The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. -Numbers 6:24-26
We hear this so many times at Oakwood Church. It means the worship experience is over, and we can go home. It's a nice way of ending things on a Sunday morning, but what is its significance? Most significantly, it is an invitation to follow and obey God.
Obedience is not a word we like to hear. It can be used to connotate authoritarian rule over the community, as if God were warning us to be good or else. But that is not what God calls us to do. He has given us everything we need, and He has so much more to offer.
Similar blessings are found in Scripture.
May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. - Genesis 28:3
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. - Deuteronomy 28:3-6
Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever. - Psalm 28:9
May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. - Psalm 128:5
He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. - 1 Samuel 2:9-10
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. - Psalm 17:8
In order to fully appreciate God's magnificent perfection, we must first realize our own shortcomings. “The Lord bless you and keep you...” gives us an insight into His promise of eternal salvation. He will bless us and He will keep us.
Jesus said He will never leave us or forsake us. But human nature doesn't always trust God will offer us the best of everything just for turning to Him. No, we are looking for the catch.
What's He really saying? That's the logic the serpent used in the Garden of Eden to deceive Adam and Eve into disobeying God. We seldom think of our desire for “more” as a shortcoming. But the very fact that we are so easily deceived is indication enough that we're helpless.
God continuously reaches out to us and offers us “more.” In fact, He withholds nothing. The universe was created for the Lord Jesus and we are joint heirs to that Kingdom.
Imagine hearing the reading of the will of a fabulously wealthy person, and you discover that you get everything. Only the Benefactor is still alive! The whole lot is ours to enjoy and share with the One who made us.
Being a part of that family is so much better than being on your own, slugging it out on the streets. In anticipation of the great gift, we are given His peace – His shalom in the Hebrew language.
This gives us the ability to turn to God and avoid being deceived. It gives us contentment. Regardless of our station in life, God's promise is solid. He will bless us and keep us. His face will shine on us and He will be gracious. He will turn His face toward us with a smile of His delight in us and give us His shalom.
The shallowness of this world has nothing to offer. Nothing is going to top the blessing of God!