2 Chronicles 20:26 “And on the
fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they
blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley
of Berachah, unto this day.”
We do not see what God is doing behind the scenes and do not have the over-arching purposes, but in hindsight we see the affects of His story being played out in our world by which we can place our trust and give blessings to God in all. In an article on 2 Chronicles 20, it is explained that the name Berachah means “blessing” and the people of Judah surely had much reason to bless the Lord. The armies of the Moabites and Ammonites, and many others, had invaded their land, and King Jehoshaphat had no forces sufficient to oppose them. But Jehoshaphat had already led his people back to the Lord, and now he prayed for their deliverance, acknowledging that the Lord was all-powerful, saying: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” … our eyes are upon You.” Therefore God replied, through the prophet Jahaziel, that “the battle is not yours, but God’s . . . stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you. God then set the invading armies against each other until all were slain, and God’s people were delivered without even lifting a sword. No wonder the people “blessed the Lord”!
Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name”
We do not see what God is doing behind the scenes and do not have the over-arching purposes, but in hindsight we see the affects of His story being played out in our world by which we can place our trust and give blessings to God in all. In an article on 2 Chronicles 20, it is explained that the name Berachah means “blessing” and the people of Judah surely had much reason to bless the Lord. The armies of the Moabites and Ammonites, and many others, had invaded their land, and King Jehoshaphat had no forces sufficient to oppose them. But Jehoshaphat had already led his people back to the Lord, and now he prayed for their deliverance, acknowledging that the Lord was all-powerful, saying: “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” … our eyes are upon You.” Therefore God replied, through the prophet Jahaziel, that “the battle is not yours, but God’s . . . stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you. God then set the invading armies against each other until all were slain, and God’s people were delivered without even lifting a sword. No wonder the people “blessed the Lord”!
Psalm 103:1 “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name”
The Hebrew word berachah (“blessing”)
is used some 68 times in the Old Testament, the first being God’s promise to
Abraham when he followed the Lord: “And I
will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing” in Genesis 12:2. We, like the people
in the valley of Berachah, have much for which to bless the Lord, for we also
have seen the salvation of God.
Revelation 5:12 “Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honor, and glory, and blessing”.
Live in the Valley of Blessing.
Live in the Valley of Blessing.
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