This was a prayer that God commanded when He established the Tabernacle and priesthood. Numbers 6:22-27 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 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. 27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them." We have an example of this blessing being performed by Aaron in Lev 9:22 "And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings." So powerful was this blessing that we have an example of Balaam trying to curse the children of Israel but he could not violate this command to bless (Number 22). Every time he raised his hand to curse Israel he pronounced blessing (This blessing was in force because God testified in Numbers 22 that Israel was not walking in sin; this is the one thing that will break that blessing).Balaam could not break the blessing so he wickedly advised Balak, the king, to cause Israel to sin and thus remove this profound blessing; and so the men of Israel sinned with the women Balak sent into the camp and broke Gods commands causing God to bring judgment. I want to focus on the blessing itself and what it means for a people to have it so let's consider the different aspects of this blessing:
The Lord Bless Thee - Prosperity, in a very real sense we depend on His blessing for everything; whoever has His blessing prospers, whoever does not have His blessing wains. This is a simple basic fact of the kingdom. Prov 10:22 - blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it; Prov 28:20 - a faithful man abounds with blessing! Our prosperity (naturally and spiritually) depends on His favor and blessing.
The Lord Keep Thee - The keeping power of God. This would be best understood by Psalm 91: - why is it that one's stands the test of time throughout the years of good and evil; it is because of the keeping power of God. He upholds them in trials and tribulations. One who sets their love upon Him, as demonstrated by keeping His commands (John 14:15), He upholds and preserves.
The Lord Make His Face to Shine Upon Thee - This is the thought of a father who looks upon the son in whom he is pleased; when he looks at him his heart is filled with pleasure and joy and the smile on his face belies the joy in his heart. We understand this through Jeremiah 29:13
The Lord be Gracious Unto Thee - Amos 5:15 - To the man or woman who loves good and hates evil the Lord will be gracious. Graciousness is the aspect of overlooking one's faults, they have blundered and yet one is gracious to overlook their faults. What a treasure this is, to have God be gracious to us even though we may stumble. But this is applied to ones who love good an hate evil because God knows their heart and does not get them with "Technicalities"; rather He is gracious and forgiving, He is pleased to give them leeway and time to mature.
The Lord Lift Up His Countenance - This has the sense of Gods acknowledgment, it is like king Ahasuerus in the book of Esther, this is only given to those who have found favor and grace in His sight. Esther 5:1-2 He extended his scepter to her...more to the point, he recognized and acknowledged her (she could have perished because she had not been called). Mark my words, there are those who God doe not acknowledge because of the way they are walking, this is not a given; the ones He acknowledges are ones who have character.
The Lord Give Thee Peace - "Shalom" - completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. The peace of God keeps our hearts and minds; it is not easily shaken or moved when things seem to turn against us, the peace of God holds us on course. This is a blessing indeed!
What is it that brings this blessing from God? It is a little bit more than just calling ones self after His name; it is walking uprightly and doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord! In Rom 8 we have listed for us "17 things" that cannot separate us from the love of God but in Gal 5 we have "17 things" (works of the flesh) that can displease the Lord and cause Him remove His blessing if we do not put them in check (as was the case listed above in Numbers 22) . What is the point we re making here? In summary it is this; the blessing of God is what gives the church its strength and makes it the head instead of the tail; in His favor is life and blessing. If we walk in His ways and endeavor by His grace to keep His judgments and statutes we will be preserved by these very blessings. However, I have seen over the years the church walking away from His commands and as a result I have observed the blessing of God dissolve and the church losing its strength and sanctity; they have become weak spiritually and carnal because they have lost His blessing. They have been given over to carnality and error. It is time to return to the Lord, seek His face and walk in His ways. Let us once again ask Him to show His favor. It will mean for many brokenness and repentance but in the end it will restore His hand of favor to the Church and He will uphold us.
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