Gen 12:2-3a And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you
The first use of the word “bless” is Gen 12:2-3. The Hebrew word (Strong’s H1288 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1288&t=NASB) for bless is BARAK and means: “to bless, as God, men, and other created things, and very often used of the result of the divine favor, to cause to prosper.” To bless is to be constructive and encourage prosperity.
If you draw out the phrases into a picture (see below graphic) you’ll find it’s sort of a “back and forth” perspective, if either “party” fails to do it’s part, God will fail to bless them. Follow along so you don’t miss it.
In phrase #2, God blesses (talents, resources, time, etc.) Abraham first. In #4, Abraham is not to hoard his blessings, but he is to bless Others out from his blessings. The next phrase is #5 and #6. Listen to this phrase! This is crucial! God says this sequence, #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, but what order should this sequence happen? Between the Others and God, #5 and #6, does God bless Others first, OR, do Others bless Abraham first and then Others receive their second blessings from God?
It’s the latter, in this order, #1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5! Others ONLY receive their second blessing from God when they bless Abraham back. If Others fail to bless Abraham, God won’t give them their second blessings. Just as if Abraham does not do something with his blessings for others, he won’t receive his second blessing from Others. It takes TWO actions to receive TWO BLESSINGS!
What does this mean? Like Abraham, if you receive a blessing from God (talents, resources, time, etc.), you’re to do something with it for Others, as God guides you. But those that receive the blessing from you should be blessing you back (in whatever form is appropriate). It is ONLY when Others bless you back that God will bless Others back. It is when Others covet (Exod 20:17) and steal (Exod 20:15) blessings from Abraham, and you, that God punishes Others, fails to bless them a second time. Abraham (CAPS) gets two blessings, Others get two blessings (lower case), unless either one does not do their part in this prosperity!
So, who has blessed you, God or Others, that you have failed to bless back, i.e. make prosperous?
I don’t bless to get, I bless so that you get…from God! Learn. Practice. Do. Mentor.
Phil 4:9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
This is what I teach in my Fish Tank Startups Workshop http://www.hwjdb.com/fish-tank-startups/fish-tank-startups-workshop/ and Teleconference http://www.hwjdb.com/fish-tank-startups-teleconference/