God Bless You

Every time I have the privilege of closing a service here at The Church at RB, I do so by invoking a blessing upon our congregation.

It always begins with,” May God bless you and keep you; may He make His face shine upon you, and may you... (I always finish the sentence by seeking to challenge or encourage our church regarding some aspect of what Pastor Jared, or our teacher that day, has just taught us).

As much as I would like to take credit for these words, they come straight from the Bible. Actually, I do not want to take credit for these works, for they are much more powerful and authoritative when we recognize they are God’s words. In Numbers 6:22-25, God says to Moses:

Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.”

- Numbers 6:23-25

Aaron and his sons, who were priests, were to invoke God’s blessing on the children of Israel and remind them of God’s tender mercies – it is what it means for God to shine His face on them. Aaron and his sons were to remind them, just as we are to be reminded, of how God offers His unconditional grace and love to us.

Sometime thereafter, the Psalmist borrowed these same words when, in Psalm 67:1, he writes a song that says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us.”

The Psalmist sings these words, asking for God’s grace, blessing, and tender mercies. Then, in verses 3-5, he exhorts us to respond accordingly to what God has done for us. He sings:

May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the people with equity and guide the nations of the earth.

May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.

- Psalm 67:3-5

As I do when I close our services, the Psalmist also asks for a response from the Israelites, and from us: Because God has blessed us, he challenges and encourages the Children of Israel to respond to God with praise, to be glad and to sing for joy, for we worship a God who rules the Earth with fairness and equity and provides guidance to all who seek Him.

In kind, I offer the same blessing and challenge to all of you today: May God bless you and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you, and may you praise Him today with all of your thoughts, your words, your actions, and your attitudes, for He is worthy of our praise.

Pastor Ken

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