Psalms 129:5-8 – “Let all those who hate Zion Be put to shame and turned back. 6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops, Which withers before it grows up, 7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand, Nor he who binds sheaves, his arms. 8 Neither let those who pass by them say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you; We bless you in the name of the LORD!” NKJV

In our introduction, we opened the door to an incredible study and now it is my desire to dig a little deeper.  It is important to note that the entire Psalm is spoken against the enemies of the People of God.  In verse five we see:  “May all who hate Zion be put to shame.”  To the Hebrews that is the finale of the terrible things that happen to those who oppose the People of God.  There is nothing worse than this, to the Hebrew, in Scripture!

Psalm 129:8 – “Nor do those who pass by say.  The Blessing of the Lord be upon you.                                         We Bless you in the Name of the Lord.”

HEAR THIS CAREFULLY!  To an Israelite that was the pinnacle of being a Person in the People of God.  When you met another person of the People of God, they would respond to you:  “The Blessings of the Lord be upon you.”  We Bless you in the Name of the Lord.”  To the Hebrew, the worst possible thing/state would be to be outside the People of God and no one says:  “The Blessing of the Lord be upon you…”

CONSIDER THIS PLEASE:

 To our Western minds, that doesn’t seem like such a big deal.  So what?  It’s just a greeting.  NO! NO! NO!  It is much more than that.  That is why I find this such a fascinating subject.  My objective is to show you what it means to walk in the Blessings of the Lord!

Numbers 6:22-27 – “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 24 “The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”‘ 27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”  NKJV

THE BLESSING – – In a very real sense, this is the subject” of Scripture.  Actually, covenant is the subject, but ALWAYS attached to the covenants is THE BLESSING!  The Blessing is where the covenant goes into action!  I am convinced we can receive the Gospel, and enjoy the benefits of the Gospel but we will NEVER understand the Gospel and thereby walk in its fullness UNTIL we understand BLESSING!

LET’S GO BACK TO THE GARDEN OF EDEN:

What was the first thing that God did when He created man?  He BLESSED him!  That was the first item on God’s agenda when He created Adam.  Likewise, in every covenant, you will find somewhere in that Covenant the appendage of BLESSING!

THAT DEMANDS FURTHER EXPLANATION:

What do we mean?  What are the basics?  Just what do we mean when we use the term BLESSING?  Let me explain what I mean in as much detail as time and space will allow.  I fully believe that if we really understand this – – It will transform our lives in a revolutionary way!

Numbers 6 – – “They shall “invoke” My Name on the Sons of Israel, and then I                                                      will Bless them.”

This is vital!  BECAUSE ONLY GOD CAN BLESS!  The Priests were to bless the People, but God said:  “When you thus Bless, then I will Bless…”  MAN cannot communicate Blessing, in the ultimate sense (that gets into witchcraft).  BUT – Humans do bless other humans!  The Priests are doing that here.  BUT, they can ONLY bless other humans with GOD’S BLESSINGS!  Therefore, God Blesses us and then we can pass that blessing on to others.  BUT, we cannot pass it on to everybody!  We can ONLY pass it on to those who fall in within the scope of “God’s Direction”.  Therefore, we are limited!  Only God can truly Bless!

I HOPE THAT YOU RECEIVING AND COMPREHENDING WHAT I AM ATTEMPTING TO COMMUNICATE!  God started this not man!  Man can pass that blessing on within God’s parameters.  It is a Blessing that comes from God and is ordered by God!

INVOKE – – is used in different versions in different ways.  “Put” [KJV], “Call Down”, “Link My Name”.

DO YOU GET THE IDEA?  The Blessing is the linking of God’s Name to a human being.  It is the calling down of God’s Name upon a Person!  THAT IS IMPORTANT!  If we get this foundational understanding regarding THE BLESSING we will discover our sessions that follow will be much more beneficial and rewarding as well as challenging and enlightening.

I want to pause here and pick this up again tomorrow and consider what the NAME OF GOD means to us with regard to Blessing and Life!  May the Lord guide you through your day and make it a special and blessing filled day for you!