The Blessing
/Numbers 6:24-26t
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
bless thee— hand of favor, the benefit of God is on his life
2 Samuel 6:11-12
11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.
12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
— he cried to God, “Oh that you would bless me indeed. Someone has to believe that God is a God of blessing in order to call upon Him to bless one’s life.
keep thee— to guard or hedge about w/ thorns.
In ancient times, a military tactic, was to set up a perimeter of hedges made out of thorns to deter the warhorses from rushing into their space. Spiritually, the Lord promises to keep His people protected. It’s a hedge of protection. The Lord said when you pray, pray this way. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…
Jude 1:24
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
The Lord, in His power, His grace, His mercy is able to keep you from falling. His plan provides everything you need for life and godliness. Your trust in the work of the Lord has purchased grace for power and victory. Your diligence to learn God’s word and willingness to partner with/ Him in obedience to His word releases grace for power over the plans of the enemy.
But unwillingness to walk in obedience to God’s word is rebellion, which is the spirit of witchcraft. This puts us in opposition towards God and His word.
his face shine upon thee— Its a beautiful thing when the light of God shines upon a human life.
Exodus 14:20
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them [Egypt], but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
God’s light for His people is darkness for the world.
1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
2 Peter 1:19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
If you look a couple verses before this, it speaks of the mount of transfiguration. God’s glory was revealed through Jesus, which reveled to Peter, James and John, the Father’s pleasure with Jesus. If we will follow the Lord closely and walk in the Spirit, according to His word, then His face will also shine upon us.
One last thing that I will say about the glory and splendor of God’s face shining upon His people is the fact that His light provides guidance in darkness. It’s imperative that the people of God learn to distinguish the difference between the voice of God and their own voice. That’s the difference between the soul and the Spirit:
I want a wife. The Bible says that a man that finds a wife finds a good thing, so I will find me a wife….
The Bible says that He prospers His people, so I will embark upon my prosperity journey….
The problem that we all run into is that we don’t stay in the place where we remain under the shining of His face. We start to map out for ourselves, our own plans. We seek the wife and the prosperity our own way and expect God to bless it after the fact.
gracious unto thee— kindness, favor and mercy. One of the words used is actually [pity]. He is merciful towards us and doesn’t give us what we deserve.
Matthew 9:10-13
10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mercy— good will towards the afflicted. What an act of mercy when the heavens opened and the angels sang that night:
Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
lift up his countenance upon thee— the countenance is the face. God promises His people that He will meet with them. One thought that comes to mind was the shewbread in the OT the shewbread was known also as face bread. It described the fact that God’s presence was with them, that He wanted to commune w/ them. He desires communion w/ His people.
Ruth
…give thee peace
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.