Numbers 6:25 – “The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;” NKJV

Let’s move into the Second Statement of THE BLESSING and glean its treasures in as short a span and space as we can.  You could literally write a book on this but we will try to be as brief as possible and yet convey the important message.

HIS FACE:    Always in Scripture, the “face” indicates the TOTAL PERSON.

Let me give you an illustration that hopefully will convey what I’m saying.  If you were to ask for a picture of me, and I sent you a picture of my feet, you would think I was completely bonkers.  If you ask for a picture of me, what do you expect?  You would expect to receive a picture of “my face” – Right?  Therefore, when it says: “The Face of God” it means His TOTAL PERSON!

SHINE UPON YOU:  Again this is in Pictorial Language.  It means to beam and/or smile.  It means that the “sum total” of the Person of God is “BEAMING upon them.”  In even more simple terms – “He likes us!

Unfortunately – – There are churches full of people today who, through what has been taught and what they think, believe that GOD frowns on them all the time.  They see GOD as an ogre, a bully, a tyrant just waiting for them to step the least little bit out of line and give them a whack on the head with a big stick.  They do not see GOD smiling at them!  They are bound in legalism and unrealistic religious expectations and are miserable while naming the name of Christ!  That is more than sad!

YET, the clear Scriptural Truth for us TODAY in the New Covenant is that “God’s Face” has been fully shown to us in JESUS CHRIST!  God’s TOTAL PERSON is “shining” upon us through the FINISHED WORK of our Lord on the Cross.  We have “God’s favor” not His “disfavor”.  He is looking for ways to “bless us” not ways to “punish us.”  Oh, we can bring His wrath but that is not His objective or desire!

Most of us, who are parents and even grandparents, have had and have times when we are “beaming” while watching or thinking about our children or grandchildren.  We want nothing but the best for them and when they do well we are proud as peacocks and usually gushingly proclaim their actions and accomplishments to everyone who will listen.  We have even sought ways to “reward” them or BLESS THEM!

AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU:

Isn’t it wonderful that the very nature and character of God is to extend “Grace.”  He acts toward us in grace.  It means that we receive that which we did not and cannot “earn”, do not “merit” or “deserve”.  IT’S GRACE!  He does it because HE LOVES US!  He does it because it is His desire to lavish upon us the bounties of Heaven.  He does it because He wants us to “prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper.”  It’s Who He Is!  It is not because of “Who” I am but because of “Who” He is.  Also, His “Grace” empowers us to go through whatever struggle, battle, temptation, or obstacle that is in our path.  He gives us “divine enablement” to succeed and overcome!  That’s why it is so important to put Him “first” above all else.  As we walk in harmony with Him we enjoy the riches of His Person “inside” and that flows to the outside, and not only “blesses” us but EVERYONE we encounter.  It affects everything that we do and enables us to be “demonstrations” of His Love, Mercy, Grace, Power, and Person to the world.

I HOPE YOU SEE THIS!  I know that you do.  I was a LEGALIST in the most Pharisaical sense of the word, but this truth “transformed” my thinking and my relationship with the Lord and with others.  I was enduring my Christianity for so many years rather than enjoying it.  I loved God and wanted desperately to please Him but was convinced that I could not because of my human frailty.  I attacked everything that even remotely seemed out of line with the Bible and there is no question that I alienated more people that I could ever go back and rectify.  In fact, I have asked the Lord to allow me to go back to Churches and people that my LEGALISM affected destructively and apologize and preach this to them and ask their forgiveness.  He has allowed me to do that in a small measure and that’s another reason that I so desire to have everyone that I can get an audience with to hear the truth of “Blood Covenant”.  It will transform your life, it did mine!

We will put this on hold until tomorrow and then look at the “Third Statement” of THE BLESSING.  May God allow you to get it so deeply in your spirit that He Likes you and His Face is BEAMING when He looks at or thinks of you and that His Grace is more than sufficient for you in ALL THINGS!

May you have a most blessed and joyous day.  Blessings!