Bless You
Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are
to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the
Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face
toward you and give you peace.” So they will put my name on the Israelites, and
I will bless them.”
Wednesday, November 7,
2018
The
words bless, blessed and blessing are found over 500
A
blessing is any act of God that brings Him glory by accomplishing His will and
helping His people grow and do His will. You cannot buy blessings or
manufacture them as they can come only from God. God’s blessings are gracious
gifts from heaven that meet our needs in ways that build us up and help us
glorify the Lord.
In
some churches today just before the time of worship is over, a blessing is
shared. It is also called a benediction which often is a biblical statement
that states something good. This benediction enables the listener to receive a
blessing in order to be a blessing to others in the coming week. But what are
the blessings that God wants us to receive from Him and share with others? As
followers of Jesus and believers in God’s love, we are channels of God’s
blessings and not reservoirs only.
Benediction
of Israel (Numbers 6:22-27) may be considered
in three ways—the benediction of Israel the nation; Israel the man who founded
the 12 tribes and ‘the Israel of God” that Paul mentions in Galatians 6:16.
A) Benediction
of Israel the Nation God mentions the Israelites and they are the
only nation in history that has entered into a covenant relationship with God.
This began with God’s call to Abraham and the ‘covenant of a great nation’ (Gen
12:2-3)
Paul tells also of
the blessings God gave the Jewish nation- Romans 9:3-5
God chose Jews to
be His special people and gave them a land in which to live as long as they
obeyed God’s law. Even though they were dispersed around the world the Jewish
people were never assimilated into the other nations. Israel has glory and
grace as well as provision and protection.
B) Israel
the man Jacob
Three experiences
with God transformed Jacob into a man of God and a channel of God’s blessing to
others: i) Jacob flees from his brother Esau and turns to God. He is assured by
God that he would be blessed including the land of Canaan and descendants would
bless the world.
ii) Jacob sees the face of God after struggling with
him. Gen32:22-32
iii)Jacob and son
Joseph reunited and safe again in Egypt (Gen46:1-4,47-49)
REFLECTION:
When we consider this blessing/benediction- have we
considered the 3 Israels or primarily the country of the Jewish nation? Does it
make a difference for you that Jacob/ Israel was blessed by God in 3 different
times and ways? What does this blessing mean for you?
NEXT week—We will include the 3rd way God
blesses Israel in this benediction and reflect on it more.. meanwhile Pray the
words of the blessing over and over. Reflect on the words bless and keep you;
make face shine, turn his face…what do these mean to you in this moment?
PRAYER Holy God bless us O God through the words we have
uttered many times before. Bless us as we praise your holy name. In Christ
Jesus we ask. Amen.
RESOURCE:
Warren W. Wiersbe. Bless
You: Receiving and Sharing the Blessings of the Lord. Grand Rapids,MI: Our
Daily Bread Ministries, 8th printing- 2018. (p.7-22)
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