Just hearing the word “blessing” takes me back to as early as I can remember– when our family gathered around the meal table, three times a day, and heard Mom or Dad ask, “Whose gonna say the blessing?”
Or in many cases, “Mark, put that pully-bone back! We haven’t said the blessing yet!” ( For those who don’t know, all chickens used to have a “pully-bone.” It was delicious meat surrounding a small y-shaped bone that was every kid’s delight to share in a pulling contest after the bone had been sucked dry of its tender white meat. Alas, it seems that KFC, Zaxby’s and Popeye’s have chosen to relegate the treasured pully-bone to the ash heap of history. It’s really a shame.)
Although it was never said by anyone, I somehow imagined that if we didn’t say the blessing at mealtime the chances were good that a terrible judgement of food poisoning for the family might be around the corner. In other words, “the blessing” is for killing germs. Obviously, that quid pro quo was a bit misguided. In my case, the idea of gratitude for the abundance of food took time to grasp. I think that my grandmother’s constant reminders of the plight of starving children around the world gave me insight into gratefulness. Still I always wondered how eating all of the boiled okra on MY plate could actually help those kids with empty plates. Nevertheless it worked on me. Thanks, Grandma Nichols.
But “the blessing” is not just a meal time thing. The Bible is full of incredible teaching about what it means to receive “a blessing.” In both the Old and New Testaments, blessings were spoken over individuals, families, and nations by prophets, priests, fathers, and by God Himself. There’s something absolutely supernatural about a blessing– going far beyond the prayer at the family table.
Isaac blessed Jacob, Jacob blessed his sons, Samuel blessed David, Aaron blessed the people– it is consistent through the scriptures. We actually have the words of Aaron’s blessing over Israel in Numbers 6:22-26
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
This blessing was not Aaron’s blessing– it was GOD’S blessing, and it still is. We are His people and it is His desire to bless us. It is not something we beg for, it is something we receive by faith from the outstretched hands of our Father in Heaven.
I did an intense Hebrew word study that gave me so much insight on this blessing. I want to share it with all of my readers. Let’s take it phrase by phrase:
“The Lord bless you…..” Bless, in Hebrew, is barack, made up of three letters bayt, raysh, and kaf. Bayt means “in/from the house;” Reysh means “leader steps forth;” and Kaf means “cover with the hands” The picture of “bless” is: the leader of the house (father, pastor, king, etc.) comes out of the house with his hands stretched out to provide cover. That’s absolutely powerful! God has you covered! All of your needs are met! He’s got it!
…and keep you,” Keep, in Hebrew, is shamar, meaning “to watch constantly, protect, preserve, to act as a watchman at the gate” Your Heavenly Father does NOT lose you in the busyness of this life. He is well aware of everything– he sees it all– and he is on 24 hour watch over you.
...the Lord make His face shine upon you…” You might remember reading several prayers in the scriptures where someone asks God NOT to hide His Face from him. In other words, they want to clearly know that God is near, and that He sees the trouble they’re facing. When I was a little boy performing on a stage at a PTA meeting or a Christmas program, I always had to find my parents in the crowd and make sure they were watching me. If they were, I gained the strength to do my part to the best of my ability. If I could not find their faces in the crowd, I panicked. And it really helped if they smiled at me while I was under pressure– and they always did. That’s exactly what God does when He “makes His face shine upon you.” He is a good Father looking in your direction and smiling.
” …and be gracious to you.” This is where it really gets good. God doesn’t just make His faces shine upon you when you get everything right. He doesn’t turn you away because you blow it. He is full of GRACE to help you in your weakness. As a kid on stage, I didn’t always remember my lines perfectly, or sing the right words, or stand where I was supposed to stand. But my parents’ smile was still mine to see. I can see Mom rooting for me to get through it– with a smile– not embarrassed at my mistake, but thrilled that I was looking in her direction. God delights when you look in His direction, wanting His approval above all.
“…the Lord turn his face toward you…” In middle eastern culture when a person turns their face away from you, they are shunning you. They are expressing deep shame and signaling a broken connection between two people. You may have heard of a family member in that culture expressing something like, “You are not my son, you are dead to me,” refusing to even make eye contact with the object of the person’s scorn. Well, God is NOT LIKE THAT at all. I always remember the words of Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Our Father does not reject you, shun you, or shame you when you fail. He looks at you straight in the eyes and says, “I am FOR you, not against you! Let me help you.”
“…and give you peace.” The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom.” Shalom does not simply mean the absence of violence and war. It means much more than that. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of anxiety and discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid. Through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, the price for your SHALOM has already been paid.
“….Amen.” “Amen” means “so be it,” or “I agree with all my being.” Align yourself with God by saying “I agree” with his incredible blessing over you. Amen!! Amen!!
And God’s blessing thorough Aaron is only one of many. Look at this blessing from Deuteronomy 7:3:
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
And this one is my favorite. It is found in Deuteronomy 28:
God’s blessing inside the city,
God’s blessing in the country;
God’s blessing on your children,
the crops of your land,
the young of your livestock,
the calves of your herds,
the lambs of your flocks.
God’s blessing on your basket and bread bowl;
God’s blessing in your coming in,
God’s blessing in your going out.
God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They’ll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads.
God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he’ll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you. (Message Bible)
