1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Priests stand at the interface of heaven and earth, representing creation before God and God to creation
Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…”
Humans “in the image of God”: Representation and Rule (Royal Priests)
Genesis 1:21-22 (ESV)
So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28 (ESV)
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Included in God’s blessing given to humans is having a “responsibility” over the creatures God has blessed. In partnership with God, humans are to both experience and extend His blessing, ensuring others experience His blessing.
Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Numbers 6:23-27 (ESV)
“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.[1]
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
The priest invokes God’s blessing upon His people by extending His presence to them.
Luke 3:21-22 (ESV)
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
A Blessing:
Seeing — Speaking — Giving
Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
Galatians 3:14 (ESV)
so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
A Blessing:
Seeing — Speaking — Giving
2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV)
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Luke 6:27-28 (NLT)
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”
1 Peter 3:8-9 (ESV)
Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
[1] The verses get progressively longer (in Hebrew, 3, 5, and 7 words respectively). They grow from a trickle to stream.