Saturday, November 10, 2007
Psalm 3:7-8 Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people.
THOSE WHO WERE BLESSED
"Your blessing is upon Your people." What makes for a successful life? Money, fame, riches, loving family, prosperous career, doing a lot of good things? One lady thought that whoever had given birth to Christ and raised him to be such a fine prophet was certainly a person remarkably blessed by God. But what did Jesus say? Rather "blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."
God's blessing is upon all His saints as it was upon Israel -- against whom Balaam could utter not a single word of evil, but only the eternal blessing of God. And he had to cry out in envy, "Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my end be like his!" We cry it not in envy, but with joy that we are numbered with those blessed of God, with those who went before and have received the blessing. In the end, to die with this simple remembrance: Through Jesus Christ we receive the blessing -- that is a successful life.
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon, to faithful warriors cometh rest.
Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 463:8)
