Holly Bible - KJV with Concise Commentaries by Z Selam - HTML preview
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He blesses Shem, or rather blesses God for him, yet so that it entitles him to the greatest honour and happiness imaginable, Ge 9:26. Observe,
[1.] He calls the Lord the god of Shem; and happy, thrice happy, is that people whose God is the LORD, Ps 144:15. All blessings are included in this. This was the blessing conferred on Abraham and his seed; the God of heaven was not ashamed to be called their God, Heb 11:16. Shem is sufficiently recompensed for his respect to his father by this, that the Lord himself puts this honour upon him, to be his God, which is a sufficient recompence for all our services and all our sufferings for his name.
[2.] He gives to God the glory of that good work which Shem had done, and, instead of blessing and praising him that was the instrument, he blesses and praises God that was the author. Note, The glory of all that is at any time well done, by ourselves or others, must be humbly and thankfully transmitted to God, who works all our good works in us and for us. When we see men's good works we should glorify, not them, but our Father, Mt 5:16. Thus David, in effect, blessed Abigail, when he blessed God that sent her (1Sa 25:32, 33), for it is an honour and a favour to be employed for God and used by him in doing good.
[3.] He foresees and foretells that God's gracious dealings with Shem and his family would be such as would evidence to all the world that he was the God of Shem, on which behalf thanksgivings would by many be rendered to him: Blessed be the Lord God of Shem.
[4.] It is intimated that the church should be built up and continued in the posterity of Shem; for of him came the Jews, who were, for a great while, the only professing people God had in the world.