which He spoke, allow people to appreciate that the One who bestows blessings and the recipient of such blessings are of a distinctly different identity, status and substance. The tone and manner of these utterances, and the position from which they were spoken, are unique to God, who possesses the identity of the Creator. He has authority and might, as well as honor of the Creator, and majesty that brooks no doubt from any man.

First let us look at Gen 17:4–6: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you.” These words were the covenant that God established with Abraham, as well as God’s blessing of Abraham: God would make Abraham the father of nations, would make him exceedingly fruitful, and would make nations of him, and kings would come of him. Do you see the authority of God in these words? And how do you see such authority? Which aspect of the substance of God’s authority do you see? From a close reading of these words, it isn’t hard to discover that the authority and identity of God are clearly revealed in the wording of God’s utterances. For example, when God says “My covenant is with you, and you shall … have I made you … I will make you…,” phrases such as “you shall” and “I will,” whose wording bears the affirmation of God’s identity and authority, are, in one respect, an indication of the Creator’s faithfulness; in another respect, they are special words used by God, who possesses the identity of the Creator—as well as being part of conventional vocabulary. If someone says they hope another person will be exceeding fruitful, that nations will be made from them, and that kings shall come from them, then that is undoubtedly a kind of wish, and is not a promise or a blessing. And so, people dare not say “I will make you such and such, you shall such and such…,” for they know that they do not possess such power; it is not up to them, and even if they say such things, their words would be empty, and nonsense, driven by their desire and ambition. Does anyone dare to speak in such a grand tone if they feel that they cannot accomplish their wishes? Everyone wishes well for their descendants, and hopes that they will excel and enjoy great success. What great fortune it would be for one of them to become emperor! If one were to be a governor that would be good, too—just as long as they’re someone important! These are all people’s wishes, but people can only wish blessings upon their descendants, and cannot fulfill or make any of their promises come true. In their hearts, everyone clearly knows that they do not possess the power to achieve such things, for their everything is beyond their control, and so how could they command the fate of others? Whereas the reason why God can say words like these is because God possesses such authority, and is capable of accomplishing and realizing all the promises that He makes to man, and of making all the blessings that He bestows upon man come true. Man was created by God, and for God to make someone exceedingly fruitful would be child’s play; to make someone’s descendants prosperous would require but a word from Him. He would never have to work Himself into a sweat for such a thing, or task His mind, or tie Himself in knots over it; this is the very power of God, the very authority of God.

After reading “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him” in Genesis 18:18, can you feel the authority of God? Can you sense the extraordinariness of the Creator? Can you sense the supremacy of the Creator? The words of God are certain. God does not say such words because of, or in representation of, His confidence in success; they are, instead, proof of the authority of God’s utterances, and are a commandment that fulfills the words of God. There are two expressions that you should pay attention to here. When God says “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him,” is there any element of ambiguity in these words? Is there any element of concern? Is there any element of fear? Because of the words “shall surely” and “shall be” in God’s utterances, these elements, which are particular to man and often exhibited in him, have never borne any relation to the Creator. No one would dare to use such words when wishing others well, no one would dare to bless another with a great and mighty nation with such certainty, or promise that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. The more certain the words of God, the more that they prove something—and what is that something? They prove that God has such authority, that His authority can accomplish these things, and that their accomplishment is inevitable. God was certain in His heart, without the slightest hesitation, of all that He blessed Abraham with. Furthermore, the entirety of this would be accomplished in accordance with His words, and no force would be able to alter, obstruct, impair, or disturb its fulfillment. Regardless of what happened, nothing could abrogate or influence the fulfillment and accomplishment of God’s words. This is the very might of the words uttered from the mouth of the Creator, and the authority of the Creator that does not brook the denial of man! Having read these words, do you still feel doubt? These words were spoken from the mouth of God, and there is power, majesty, and authority in the words of God. Such might and authority, and the inevitability of the accomplishment of fact, are unattainable by any created or non-created being, and unsurpassable by any created or non-created being. Only the Creator can converse with mankind with such a tone and intonation, and facts have proven that His promises are not empty words, or idle boasts, but are the expression of the unique authority that is unsurpassable by any person, thing, or object.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique I