The Blessing
Go from Familiarity to Revelation
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
If you grew up in church, chances are you know these words. We hear them at the end of services, at weddings, and in songs. We can recite them without blinking an eye. But familiarity can be hinderance, and we can sometimes become so accustomed to the words that we miss the weight behind them.
Today, I want you to really look at The Blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. This was a divine instruction given by God to Moses, commanding the Priests (Aaron and his sons) to speak it over the Israelites. So in the Old Covenant, this was reserved for pastors in the house š (the priests).
But according to the our New Testament reality, the priesthood is no longer reserved for a select few.
āBut you are Godās chosen treasureāpriests who are kings, a spiritual ānationā set apart as Godās devoted ones.ā ā 1 Peter 2:9 (TPT)
What does this mean for you? It means as a priest, you have the authority to proclaim and declare this blessing over yourself, your family, and your situation! You donāt have to wait for your pastor; you can speak life right now.
Letās break down this blessing, line by line.
1. The Source and the Shield
āThe Lord bless you and keep you...ā
Notice how every line in this passage begins with āThe Lord bless you.ā This is intentional. It reminds us that God Himself is the source. A job can give you a salary, and a doctor can give you medicine, but only the Lord can truly bless a man. His blessing includes the ābigā things like health, children, property, career, and finances. But it also touches the seemingly little thingsāyour bread, your water, your going out, and your coming in. When He blesses, everything is touched.
āAnd keep youā: The second part of this verse is about protection. The Lord keeps you from anything and everything that tries to oppose His blessing on your life.
He is your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day.
The moon will not harm you by night.
As Psalm 121:5-8 reminds us, the Lord watches over your life as you come and go, both now and forever. The God who blesses also keeps!
2. The Smile of God
āThe Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.ā
This verse speaks of Godās benevolent gaze. In the NLT version, it is translated as: āMay He smile on you.ā
Imagine that. The Creator of the universe looking at you, not with anger or disappointment, but with a smile. It means you are seen. You are known. You are loved.
āAnd be Gracious to Youā: This refers to His graceāHis unmerited favor. We often think we need to earn Godās goodness, but grace is the opposite. It is God giving us everything when we deserve nothing. It is His favor flowing toward you simply because you are His.
3. The Peace of God
āThe Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.ā
This is the climax of the prayer. To ālift up His countenanceā means He is giving you His full attention. And the result of His presence is Peace.
This isnāt just the absence of war, conflict, or noise. This peaceāShalomāis the presence of a God. The Bible calls Jesus the Prince of Peace.
Pastor Nath has a quote that sums this up nicely:
āKnow Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace.ā
The peace God gives exceeds all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). It guards your heart and mind even when the world around you is chaotic. It is a wholeness that nothing in this world can break.
Time to Say It Out Loud!
What a wonderful and merciful God we serve! He gave us a patternāa divine cheat codeāon how to be blessed!!
I encourage you this week to not just read these verses, but to say them out loud. Speak them over yourself in the morning. Speak them over your children. Speak them over your work. Say it out loud.
You are a royal priest. The blessing is in your mouth.
Shalom.
PS: We are meeting again on the 2nd of December. I will share details as we get close to the date. Be expectant š
Thank you so much Pastor S. Excited and anticipating 2 December.
Thank you Pastor Sarah. Am reading this again and l thought, this is like a devotional. PS, l pray the Lord give you grace to start one. Blessings