Why God Blessed the Patriarchs in The Old Testament?

Through obedience to God, Abraham left home and friends and departed out of Haran when he was seventy and five years old to an unknown territory called Canaan. For his obedience God blessed him abundantly and he was very rich in cattle, in silver,and in gold. God also informed Abraham after he departed from Lot for he gave Lot the choice to settle because there was a strife between Abraham's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen. Lot chose the city on the plain.

And the Lord said unto Abram, after Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever (Genesis 13:14-15).

Galatians 3:14

• That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. The blessing of Abraham was extended to the other nations if they obeyed the Lord through faith. in God.

When there was a famine in the land, Isaac went to Gerar and dwelt there. The Lord appeared unto him and said, " Go not down to Egypt, but dwell in the land I shall tell you. And Isaac obeyed God as his father Abraham did. All Isaac had to do was to stay and he would be blessed. He believed God and God blessed him.

Genesis 26:3-5

• Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; ... And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries: and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Genesis 26:12

• Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.

God increased Isaac's crops not 20%, 40% or even 80%, but 100% in one year. How gracious was God blessings! Any business corporation was be ecstatic if their business increase 20%, 100% is incredulous and fantastic. Isaac did not plead with God to increase his crops, but God showed His favour by increasing it 100%. Our God is a truly wonderful God, full of mercy and love to those who obey Him and trust Him completely.

Isaac did see Jacob and his children just before he died (Gen 35:27-29). He was alive until 180 years.

Jacob was unlike Abraham who hearkened to God, or unlike Isaac who passively accepted God,. He was a schemer and deceiver by nature. He cheated his brother Esau of his birthright and thwarted Isaac's blessing. Because of Esau's threat to murder him after his father's death, his mother sent him to her homeland to escape his brother's anger.

He met his match in Laban his father in law who cheated him of marrying the woman he loved. He served twenty years of his life serving Laban. He heard Laban's sons saying that he had taken away all that belonged to Laban. The Lord told him to return to the land of his fathers and that God would be with him. So Jacob made plans to return and divided his family into groups to precede him. After he sent them over the ford, Jabbok, Jacob was alone and wrestled with the angel of God. When it was daybreak, Jacob would not let go of the angel until he blessed him.

Genesis 32:27-28

• And he said unto him, What is thy name. And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God, and with men, and hast prevailed.

Posterity of Israel (Jacob)

After Jacob's struggle with the angel of God, he asked for a blessing before he stopped. The angel then told him his name was changed to Israel for he struggled with God and man. King David was a descendant of Judah from which line came the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This was the greatest blessings of all, the Messiah, King of the Jews.

Noah was faithful and obedient to God and proved himself faultless among his contemporaries. (Gen 6:8-9) Because of his strong faith Noah did according to all that God had commanded him, God blessed him (Gen 6:22).

Hebrews 11:7

• By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Genesis 9:1

• After the flood was over, God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. God adds no sorrow with it.

Prov 10:22

• The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

When the devil spoke with God, he complained that God had surrounded him on all sides and that was why Job obeyed God.

Job 1:10-11

• Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he had on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

• But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 1:13-19

Calamity fell on Job and his livestock, servants and 10 children were taken away from him, but Job did not blame God (v21). He neither turned away from God though his wife pressured him. When God spoke to him, he accepted God's rebuke about his attitude to declare himself righteous and did not vindicate God. He obeyed God and acknowledged his sin. God forgave him and blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.

Job 42:12-13

• So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

• He had also seven sons and three daughters.

Job 42:16

Job lived to see his children and grandchildren for four generations.

Ezekiel 14:14

• Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.

These three men were righteous because of their obedience to the words of the Lord. God was happy with their behaviour and blessed them mightily. Such is the graciousness of our Lord God.