The Priestly Blessing

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The Priestly Blessing; Bible Study
Topic Started: Aug 2 2007, 12:35 PM (9 Views)
oceanweed	Aug 2 2007, 12:35 PM Post #1
Advanced Member Posts: 52 Group: Members Member #85 Joined: February 10, 2007	By ERJ Publishing LESSON #207 The Priestly Blessing BIBLE TEXT “22And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 24“The LORD bless you and keep you; 25The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”’ 27“So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6.22-27 OBJECTIVES • To clearly understand what a priestly blessing is and the priorities we must observe to receive it. • To understand that this blessing comes directly from God and our job is to transmit it. INTRODUCTION The priestly blessing is for the Israelite nation and everyone else who accepts Jesus as Lord. The Word teaches that God took the Jews and Gentiles and made one people by destroying the wall that separated the two. “14For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” Ephesians 2.14 “…The LORD bless you…” This phrase refers to material things, but notice something odd about it: Why does it say the LORD bless you? Can anyone else bless you or could it be that we can receive from other sources?How do we know the blessing comes from God?When the blessing comes as a result of our obedience to His commandments. “1Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 28.1, 2 When we disobey God and still acquire material wealth or make decisions without His approval, we cannot say He gave it to us. Either we obtain things in our own strength or the enemy gave it to us to deceive us into believing we are doing the right thing. There are countries where the government investigates everything there is to know about people to see if what they own was obtained through legitimate and lawful ways. In other words, the government wants to know if they acquired their wealth illegally. If the people are unable to prove the legitimacy of their purchases or that they were purchased with a legitimate salary, that property can be confiscated by the government. When God’s blessings come, we are certain it is the result of our obedience to God’s Word, and no one can take it from us. “…and keep you…” What is God protecting us from when it comes to material wealth? God has to keep us so His material blessing can endure and remain in our hands. May people, regardless of how much money they have, are wasteful with it; others have no idea how to be good stewards of God’s blessings. Jewish is a synonym for prosperity. What is the secret to the wealth owned by a Jew? The secret is the way he takes care of what he receives from God. From an early age, Jews are taught to live with half their earnings and save and/or invest the rest. People who handle their finances that way increase their financial wealth. We, on the other hand, have the bad habit of spending everything we earn—that is one sure and easy way to lose the blessing. The Word teaches how we should handle our money; if we obey, we will allow God to guard our hearts and minds so the blessings He gives to us will be long-lasting in our lives. The Lord also has to protect us so the blessing does not hurt us and to prevent us from getting arrogant. “25The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.” This means the priestly blessing can declare grace and favor over our lives and cause all things to go well with us. However, knowing our weaknesses and shortcoming, for that to happen, we must grab hold of His mercy—that way, if we sin, He is merciful to forgive our trespasses if we genuinely repent. “The LORD lift up His countenance upon you…” Here, the Lord talks about protection. In other words, when the enemy attacks, He protects us and lets him know who He really is. When we know the blessings come because of our obedience to God; when we know He keeps us so the blessing can last in our hands and not become corrupted; when we know are actions please God; when we rely on His mercy; when we trust Him to be our protector... then, we will have the peace that surpasses all understanding, as stated in Numbers 6.26. “...and give you peace”. Most people associate peace with the absence of war, but in Hebrew, the word peace is Shalom which means: complete, and whole. In other words, when we understand what this lesson is all about, then we will feel completely fulfilled and whole; totally satisfied and complete, even when difficult situations arise—we will live the abundant life God promised we would have. Now we understand the most important blessing from God has nothing to do with material possessions or wealth, but rather, peace. In other words: to be full and complete in Him. When we have the peace that comes from God, we have everything. FINAL QUESTIONS 􀂙 What areas touch the priestly blessing? 􀂙 What conditions must be met to receive a priestly blessing? 􀂙 What peace do we receive from God?



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