The Seven BLESSINGS
- HOSEA’S BLESSING
The Aramean Curse prevents a person from receiving justice in both formal and informal settings. The most important place to receive justice is in the home. Breaking the Aramean Curse does allow justice to flow, but the blessing of favor is far better than mere justice.
Hosea demonstrated that in his relationship with his wife, Gomer. In order to get her attention, he had to rather savagely punish her (Hosea 2:2-13). We are not generally drawn to those who inflict massive pain on us when we are in rebellion. Even when we know we deserve it, we still tend to resent the person who inflicts pain on us. Yet Hosea was able to effectively woo his wife to him (v14).
The imagery is of a man walking through a crowded mall, task-oriented as only a male can be, headed toward the known destination to buy the one item he went to the mall to get. Suddenly, a whiff of perfume catches his attention. He stops to see who is wearing it. The lady wearing it did not compel him to turn, but the delicate, attractive fragrance caused him to willingly seek to identify her.
Similarly, Hosea could box his wife in and he could break her financially, but he could not coerce her heart. However, God placed such a mantle of favor on Hosea, the harsh prophet that his calloused, wounded wife did in fact turn to him. She followed him willingly and she allowed him to heal her spirit, soul and body, over time, in isolation. Now THAT is God’s powerful favor. Justice broke her. It took favor for her to be restored.
Of all the people in Scripture who walked in favor, I named this blessing after
Hosea because injustice in the home is the most common arena for the Aramean Curse to manifest. Bringing favor that leads to healing a deeply wounded, systematically dysfunctional family is arguably one of the rarest, and finest, manifestations of the foundational blessing of life. - ESTHER’S BLESSING
The Moabite Curse causes those in authority to limit the freedom of those under them, requiring those under authority to serve those in authority at the expense of possessing their own birthright. Breaking the curse simply releases the individuals to pursue their own life. Esther’s Blessing means not only having release but also having your authorities build a platform for success under you during times of transition. Most cultures expect the family to come alongside and help with the key transitions of birth, coming of age, wedding and death. Most of us have times of crisis in our lives where a helping hand from family or community is vital.
Esther walked in that blessing. When she was orphaned, her relative Mordecai took her in and groomed her for excellence. When she had to face the king, uninvited, for the sake of her life and the lives of the Jews, Mordecai not only gave her perspective and encouragement, but he also mobilized all the Jews in the capital city of Susa to fast and pray for three days in support of her mission. That represented a massive, community effort to empower her during a critical transition in her reign. It built a platform under her for success.
After the initial crisis, the king gave her the authority to govern but she had no experience in governing. Mordecai came alongside her again with administrative skills, which made her look good in the use of the power she had granted. - DANIEL’S BLESSING
The Philistine Curse causes a person to be one piece short of being able to complete a project. Usually, that piece is knowledge or a knowledge-based credential. When you are under the curse, it is very easy for the devil to block your progress. Breaking the curse means the enemy can no longer derail you with such ease.
The blessing is receiving from God supernatural strategy to overcome the devil, instead of having to war vigorously for each victory. You overcome the devil more easily than he was ever able to overcome you.
God never used ordinary means to defeat the Philistines. There were ordinary battles for other foes, but when His people at His command, went up against the Philistines, He always gave supernatural strategies.
Daniel also emphatically refused to engage in a normal, political power play. Serving as a top-level officer in the greatest empire in world history, he surely understood the proper use of power, yet he refused to embrace human power as a means of defeating the devil. Each of his victories stemmed from an uncommon strategy and required minimal effort on his part.
Each of his victories had far-reaching effects bringing life to many more than just those involved in the events themselves.
Favor in the family and in the community is a powerful foundation. Having the family or community there to build a platform for you in times of transition gives you greater momentum, but you still have the deal with the devil. Daniel’s Blessing allows you to overcome the devil swiftly rather than being delayed in life with an extended, grinding spiritual battle. - MOSES’ BLESSING
The Canaanite Curse causes a person to be so overworked by the demands of their authorities that they have no time to develop their own giftings and potential. When the curse is broken, discretionary time becomes available for pursuing the potential God placed in you. However, other accessories may still be missing. Moses’ Blessing provides all the critical parts at the same time for maximum development of your God-given potential (not to be confused with a self-selected career path).
As an Exhorter, Moses’ biggest responsibility was to get to know God and to teach the people of Israel about Him. In the wilderness, Moses had control of his own schedule, he had lots of leaders under him to whom he could delegate, and he had God awaiting him in a tent outside the camp as often as Moses wanted to go visit with Him, face to face. The fruit of that opportunity to grow was a spirit large enough to write five of the most important books of the Bible, the authority to appeal to God on world-changing issues, and the skill to lead a people with an obdurate slave mentality
Note the sequence. Moses had favor with God and for a season with his people (Hosea’s Blessing). Aaron came alongside him during a critical transition to help him succeed (Esther’s Blessing). God gave Moses a long series of supernatural strategies to defeat the enemy (Daniel’s Blessing). Then God took the nation to Sinai where He provided peace, food, water, and tutelage in how to grow into the fullness of their national birthright. - JOB’S BLESSING
The Midianite Curse prevents you from accruing the capital needed to produce change through leverage, not labor. The needed resources are generally money and relationships but can include other things. Breaking the curse stops the devouring of that which is accumulated through labor. Job’s Blessing causes the family and the extended web of relationships to be supernaturally life-giving, and it causes one’s resources to multiply, supernaturally speeding the process of accumulation.
God brought all of Job’s relatives and his friends to him after the Aramean Curse was broken. They each gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. In terms of investment capital, that wasn’t much to start with, but under the blessing of God, He rapidly leveraged that into great wealth. - NEHEMIAH’S BLESSING
Jotham’s Curse causes betrayal from within an organization, usually by trusted leaders. When the curse is broken, the now stable organization can grow normally.
When Nehemiah’s Blessing is operant, the social structures are supernaturally, synergistically life-giving.
Nehemiah demonstrated this by building the wall of Jerusalem with people who were not wall builders, who had no previous relationship with him, and who had every reason to fail at their task. Because the blessing was flowing through him, ordinary people worked as a team, doing something they had never done before, and they received hugely disproportionate results for their effort. Their minimal skills meshed in a supernatural way to produce an outstanding result.
When substantial capital is married to a synergistically life-giving social structure, the impact in the world is massive. - JOHN THE APOSTLE’S BLESSING
The Ammonite Curse causes a person to refuse to receive the gifts of God. Physical or spiritual barrenness results. When the curse is broken they are able to properly receive whatever gifts from God that they happen to recognize. When the Blessing of John is flowing, they are able to recognize the finest of God’s gifts, embrace them and supernaturally possess their birthright.
In the story of Jephthah fighting the Ammonites, God gave him everything he needed for victory. Because he could not recognize God’s gifts, he demanded civil authority that God did not intend him to have, and he tried to bribe God with an unnecessary sacrifice. His civil leadership was deadly because he sought something God did not design him to prosper in. On a smaller scale, his own family died by his hands so he had no generational impact. John the Apostle on the other hand was clearly fascinated with power and authority while he was a young disciple. By the end of his life he had lots of both. He was the dominant apostle in the Asia Minor region, pastoring in Ephesus. His impact was felt over the whole Christian movement for two centuries after his death. His high authority rivalled that of Paul’s in terms of the depth and breadth of his influence in shaping Christianity.
He also had power. In addition to raising the dead, he was once thrown into a pot of boiling oil, but that could not kill him. Since he was un-killable, he was exiled to the island of Patmos.
In spite of the fact that he achieved his youthful goals of power and authority, it is quite clear in his writings that he was able to recognize the gift God had given him of a love relationship with Jesus. He embraced the finest gift offered and was not bedazzled by power and authority. Since he recognized it, he was able to receive it.
So few people recognize and receive the finest gifts God wants to give them.
This is the great tragedy of human history.
