- Blessed
Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord;
And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
The conditional promise of blessing comes upon the group of people who believe in the Lord; they make Him their God; He has chosen that group for His inheritance. A bond of faithfulness to each other ties each to the other. The Lord says often: “I will be your God and you shall be my people,” thus summarizing the covenant relationship. The Lord will do what Gods do and the people will worship Him alone. When this covenant order prevails blessedness engulfs the nation: there is peace in the land and in the homes; prosperity floats a functioning economy; joyfulness and general wellbeing permeates social interaction; love dominates relationships.
This Blessedness may sound idyllic and ideal, but this is the way life would really be when God and the people group are living in such mutual faithfulness. Utopia is unreachable and impossible in a fallen world where the people do not make the Lord their God. The Lord does His part for His chosen people, but His people do not respond with faithful trust and obedience. Therefore, “blessed is the nation” is not realized in full.
On a smaller scale, for one marriage or family, the same promise holds true: “Blessed is the family whose God is the Lord, the family he has chosen.” Blessings are promised to come in general alignment with the degree of faithful obedience of the people in that family obediently trusting in the Lord as God. Naturally, we all fail the “faithful obedience” test, but forgiveness is always available to restore the broken relationship because of the covenant established in the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Sin makes utopia impossible, but believing the “blessed” promises of God draws us closer to the utopia we dream of.