Blessed be God
This is an ascription of praise and glory to God, for he can only
be blessed of men, by their praising and glorifying him, or by
ascribing honour and blessing to him: and in this form of
blessing him he is described, first by his relation to Christ,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:
whose Son Christ is, not by creation, as angels and men, nor by
adoption, as saints, but in such a way of filiation, as no
creatures are, or possibly can be: he is his only begotten Son,
his own proper Son, his natural and eternal Son, is of the same
nature with him, and equal to him in perfections, power, and
glory. This is rightly prefaced by the apostle to the other
following characters, since there is no mercy nor comfort
administered to the sons of men but through the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, and Saviour of sinners. And next he is
described by his attribute of mercy, and the effects of it, or by
his merciful disposition to his creatures,
the Father of mercies.
The Jews frequently address God in their prayers F1 under
the title or character of, (Mymxrh ba) , "Father of mercies". The plural number is
used, partly to show that God is exceeding merciful; he delights
in showing mercy to poor miserable creatures, and is rich and
plenteous in the exercise of it: nothing is more common in the
Talmudic writings, than to call him (anmxr) , "the merciful", and this is partly to express
the multitude of his tender mercies, of which he is the "Father",
author, and giver, both in a temporal, and spiritual sense; for
there are not only innumerable providential mercies which the
people of God share in, and partake of, but also a multitude of
spiritual mercies. Such as redemption by Christ, pardon of sin
through his blood, regeneration by his Spirit, supplies of grace
out of his fulness, and the word and ordinances; all which are
owing to the mercy of God, which they have abundant reason to be
thankful to him, and bless him for, being altogether unworthy and
undeserving of them. God is also described by his work of
comforting the saints,
and the God of all comfort;
most rightly is this character given him, for there is no solid
comfort but what comes from him; there is none to be had in, and
from the creatures; and whatever is had through them it is from
him: and all spiritual comfort is of him; whatever consolation
the saints enjoy they have it from God, the Father of Christ, and
who is their covenant God and Father in Christ; and the
consolation they have from him through Christ in a covenant way
is not small, and for which they have great reason to bless the
Lord, as the apostle here does; for it is from him that Christ,
the consolation of Israel, and the Spirit, the Comforter, come,
and whatever is enjoyed by the Gospel.