The Lord Bless You

The LORD BLESS YOU    (Nu 6:22-27)

Heard a few times recently   (Maddie  &  Tiffany)

+  Most overused word in Christianese =  BLESS

But what’s it all about  ?    Is it RELEVANT ?

ORIGIN – from GOD.

1st important =        it originated at God's initiative

· God determined the CARRIERS of the blessing :

Deut 21:5

[5] The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD

From that moment                    priests =  INTERMEDIARIES  of blessing for God's people.

= PRIESTLY BLESSING

TODAY  -  WE  are the BEARERS & PRONOUNCERS   of  it        ==priesthood of all believers

(1Pet 2:9)

But you are a chosen people,  a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

A royal priesthood is not only a priesthood that BELONGS TO & SERVES the king                                                                                                                                                 but is also a PRIESTHOOD which exercises rule.

which will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ's future kingdom

· God determined the CONTENT of the blessing :

 God told them HOW to BLESS

[22] The LORD said to Moses,

 [23] “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

[24] “The LORD bless you and keep you;

[25] the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

[26] the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” '

[27] “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them

a PRONOUNCEMENT   /  DECLARATION  to his people, FOREVER

But WHAT does it MEAN  ?

NOTE :    at this point it will HIGLY MOTIVATE us to know that    WE  are (as followers of Christ)

Ø Not only    bearers & pronouncers, but also

Ø RECIPIENTS :

(Eph. 1:3)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

But WHAT does it MEAN  ?

WHAT is GOD’s BLESSING ?

[24]  “The LORD bless you and keep you;

  Bless   =    barakh      =    reflects  the FAVOUR & GOODWILL of God towards His creation                                                                               -   both  temporal (secular)   &/or   spiritual

Grk  = "eulogeo," which means to SPEAK WELL or to PRAISE

As Read Bible & we read of God’s ABUNDANCE of blessing  (good)  throughout

Culminating in  (Eph. 1:3)

blessed us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ.

This gives a sense of there being            NO  LIMITATION....

setting up for GROWTH ….. EXPONENTIAL

.... BREAKING ALL LIMITATIONS from you.

When do you think we are likely to receive God’s blessings ?

Ø   When pursue His WILL & PURPOSE     /   OBEDIENT

Check it out :

(Lev 26:3-13).

[3] “ ‘If you FOLLOW my decrees and are careful to OBEY my commands, [4] I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will YIELD its crops and the trees their fruit.

[5] Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape HARVEST will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in SAFETY in your land.

[6] “ ‘I will grant PEACE in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass (PROTECTION)  through your country.

[7] You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you.

[8] Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall  (VICTORY) by the sword before you.

[9] “ ‘I will look on you with FAVOUR and make you FRUITFUL and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.

[10] You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room (ABUNDANCE) for the new.

[11] I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you.

[12] I will walk among (PRESENCE)  you and be your God, and you will be my people.

[13] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves (FREEDOM)  to the Egyptians; I broke (RELEASED from CAPTIVITY)  the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

God blesses by :

provision  / safety / peace / protection / victory / favour / abundance / presence /  freedom / release from captivity

Just in case you have a hang-up with Old v New Testament  …..   let’s see what it says in NT

Ro 8:28

we know that in all thingsGod works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Col 2:10

and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority

Jas 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows

2Pe 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

 “Spiritual” does not refer to immaterial blessings as opposed to material ones, but rather to the work of God, who is the divine and spiritual source of all blessings. in the heavenly places. Lit. “in the heavenlies.” This refers to the realm of God's complete, heavenly domain, from which all His blessings come (cf. v. 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). in Christ. God's superabundant blessings belong only to believers who are His children, by faith in Christ, so that what He has is theirs—including His righteousness, resources, privilege, position, and power

GOD promises to ‘KEEP’ us

[24]  “The LORD bless you and keepyou;--

 “GUARD” &   “PROTECT.”  &  PRESERVE

GOD promises FAVOUR

V25 Make his face shine upon you              (FAVOUR)

“face” of God    = PERSONALITY of God  turned TOWARDS us (c/f turned away)

His face hidden or turned away    =      despair; destruction  & death (Dt 31:17,18; Job 13:24    // Lev 17:10; Ps 34:16)

BUT …..  his face turned towards us  in love & mercy      =   LIFE & SALVATION (Ps 27:1; 44:3).

“ It is to the soul of man what the blessed sun of heaven is to his body”

c/f Ex 33:14-15

-  MOSES so PASSIONATE about God’s face going with them....

- & CONSEQUENCE of seeing (not God’s face,) but his BACK & at a DISTANCE

          = Moses face being so bright, needed covering up.

God's presence is like sunshine (Ps 19:1-11). A shining face is a smiling face, a pledge of God's good favor (Ps 80:3, 7, 19).

May  God,s glory will shine upon US

For God to lift up his countenance involves taking notice of and treating his people with favor

GOD promises GRACE

v25 be gracious to you        [Grace  /  MERCY  /  COMPASSION]

 GRACE    (unmerited favour)

…….. starts with SALVATION

(Ps 80:3, 7, 19).

[3] Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us,

that we may be saved.

GOD promises ATTENTION

V26 May He turn his face towards you

.... God to look straight at you   /  TAKE NOTICE  =     show favour  …. Give His approval 

=  SPECIAL RELATIONAL

GOD promises PEACE

[26] the LORD …….   give you peace.” '     ( shalom)

Not just   ABSENCE  of     trouble (in all its forms) 

                                           it means TOTAL WELL-BEING.

=  CULMINATION of all other blessings

“that calm of mind, conscience, and life which accompanies salvation”

If you know J  as Lord & S    =      can know His BLESSING

In TOTALITY …. Later …..       TASTER now ….

giving good harvests, safety / peace / protection / victory / favour / abundance / presence /  freedom / release from captivity

[27] “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them

HOW is this all POSSIBLE ?

Through Jesus !

For Israel & YOU & I  ….    Jesus is the one who perfectly embodied what the nation of Israel was supposed to be. He came out of Egypt, crossed through the water, went into the wilderness to be tested, and ascended the mountain to give the new law to his kingdom (Mt 2-7). He was the only one ever totally separate from sin and wholly consecrated to the Lord

Jesus himself was the spotless atonement offering whose blood enables you and me to draw near to the presence of the holy God and experience his blessing.

How Does It Apply to My Life?

It Shows How We Can Be Consecrated in Service to God

First, these vows show us that we need to consecrate our lives to God as the highest priority

Second  -  we should also serve him. Ep 4 tells us that everyone who is part of Christ's body should serve in some capacity

The biblical view of blessing also implies a RESPONSIBILITY;

to be blessed by God is to be called to bless others,

 as evidenced by the Abrahamic covenant where God promises to bless Abraham so that he may be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:2). Thus, the act of blessing transcends personal gain and aligns with God's redemptive plan for humanity.

CONCLUSION

This BLESSING  does NOT invoke an outward blessing of material goods or circumstances,

 but INWARD BLESSINGS. The blessing was God himself.

It  assures  God's PEOPLE  of His CARE / PRESENCE / PROVISION / PEACE   in (daily)  life, work, and family

Its five parts conveyed hope that God would

 (1) bless and protect them;

 (2) smile on them (be pleased);

 (3) be gracious (merciful and compassionate);

 (4) show his favour toward them (give his approval);

 (5) give peace.

 When you ask God to bless others or yourself, you are asking him to do these five things.

 The blessing you offer will not only help the one receiving it, it will also demonstrate love, encourage others, and provide a model of caring for others.

Matthew Henry :  To be under the almighty protection of God our Saviour; to enjoy his favour as the smile of a loving Father, or as the cheering beams of the sun; while he mercifully forgives our sins, supplies our wants, consoles the heart, and prepares us by his grace for eternal glory; these things form the substance of this blessing, and the sum total of all blessings.