Numbers 6:22-27 – “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’  27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” NASB

We have all read or heard this declaration countless times.  We have heard it in religious gatherings, but I have a question I want you to consider.  “Did We Catch It?”  What I am asking, is do we perceive that this Blessing is at the very heart and foundation of the Old Covenant.  It is the dynamic that made the Covenant work.  It is incredibly powerful and important.  If we grasp that reality, it will impact how we approach life and blessing.

It was at this time that God has laid out the Covenant and now He is declaring that there must be someone (the Priest), who would daily invoke this Blessing over the people.  In so doing, the Covenant would be made to work.  That is why this is so important and so powerful.  It is not just words it is power.  This prayer is what brought the Covenant into people’s lives.

This prayer was given, at least twice each day.  It would be spoken in the morning and evening sacrifice, and the Priest would lift his hands over the people and give them this specific blessing. 

This is an expression of God’s desire for His people.  This is God saying, “This is what I want for you.  I want to keep you, lift my face toward you, and give you all that I AM!!!”  Out of that reality, God instructs them to pray this prayer and it was to be from the heart and in faith believing that it was and would be or become a reality in their lives every day.

I don’t know what that does in your spirit, but it causes me to want to shout.  It is incredibly exciting to realize that this is God’s desire for me and you.  This is what God wants to be a daily reality in our lives.  I am convinced that once we know this truth we can and will pray with a renewed or discovered anticipation as we have never had.  We will expect it to come to pass because it is God’s Desire!  He says, “Invoke My Name upon the people and in through this vehicle I will Bless them!”  That is incredible.

With every promise, there is a problem and there is a major problem in today’s Christian community.  One of the most used words among many Christians today is “Bless.”  It is a terribly misunderstood word or maybe more accurately, it has never been understood. 

For most of us, one of the first prayers we were taught was to Bless.  We bless our food, our parents, siblings, friends, relatives, etc.  I have discovered that many times when people are at a loss for what to say, they fall back on the word “Bless.”  Whenever we meet someone we say, “God bless” or “Bless you.”  Nothing wrong with that, but if it is just a greeting with no anticipated or understood meaning and power it is an impotent word.  That is not God’s desire for the Blessing!

I believe that most people are largely clueless as to what the word “Bless” really means, biblically.  The world “Bless”, is at the center of understanding God’s Covenant.  I believe that for us to obtain a firm grasp on the reality, power, and meaning of the word we have to go back to creation. Remember in Genesis we are told that when God created the world and humans it says, “And God Blessed them”?  Remember?  The word shows up at the Dawn of Creation and is unique in its meaning.

In context, it means to be favored by God.  It also means to live in joy that is enviable and everlasting.  Behind that, it means a verbal conveyance and enduement with power, enabling the one blessed to be successful, prosperous, healthy, and have a long life.  That’s the word!  It is not just a “Hi, how are you?”  It is a releasing of power to bring something to being in the lives of those who are recipients of the Blessing.   That changes everything or should.

I want to dig a little deeper into Blessing but will pause here and pray that the Lord will Bless you as you go through this wonderful day He has made. 

Have a great day!