Sunday, January 6, 2008

The Gift of a Blessing
Numbers 6:22-27

I. Introduction

As we begin a new year there is a natural tendency to look forward. We wonder what this year will be like.

The following are quotes from some people who looked into the future, but did not quite get it right:

"Inventions have long since reached their limit, and I see no hope for further developments." —Roman engineer Julius Sextus Frontinus, A.D. 100

"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon." —John Eric Ericksen, surgeon to Queen Victoria, 1873

"Law will be simplified [over the next century]. Lawyers will have diminished, and their fees will have been vastly curtailed." —journalist Junius Henri Browne, 1893

"It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything." —Albert Einstein's teacher to Einstein's father, 1895

"It would appear we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology." —computer scientist John von Neumann, 1949

"Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years." —Alex Lewyt, president of the Lewyt Vacuum Cleaner Company, quoted in the New York Times, June 10, 1955

"Before man reaches the moon, your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail." —Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General under Eisenhower, 1959

"I predict the internet … will go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse." —Bob Metcalfe, InfoWorld, 1995

Aren't you glad your faith does not rest on human words but on the sure Word of God?

—The Futurist, (September/October, 2000), p. 20–25

Today, I am not here to predict the future, but I do want to speak a blessing over you for 2008.

Listen and receive the blessing of the Lord to you today.

“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.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

Before we walk through this beautiful passage together, I would like to share one interesting aspect of this passage.

The name of God (Yahweh) is repeated three times and each time with a different accent in the original Hebrew. This has led Jewish scholars to think there is some mystery concerning God’s name that is hidden in this passage.

As Christians we believe the New Testament explains the mystery and directs us to expect the blessing of the Lord to
come through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.

II. The Blessing

This blessing reflects God's desire for His people.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites.”’” (verses 22-23)

God wants to bless you – do you want to be blessed?

Before I go any further, I need to make something clear. Many people want the blessing of God (or even expect it), but do not live in a way that allows the blessing of God to flow into their lives.

There is a single word that you should never forget when it comes to receiving the blessing of God – it is obedience.

Who is the blessing for?

“If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding
you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; 2 all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, NRSV)

On the negative, “But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…” (Deuteronomy 28:15, NRSV)

We cannot deceive ourselves – when it comes to the blessings of God there is a connection to how we live our lives. But let us also remember that God wants to bless us.

Let’s take a closer look at the blessing.

“The Lord bless you and keep you.” (verse 24)

The first part of the blessing is very simple and is only three words in the original Hebrew language.

The primary point, I believe, is that this blessing comes from God – “the Lord bless you” – it is God alone who sustains and preserves us in the midst of this life.

It is an expression of God’s desire to pour out His goodness upon us through action, which means that no matter our circumstances – God is keeping us. We are being sustained and defended by the loving hand of our God.

You may wonder where the goodness of God is in your present circumstances, but all I can tell you is that God desires to bless you and keep you in the midst of anything you may experience in this life.

The second part of the blessing is this: “The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you” (verse 25)

This defines the blessing more precisely as the expression of God’s favor and grace to be given personally to each of you.

This phrase builds on the first phrase and consists of five Hebrew words.

When the blessing calls for God’s face to shine upon you, it is an expression of God’s favor being extending to you.

To have the favor of God upon my life…now that is a blessing!

And who does not need grace?

First, when God is gracious to you it means that He gives you what you don’t deserve. We don’t deserve anything but
His judgment, yet His heart is to extend His love and mercy.

Second, God’s grace speaks of his desire to give you the power you need every day to live a life of freedom and victory.

“The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you”

And now we come to the culmination of the blessing:

“The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (verse 26)

The blessing seems to build to its final word – peace.

The whole structure of the blessing grows more complex, with each sentence building to this verse made up of seven words. This is the crescendo of the blessing – God wants you to know His peace – His shalom
.
This amazing Hebrew word shalom means much more than an absence of conflict. It implies a complete sense of well-being, health, and contentment.

It involves a quietness of the heart within us, spiritual health and spiritual prosperity, adequacy for the demands of life, and the kind of spiritual well-being that rises above circumstances.

Shalom is one of the greatest words in the entire Hebrew vocabulary.

And God offers this Shalom to anyone who is willing to follow Him.

Has your life been filled with turmoil and strife? Receive the Shalom of God today!

Are there situations or relationships that are creating stress and anxiety in your heart? Receive the Shalom of God today.

“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.”

It is the gift of a blessing – receive the blessing of the Lord.

III. Application

Before we leave today, I would like to share one more thing that I see in this passage.

The pronouns in this benediction are singular (the Lord bless you), meaning that God's blessings come to each
of us personally; but there is a plural pronoun in Numbers 6:27, “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I
will bless them.”

God definitely wants to bless you as an individual, but as you are blessed it is expected of you then to bless others around you – your family, your church family, your co-workers, even your enemies.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Romans 12:14, NRSV)

If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ – you are blessed! And you are then called to extend that blessing to others.

Are you a blessing to those around you in word and in deed? Do you bless your enemies? Are your words seasoned with blessings when you speak of others?

James 3:10 says, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not
to be so.” (NRSV)

Blessings are like a river flowing into the lake of our hearts. As long as water is flowing in and water is flowing out the
lake is cool, clear and beautiful. But what happens if water does not flow out of the lake? It becomes stagnant, even poisonous to drink.

Too many Christians have become like a stagnant pool of water. God has poured the blessing in, but we have not allowed the blessing to flow out to others.

As you leave today, I would like to ask you to shake at least three people’s hands and simply say “May the Shalom of God be with you.” You may give more of a blessing if you feel led to do so.

As you greet each other, be sure that you are both giving and receiving the gift of a blessing.

Benediction: “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.”