Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Numbers 6:22-27 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: "The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace." So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.'"
THE AARONIC BENEDICTION: GOD'S BLESSING THROUGH THE FACILITY OF WORDS
At times we speak or hear of "blessings of man." Christian parents might tell their adult children that they have their blessing -- perhaps on a career choice or a marriage they are contemplating. It's one way to invoke God's blessing on them.
If such blessings of man though are not given in the name of the LORD Jehovah God, the one true God, and undergirded by faith in Him and His Word, it is no more than a religiously-coated form of saying "good luck." The same is true when the phrase "God bless" is loosely tossed about by those in the political or entertainment arena.
By contrast, when the LORD God blesses someone or something, the words used carry the power necessary to bring about the very blessing that is spoken. One Christian commentator put it like this: "God's act of blessing is a giving and bestowing of His divine grace in and through the facility of words."
For example, when Jesus blessed the crippled man, saying, "Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you; arise and walk ..." (Matthew 9:2), the forgiveness and healing were contained in the very words. In Genesis chapter one, at creation God said, "Let there be ..." and "it was so." In Genesis 1:28 we read, "God blessed [Adam and Eve] and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth...." The reason human beings can and do bear children is due alone to God's blessing (many lessons there!). Think of God's blessing too upon Noah and his family after the flood, upon Abraham and Sarah, upon Jacob and his sons, and so on. Wonderful things followed those blessings.
The power in the words and blessing of God is evident too when we consider the opposite, namely, His cursing something. When God cursed the ground after the fall into sin, thorns and thistles sprang up; when He cursed Sodom and Gomorrah, fire and brimstone rained from heaven.
Let us then appreciate the rich spiritual comfort in the powerful words that our God speaks upon us in this, His Benediction!
Abide, O dear Redeemer, Among us with Your Word,
And thus now and hereafter True peace and joy afford.
Abide with richest blessings Among us bounteous Lord;
Let us in grace and wisdom Grow daily through Your Word.
(Lutheran Service Book, 919:2, 4)
