“A Rich Benediction” – FBC Morning Light (2/21/2024)

Well, a good Wednesday morning to you. Today we're continuing in the book of Numbers, reading chapters 5 through 7, and there's certainly some interesting material in chapters 5 and 6 of chapter 5 dealing with the husband who thinks his wife has committed adultery and what he's supposed to do regarding her.

That causes feminists no small stir of anger and rage, but it should be understood, just as a general thing to say here about that, that this was primarily a way of protecting the woman. This was in a culture and an era where, you know, women didn't go to university, women didn't have careers, they didn't go out and get jobs and work their way up and break through the glass ceiling and all that kind of stuff.

Women were, you know, really heavily dependent upon having a family and having a home and having a husband and having that care. Like it or not, that's just the way it is. And if a man suspected his wife was committing adultery and he just wanted to kick her out of the house, she was left, you know, she was vulnerable.

And this was a way of protecting her, protecting her reputation and protecting her security. Certainly we can ask the question, well, you know, what about the man? Well, you know, what if the man, the wife, suspects the man committing adultery and that kind of thing?

Beyond the scope of what I want to get into today, what I really want to look at is this wonderful priestly blessing at the end of chapter 6. It is rich with significance. You know, I grew up in a church culture where the pastor, at the end of the service, just simply closed in prayer.

And it was mostly a prayer that sort of reiterated the thrust of his message of the day, you know, it was just a closing prayer. It was not a benediction. It was not the blessing of the people. And a few years ago, I was challenged about that personally and wondered, you know, why don't I do that?

I mean, it's clearly done in the Scriptures, where God's people are offered a blessing at the end of gathered worship. And I started incorporating a variety of kinds of benedictions at the end of services, and I think there's precedent for that, and the precedent is right here.

The Lord says to Moses in verse 23, Speak to Aaron and his son, saying, This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them, and then this is what they are to say, The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Now there's some overlap in this expression of blessing. The big picture is, it's calling for God to bless his people, expressed in this way, by keeping them, protecting them, by, you know, the making his face to shine upon him communicates the idea of showing his favor to his people, being gracious to them, giving what is not deserved in abundance, and then lifting up his countenance upon you has the idea, again, not only of gracious favor, but of paying attention, of looking upon his people, keeping them ever before him.

Again, it signifies not only blessing and preservation, but just the doting upon his people, as a father would lovingly dote on his children, and the Lord give you peace, give you peace, give you shalom, a whole life sense of well-being.

This is the blessing that when God's people gathered together before they left, this is the blessing that the priest was to pronounce upon God's people. A great benediction, rich in significance, certainly precious to all who heard, knowing that it was coming from the lips of the priest.

And so when we think about this, I think of our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, and I think he echoes these same words over his people, and let's ask his blessing upon us today, shall we? And now, O Lord, would you please bless your people, and keep them.

Would you shine your face upon your people, and be gracious to us. And O Lord, lift up your countenance upon us, and grant us your peace, we pray. And this we ask in the name of Jesus our Savior, amen.

All right, well listen, have a blessed day. May God bless you richly.