The Power of Spoken Blessings
As king David was about to pass from this
life into eternity, his fourth son Adonijah attempted to steal the throne. But God
had chosen Solomon to become the next king of Israel. Adonijah wasn’t happy
with God’s choice so, here in 1 Kings chapter 1, he attempts an overthrow. When
Nathan, the prophet, and Bathsheba heard of it, they went to king David and
informed him of the coup. David promptly had Solomon anointed as his successor
so there would be no question as to who is the rightful king.
David called for Zadok the priest to
conduct the inauguration ceremony. As he
was anointing Solomon as the new king, Zadok pronounced a powerful blessing: “May the Lord be
with Solomon as he has been with you, my lord the king, and may he make
Solomon’s reign even greater than yours!” With
these words, Zadok was invoking God’s blessing upon Solomon and his term in
office. It was common practice in Solomon’s day for the priest to raise his
arms upward and forward with the palm of his hands bent slightly downward and
facing the person receiving the blessing. This priestly blessing was
known in rabbinic literature as “raising of the hands.” With it, God
was seen to be passing His blessing to the priest who, in turn, passed it on to
the recipient. Solomon was about to embark upon his
new calling in life and, as such, he required the indispensable work of God
upon and through him.
In Luke 24, we see Jesus performing this
“raising of the hands” as His final act upon Earth. “And he led them out as far as Bethany,
and lifting up his hands he blessed them.” (Luke 24:50). He blessed
them with joy, peace, power and authority to take His Gospel message into all
the world. And right in the middle of His priestly blessing, Jesus parted from
them and was carried up into Heaven. Jesus,
like David and Zadok, knew the power of spoken blessings.
There is power in a spoken
blessing. A spoken blessing is
a positive, Biblical statement that invokes the blessing of
God in the life of another person. Spoken blessings can bring hope,
encouragement, and direction to our families, friends, and others. The power of spoken blessings does not come
from the speaker, but comes from God. When we speak God’s promises into the
life of another, we are acting as a conduit to transfer the blessings of God to
them. This is why many pastors make it their practice to conclude their worship
services with a “benediction” – a spoken word of blessing upon the
congregation.
Who do you know today that is in need of
God’s power upon his/her life? Since all believers are a “kingdom of priests” (Revelation
5:1), you have the opportunity and God-given authority to raise priestly hands
and invoke a spoken blessing upon them. Who could you bless today?
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