The Lord Bless You

Text: Numbers 6:22-27

 

I.         It takes up only 32 words in English, only 15 words in the original Hebrew; yet, the blessing God instructed the priests to use is packed with rich meaning in a few words.

II.        The Lord bless you and keep you

            A.        A desire that God grants you happiness

                        1.         Psalms 67 expands on this theme. God blesses us in a variety of ways, some you might not have even considered:

                                    a.         Teaches us - vs 2

                                                (1)       God’s laws are a blessing to those who obey them - Psalms 119:1-8

                                                (2)       We are not left on our own to wander blindly

                                    b.         Brings salvation - vs 2

                                                (1)       It is a gift from God - Titus 2:11

                                                (2)       What we could not do ourselves, God has done for us

                                    c.         Judges uprightly - vs 4

                                                (1)       God brings stability - Psalms 96:7-13

                                                (2)       When God brings righteous judgment on the wicked, it results in rejoicing - Revelation 19:1-6

                                                (3)       It is a blessing to know where you stand and that God judges fairly. The world is then stable and right.

                                    d.         Gives guidance - vs 4

                                                (1)       Too often people panic. We see nations going into sin and injustice being done.

                                                (2)       But God’s people should see the blessing that God is in control of the situation - Revelation 17:14

                                    e.         Brings food - vs 6

                                                (1)       Even the small things in life, that we could easily take for granted or think they are only there by our own efforts, are blessings from God

                                                (2)       Psalms 85:8-13

                                                (3)       And so we pray - Matthew 6:11 - because it is a gift from God

            B.        But going back to the prayer, there is also a desire to be kept or protected by God

                        1.         Especially protected from sin - Psalms 121

                        2.         It is what God promised His people - I Corinthians 10:13

III.       The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you

            A.        May God’s face light up with a smile when He looks on you

                        1.         Job talked about his better days when people wanted his advice - Job 29:21-25

                                    a.         Even when his advice was not believed, he did not let it ruin his day.

                                    b.         He still smiled on them

                        2.         When a king smiles, it is refreshing - Proverbs 16:15

                        3.         When God smiles, we all smile - Psalms 4:6

                        4.         What a servant of God wants is God’s smile - Psalms 31:16

                        5.         It is pure joy - Psalms 89:15

            B.        May God give you gifts

                        1.         Especially in terms of granting salvation from sin

                                    a.         Grace and truth were realized in Jesus - John 1:17

                                    b.         By grace we have been saved - Ephesians 2:4-7

IV.      The Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace

            A.        May God take notice of you and look at you with favor

                        1.         God watches over those who obey Him and protects them - Psalms 33:18-22

            B.        May God give you peace

                        1.         God strengths and gives His people peace - Psalms 29:11

                        2.         It is not the world’s idea of peace - John 14:27

                        3.         It is peace that comes from confidence and trust - Isaiah 26:2-4

                        4.         It is a peace that exists even in the midst of trouble - John 16:33

                        5.         Especially a clear conscience

                                    a.         There is peace through Jesus - Romans 5:1

                                    b.         There is peace in believing - Romans 15:13

                                    c.         There is no peace for the wicked - Isaiah 57:17-21

                        6.         That peace, beyond comprehension, guards our minds - Philippians 4:7

V.        Paul’s statements in Philippians is very similar to the High Priest’s blessing - Philippians 4:6-7

            A.        One of the difficult aspects of working with this congregation is seeing the people you’ve grown to love move away.

                        1.         This is the last day the Bements will worship with us as members of this congregation, after 43 years. They came to Nebraska, just a few years after this congregation started and soon will be returning to Indiana.

                        2.         One of our newest members, the Feasters, will be moving in little over a month to work with a congregation in Bay City, Texas. Though it has only been a year, they have become a part of our lives and it will be hard to see them go.

            B.        Despite the sadness, it isn’t that we won’t be seeing each other as often as we can.

            C.        But in the meanwhile,

                        1.         “The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.”