THE BLESSING OF THE LORD MAKES RICH

We live in nations with great prosperity and most of us have everything we need for daily life. Some are not in such blessed circumstances, but each one of us has enough to eat and to drink, while millions in Asia and Africa do not. What a difference between them and us, and we are not better; still that true gratitude is not found in us for all those blessings. This is only possible by grace, which is a gift of God. How terrible it is to forget the Lord, in spite of all those blessings; then we hit Him in the face.

The question is: are our prosperity and riches real? It is true, millions go on holidays, millions are spent for all kind of pleasures; but is this prosperity no imitation which will end sooner or later. What a discovery it will be, when we discover it is only imitation. When we may learn that the material things are not the most important, then we see the reality, but also the danger wherein we are, since we have sinned against the Lord. How understandable becomes the word which Jeremiah spoke: “It is of the Lord’s mercies, that we are not consumed.” Nothing can help us, only the blessing of the Lord is needful; that becomes the most important for a poor sinner. Great is our poverty. Inexpressible was the abundance of Paradise, but now our poverty has become inexpressible. Our fall brought us into such a terrible condition, that we don’t feel our misery any more. Without the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, we lack the true knowledge of our misery and have no sorrow about it either. By our sin we all deserve that the curse of the Lord will rest upon us; all what we receive above hell and death is undeserved. It is true that life on earth is full of disappointments and sorrow, but also full of God’s goodness. From day to day He gives food and drink and keeps us in the land of the living. God’s compassions fail not and they are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. May we receive an impression of it and feel how dependent we are on the Lord and remain so in all things. We can toil from morning to evening and still there is no increase in our goods. How is this possible? The blessing of the Lord is missing! We read in Ps. 127: “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.”

This is in direct contradiction to the inclination of our heart and nature. We expect everything of material things in the first place. But the poet stated that the Lord must build the house; this means, that we must renounce all sensual and material things as wood, stone, labour, and that our eyes must be directed to the invisible God Who is the Builder of heaven and earth. This is a defeat and blow to our pride, as we like to end in ourselves.

When we have done some work, and the outcome is good, we give the honour to ourselves. But the Lord says: “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrow: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.” This word makes it plain, that men in vain wear themselves out with toiling and waste themselves by fasting to acquire riches, since these are benefits bestowed upon us only by God. Neither will living at small expense, nor diligence in business, by itself, profit anything at all. The Lord does not forbid us to practice temperance in expense and in diet, and to rise early to do our work, but He stirs us up to prayer, to call upon God, to supplicate for His help and acknowledge that we are completely dependent upon the Lord. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.”

These few words are to convince us that we are in all things dependent upon the Lord, also in the work that is waiting for us in the future. Is this practised by us? Are our expectations only from Him? All our work must be blessed by Him, otherwise our labour will be in vain. Whatever profession we have, whatever work we may do, only with His help and guidance will we be prosperous.

The most important things are not the things of this world, but spiritual things. When we go to church or read God’s Word, we need also that blessing of the Lord, which makes us rich.

Solomon has seen so much of the world, but here he may confess: “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich.”

This is not permission to be lazy; No, that would be contrary to God’s Word, for it is our calling to do, what the Lord has laid on our shoulders. In the state of rectitude Adam and Eve worked and so must we do, although the world is cursed. We must do our work as well as we can, but our eyes must be directed toward heaven. When we experience how dependent we are for the time and that we cannot do anything without the Lord, then we will see that we need Him even more for eternity. God is a God for time and eternity, and especially the benefits out of the Covenant of grace make a person rich. There is no reason why we should receive either temporal or eternal blessings. This last flows from God’s eternal pleasure and is a fruit of Christ’s merits. Christ merited all blessings for the church, and the world may partake of them in time. Inexpressible is the blessing which Christ merited by His active and passive obedience. What a great benefit it is to be quickened by Word and Spirit.

It is a great blessing when in the coming season that our garners will be full and our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in the streets. This happens when the Lord blesses us. But the poet ends: “Happy is the people whose God is the Lord.” Esau could say to Jacob: “I have enough. By divine grace Jacob could say: “I have everything.” Everything outside of the Lord will perish, but the Church may say: “For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our Guide even unto death.” God becomes our portion in Jesus Christ out of free grace. In the regeneration we become the possession of the Lord for time and eternity and we receive His image again in principle. To be restored in God’s communion means everything. With less we cannot live, more we don’t need to live and die happily.

What do the goods of the world and the pleasure thereof mean if we must die without grace? This is the most important thing for all of us. Not prosperity in the world, but; “how can I be reconciled with God?”

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich and happy; it gives everything for time and eternity. This is mentioned by Solomon: “And He addeth no sorrow with it.” God’s blessing does not give sorrow. Is this true? Compare it with the riches of the world! Riches give so much grief and sorrow. What a care to protect our goods. Thousands cannot sleep for fear of losing it, some commit suicide when it is lost. No, the worldly goods do not make us happy, only the blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He does not add sorrow.

The goods we receive out of the left hand of the Lord do not bring happiness. The conscience condemns us when we get them in an irregular way, as we see in Judas. But the blessing of the Lord makes us rich. Herein is joy, fulfillment and satisfaction. These riches we receive in a just way, as God opened a way in Christ, Who merited everything by His passive and active obedience. He who receives this blessing in Christ, which is applied by the Holy Spirit and accepted by faith, will never lose it again.

Salvation is the work of the triune God and it is sure in His hand. Friends, do we have such riches? Is it the desire of your heart? Did the Lord already open our eyes for our poverty? In general, we must say “no” to all these questions. We are in a state of . death, we became fools by sin; and so the temporal things are the most important to us by nature. The Holy Spirit must make us alive, convince and enlighten us. Then we become truly grieved, that we lived so long without the Lord. Oh, I hope, that in this year this may happen to us, that is the greatest blessing. When we see our sins, we will try to satisfy God’s justice, but we will learn that this is impossible. Only the righteousness of Christ can save us; but this must be revealed in us by the Holy Spirit. May it become with the poet:

“Open wide thy mouth with longing,

I will satisfy thy need.”

Do we know something of that perseverance of faith of that woman of Canaan? During their lifetime the poverty of God’s people is often greater than the riches, as they must experience that they cannot believe when they wish, and often begin without the Lord. In darkness they are sorrowful. Still God’s people are a blessed people. As the priests blessed Israel in the name of a triune God, so all God’s children receive the blessing of a triune God.

What a blessing, when we may lose all our imitation riches. That need not always be worldly things, but that can also be in religion; we will seek rest in things which have happened; it can be of the Lord, but that does not mean that we can rest on it. Listen to Paul: “Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” This is the way we must go, that we lose everything to win Christ, as that merchantman did. What the Lord gives His people for Christ’s sake, will stay and we will never lose this. That riches always increase and it is an eternal riches. This has more value than all the riches we can gather in the coming season.

May the Lord bless His servants in His vineyard, that many souls may be converted to the extension of His Kingdom. Also the reading services in the many vacant congregations need God’s blessing, and the Lord will do it, for there will be a remnant on this earth to the end.

The blessings of the triune God are the riches of the church. Now it is only the firstfruits, but in heaven it will be perfect and full; there will be no sorrow there, but eternal joy for God’s children.

What a contrast with the end of the wicked; it is possible that they were rich by human standards, but they are poor and an eternal poverty will be their part.

May the Lord give us an understanding heart, that we may learn what is valuable and what is worthless. So we will learn that only the blessing of the Lord makes us rich.

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