Friday's Five - 5 Blessings from Numbers chapter 6

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’

Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”

In the Anglican Church I attended as a choir boy, the lay preacher often departed from the traditional ending of the service.  He would speak over the congregation the priestly blessing from Numbers chapter 6.  This blessing has stuck in my mind and its 5 parts have imparted, hope and assurance to my mind.

A blessing was one way of asking God for his divine favour to rest upon us.  In the New Covenant through Christ’s death on the cross, His unmerited favour is freely available to all in Christ.  All the promises of the Old Testament are YES and AMEN in Christ.

So we can meditate and soak in the fullness of this wonderful assurance of God’s divine favour on us

1.      The Lord will bless and protect you
2.      The Lord will smile on you – He will be pleased with you.
3.      The Lord will be gracious to you – His goodness, mercy and compassion will be on you.
4.      The Lord will show you his favour – He has made you righteous as a free gift.
5.      The Lord will give you his peace.

You can go to God and receive these blessings on your life and as you receive you can bless others that cross your path with the same blessings.

Through blessing others we demonstrate love, and encouragement, with the very heartbeat of God.

Not through works or performance or selfish-ambition but through an overflow from the heart of all that Christ has blessed us with.

Bless and be blessed in all that Christ has placed in you and showered upon you.