BLESS, BLESSING
The act of declaring, or wishing, God's favor and goodness upon others.
The blessing is not only the good effect of words; it also has the power
to bring them to pass. In the Bible, important persons blessed those
with less power or influence. The patriarchs pronounced benefits upon
their children, often near their own deaths <Gen. 49:1-28>. Even if
spoken by mistake, once a blessing was given it could not be taken back
<Genesis 27>.
God also blesses people by giving life, riches, fruitfulness, or plenty
<Gen. 1:22,28>. His greatest blessing is turning us from evil <Acts
3:25-26> and forgiving our sins <Rom. 4:7-8>.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers) |
