Blessing a 70-Year-Old Friend with the Word of God
To bless a friend with the Word of God involves invoking divine favor upon them, expressing good wishes, or offering prayer for their welfare, often with words inspired by scripture [5]. The Bible itself is understood as the Word of God, spoken through prophets of ages past [1].
The concept of blessing is multifaceted in scripture. God blesses people by bestowing temporal or spiritual gifts [5]. Conversely, humans bless God by thanking Him for His mercies [5]. Individuals can also bless themselves by invoking God's blessing or rejoicing in His goodness [5]. When one person blesses another, it signifies expressing good wishes or praying for their well-being [5].
As a friend reaches the age of 70, a significant milestone, biblical themes of wisdom, endurance, and God's faithfulness over a lifetime become particularly relevant. For instance, Caleb, at 40 years old, was sent to explore the land and brought back a faithful report [2]. The number 40 also appears in Acts 7:30, referring to the fulfillment of years before an angel appeared to Moses [3]. While these passages do not directly address the age of 70, they highlight the biblical recognition of specific life stages and God's interaction with individuals across time.
The Word of God is considered a source of healing and deliverance [4]. It is also the means by which individuals receive spiritual new birth, an imperishable seed that leads to Christian brotherhood and abiding love [12]. This new birth is contrasted with the inherent sinful nature of humanity, as all human beings are born sinners [6]. Sin is understood as various sinful acts [7], and deliberate sins are committed with an insolent or arrogant attitude, representing rebellion against God [9]. The first sin, as described in Genesis, involved being "beguiled" by flattering lies, characterized by self-love, dishonor to God, ingratitude, and disobedience [8]. The Apostle John distinguishes between having "no sin" (referring to the guilt of corrupt nature) and "not sinned" (referring to the commission of actual sins) [11]. The universal sinfulness of humanity, encompassing both Gentiles and Jews, means that no one can find favor with God through their own actions [10].
In light of this understanding of sin, the Word of God offers a path to drawing near to God. Drawing near to God involves prayer, religious worship, and attending to the word and ordinances in the sanctuary [13]. This act is considered honorable, pleasant, and profitable [13]. The Holy Spirit speaks through the Word, urging individuals to hear God's voice, which can refer to obeying Christ's precepts or listening to the Gospel [14]. The Gospel is described as a voice of love, grace, mercy, peace, reconciliation, pardon, righteousness, liberty, redemption, and salvation through Christ [14].
Sources
- Luke “Luke 1:70 (BSB) — as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past,”
- Joshua “Joshua 14:7 (Webster) — Forty years old [was] I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land; and I brought him word again as it [was] in my heart.”
- Acts ““When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. -- Acts 7:30”
- Psalms “He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves. -- Psalms 107:20”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bless — (1.) God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Gen. 1:22; 24:35; Job 42:12; Ps. 45:2; 104:24, 35). (2.) We bless God when we thank him for his mercies (Ps. 103:1, 2; 145:1, 2). (3.) A man blesses himself when he invokes God's blessing (Isa. 65:16), or rejoices in God's goodness to him (Deut. 29:19; Ps. 49:18). (4.) One blesses another when he expresses good wishes or offers prayer to God for his welfare (Gen. 24:60; 31:55; 1 Sam. 2:20). Sometimes blessings were uttered under divine inspiration, as in the case of Noah, Isa”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 58:3: 58:3 All human beings are born sinners (see 51:5); however, whereas the wicked indulge their sinful nature, the godly fight against it (Rom 7:19-23; Jas 4:1-10).”
- Proverbs (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Proverbs 30:8: vanity--all sorts of sinful acts (Job 11:11; Isa 5:18).”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 3:13: beguiled--cajoled by flattering lies. This sin of the first pair was heinous and aggravated--it was not simply eating an apple, but a love of self, dishonor to God, ingratitude to a benefactor, disobedience to the best of Masters--a preference of the creature to the Creator.”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 19:13: 19:13 An individual who commits deliberate sins does so with an insolent (86:14) or arrogant (119:21, 69) attitude. • The great sin is rebellion (see 32:1).”
- Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:18: 1:18–3:20 Paul delays exploring the theme of righteousness through faith (see 3:21) until after he first teaches about universal sinfulness. Gentiles (1:18-32) and Jews (2:1–3:8) are equally under sin’s power and cannot find favor with God by any action of their own (3:9-20). 1:18 God’s anger is not a spontaneous emotional outburst, but the holy God’s necessary response to sin. The Old Testament often depicts God’s anger (Exod 32:10-12; Num 11:1; Jer 21:3-7) and predicts a decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on human sin at the end of history. While Paul usually de”
- 1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 1:10: Parallel to Jo1 1:8. we have not sinned--referring to the commission of actual sins, even after regeneration and conversion; whereas in Jo1 1:8, "we have no sin," refers to the present GUILT remaining (until cleansed) from the actual sins committed, and to the SIN of our corrupt old nature still adhering to us. The perfect "have . . . sinned" brings down the commission of sins to the present time, not merely sins committed before, but since, conversion. we make him a liar--a gradation; Jo1 1:6, "we lie"; Jo1 1:8, "we deceive ourselves"; worst of al”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:23: Christian brotherhood flows from our new birth of an imperishable seed, the abiding word of God. This is the consideration urged here to lead us to exercise brotherly love. As natural relationship gives rise to natural affection, so spiritual relationship gives rise to spiritual, and therefore abiding love, even as the seed from which it springs is abiding, not transitory as earthly things. of . . . of . . . by--"The word of God" is not the material of the spiritual new birth, but its mean or medium. By means of the word the man receives the incorru”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 73:28: But it is good for me to draw near to God,.... In prayer, and other acts of religious worship; to attend the word and ordinances in the sanctuary, where the psalmist had lately been delivered out of a sore temptation, and so had a recent experience, which was fresh in his mind, of the advantages of such exercises; for it is both an honourable good, what is becoming and commendable, and a pleasant good, what yields delight and satisfaction, and a profitable good, to draw nigh to God by Christ, the new and living way, assisted by the Holy Spirit; which, when done arigh”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 3:7: Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith,.... In Psa 95:7 today if you will hear his voice; either the precepts of Christ, to hear which is to obey them; and this is an acknowledgment to Christ as King of saints, and is a testimony of love to him, and is wellpleasing in his sight; and in which the saints find pleasure themselves, and profit also: or the Gospel of Christ, which is a voice of love, grace, and mercy; of peace and reconciliation; of pardon and righteousness; of liberty, redemption, and salvation by Christ; and to hear it, is not only to hear it externally, but”