Our God loves to bless His children. In fact, this is one of the things that set the Israelites apart from all other people.
The God of Israel loved His children and wanted to dwell among them and bless them. In return they were to worship Him out of a heart of gratitude and love.
What a contrast to the worship of pagan gods that took place in the surrounding nations. Pagan worship was an attempt to appease spiteful gods. But the worship of the God of Israel was a heart response to His graciousness and generous blessings.
Bending the Knee
The Hebrew word for “blessing” is based on the same root word as “knee.” One possible explanation is that we are to bow the knee to God, the King of the universe, and worship Him. In return He will bestow upon us all the benefits of His kingdom, and we will live full and fruitful lives. This is God’s design and desire for His children. Humbling ourselves with bended knee positions us to receive all His blessings.
The word “bless” is first used when God blessed the man and woman He had created. Genesis 1:22 says God blessed their relationship and their unity by speaking these words over them: “Be fruitful and multiply.” His blessing on Adam and Eve was first about fruitfulness, which should also produce fruitfulness in our lives. For Adam and Eve, it meant to have babies and multiply, but there is also a spiritual fruitfulness we should aspire to when we are producing godly fruit.
God’s word is powerful and creative, so when He speaks a blessing, He is enabling or empowering it. He not only tells us to be fruitful and productive, but He provides the means to make it happen. Isaiah 55:11 (ESV) says: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
God’s desire to bless is established early on in Genesis 12 when He declares He will bless Abraham, that Abraham would be a blessing, that He would bless anyone who blessed Abraham and that through Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. That is a lot of blessing! That is the God we serve and His plan for us all.
Priests Instructed to Bless God’s People
God wanted to bless His children so much that He instructed the priests to pronounce a specific blessing of protection, grace, favor and peace over them:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ”Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 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.’ So, they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them” (Num. 6:22–27, NKJV).
To this day the descendants of Aaron pronounce these words over the people in many synagogues. It is a prayer for provision and protection—for God’s pleasure and presence to go with them.
Psalm 67 quotes the Priestly Blessing and then explains its purpose—that His ways might be “known on earth, [His] salvation among all nations” (v. 2). God wants to bless His people so much that the blessings spill over to the world around them. He wants to bless you and to demonstrate His goodness to others in your life.
Overtaken with Blessings
God promised the Israelites that if they obeyed Him, blessings would overtake them. Wouldn’t we all like to be overtaken by the blessings of God in our life? Obviously, that is what He would like also. But often it is our own disobedience that stands in the way. Jesus confirmed this when He said those who obeyed God’s Word would be blessed.
The evidence of God’s blessing on our lives should be strengthened relationships, fruitfulness, provision and peace. If you are lacking in any of these things, take time to draw near to the Lord, and allow the Holy Spirit to show you those areas in your life that might not be right before Him.
He wants you to be overtaken by His abundant blessings. {eoa}
Dr. Susan Michael is USA Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast. Text “zion” to 72572 to receive an alert each Friday with her Shabbat Shalom devotional and end your week with a little inspiration and peace.
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