The Power of a Verbal Blessing

God's Warrior · The Power of a Verbal Blessing

The Power of a Verbal Blessing

James speaks of the power of the tongue in chap. 3, verses 9 & 10 which state that we use our tongue like a rudder--it steers the large vessel to which it is attached. And cursing steers us down the path of destruction. Jesus told us to return curses with blessing. In doing this, he was actually giving us a tool of spiritual warfare.

Proverbs 26:2 says that an undeserved curse does not alight. The imagery is of an attempting to land. But such creatures will only land on familiar territory. Jewish rabbis have taught for thousands of years this passage showing that when a curse is issued, it alights on the object of the curse when that object itself issues a curse.

For example: When a person learns of a curse someone has spoken about them, how that person responds determines whether the curse alights. Does the curse return a curse (if told someone made a derogatory remark, does the cursed then denigrate the originator?) Or, does the cursed turn to God and speak forgiveness for the originator "(God, Bless them, I forgive them....)? The Rabbis believed that when the cursed speaks blessings, the curse itself returns to the originator and finds familiar territory on which to alight.

Jesus teaches in Luke 6:27 that we are to bless those who curse us. Paul explains in Roman 12:14-21 that by blessing our enemies, we actually heap burning coals on their head. How is that? Suppose I and my enemy are standing in front of each other, and God is beside me. If my enemy curses me and I retaliate, we face off and fight it out. Where is God? To the side and out of the way. God will let us fight it out ourselves. But suppose when my enemy curses me I kneel in a humble position before God and pray for that person's forgiveness and speak a blessing?

The curses of the enemy now go over my head and directly confront God who is beside me. Now who is my enemy really cursing? God is able to handle the cursing. God will fight for us. This is how we heap burning coals on their head. When we truly forgive and bless, the curses are undeserved and God returns them to the originator.

In 1 Peter 2:23 we learn that Jesus did not retaliate against those mistreating him, but instead, entrusted himself to God. This is the example for us. When we speak forgiveness (forgive, for they know not what they do...") and blessing, God comes to our aid. God will avenge.

Remember Job? His friends kept cursing him and telling him how bad he was although he was really righteous. The text is careful to explain.... that AFTER Job prayed for his friends...

The power of the spoken blessing is the power of spiritual warfare. It enables...it releases...and God honors the power of the verbal blessing. May we always bless our children and may we always speak forgiveness and blessing to those who curse us.