The Lost Art of Blessing - 3

Jacob and Esau is the old familiar story of a sibling rivalry that even started in the womb. From day one, these brothers were in contention. Esau was firstborn and with that came a great responsibility - dedicated to God, 2nd in command to the head of the household (Isaac), a responsibility to carry on the family lineage, and the birthright, which was a double portion of the inheritance.

In the ancient world all of these advantages of being firstborn were bound together in the blessing. The importance of the blessing has been overshadowed in this story by Jacob's deception of his brother. Nonetheless, the blessing was vitally important in their culture to pass on more than a genetic lineage to their children (which is some people's definition of father in our culture). In their world to be a father meant that it was expected for you to pass on a legacy that is firmly rooted in and united with God. Here are the words Isaac thought he was conferring upon Esau,

"And Isaac smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him and said,
'See, the smell of my son as the smell of a field which God has blessed.
May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fat of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you.
Be Lord over your brothers and may your mother's son bow down to you.
Everyone who curses you be cursed and everyone who blesses you be blessed.'"
- Genesis 27:27-29

These words had far more value than any possession that one could inherit. It was coveted more tightly than the birthright. If given a choice of inheritance today between some words from your father or a double portion of the material possessions, most people today would take the latter. In their view, the blessing was of supreme importance as it was a vision cast of their future by the most important figure in their life, their father.

The NIV doesn't capture the irony of Isaac's words - "See, the smell of my son...". The NIV translates it "Ah, the smell of my son". Remember, Isaac was basically blind at this point. His nose was his eyes and his way of perceiving who he was dealing with (as were his hands - 27:22-23). As Frank Belizzi mentioned in a previous comment these blessings almost have a magical tone. If Isaac accidentally blesses a stranger, it still has weight to it in their culture. So he has to make sure he has the right person. These are powerful words and are not said haphazardly. They have weight and are to be lived out.

Notice that the blessing is rooted in God. God is the one who brings the blessing to fruition (27:27). God is the one who gives abundance (even heaven's dew - see Bobby Valentine's profile for a version of this word). Even his brother being his servant is a reminder that even that was the will of God given in a word from God (Gen 25:23). We talked before about blessing being more about a relationship than about material possessions. In this blessing, material possessions are mentioned. Why? Because Isaac wants his lineage to be passed on but notice that he recognizes where they come from - God.

Our relationship with God is talked about in father-son or father-child terms in scripture. God has a vision for a future for us that is filled with blessing and is centered on Him. He is the one who gives increase. He is the one who has been so close to us he can even recognize us by smell. Even though we are not the rightful recipients of the blessing, God has overlooked that and has given what we have not deserved by adopting us to sonship.

This also challenges parents to understand the importance of casting a vision for your children through a direct blessing. Know how they feel. Know how they smell. Know them. Bless them. Let them know that God will be a part of their life from this moment forward.

God bless.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 2

Let's unpack the blessing found in Number 6:22-27.

This blessing is directed to the people of God - Israel. The ironic thing about the blessing being on Israel is that Israel are those who strive with God and prevail. Israel was Jacob, who wrestled with God and what did he ask for before he would let the heavenly being go? He asked for a blessing (Gen 32:26). How ironic is it that God blesses those who can be so resistent to him? At this point they may not have made that connection but I think it is still a thought provoking point, that though we wrestle and strive with God, he is still willing to give us a blessing.

The structure of this blessing is a progession. In Hebrew the first line has 3 words, the second line 5 words, and the third line 7 words.

Line 1 - "The Lord bless you and keep you."
We tend to think that blessing is all about benefits. That is not the primary way that blessing was thought of in their day. Blessing was about a relationship. The benefits are only the result but are not primarily important. The relationship is primary. The Lord not only blesses them but he also keeps them. This term has to do with keeping watch over his people and preserving them from danger. So not only do we have a special and favorable relationship with God that results in numerous benefits but God is also preserving from harm and destruction. This shows that being blessed by God fills us up with the good and keeps away the bad and it is entirely based on a relationship that we have with him as his people, Israel. That is all couched in a relationship.

Line 2 - "The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you."
This is an expression of intense favor. When the Lord in all his glory reveals himself to his people, not only is the relationship that initiates the blessing upheld, but his people are looked upon with favor. The word for grace here has the same etymology as the name "Hannah." Naming your daughter Hannah in the OT was the same as naming her "Grace" today. Grace is the favor of God. There is that hymn about how God loves us and it has the line, "Grace and favor. Grace and favor." That really like saying, "Grace and grace. Grace and grace."

Line 3 - "The Lord lifts up his face upon you and give you peace."
There is a repetition here of the face of God. When the Lord lifts up his face toward you it is a sign of divine favor/grace and when he withdraws his face it is a sign of divine disfavor (Deut 31:18, Psalm 30:8, 44:25, 104:29). Not only that but God will give us peace/shalom. That is not just absence of war but wholeness in all areas of life.

6:27 - "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
To receive the name of the Lord as his people is to be blessed. It is to be identified as his special possession. We have come full circle because like we said at the very beginning the primary focus of blessing is relationship and not abundance of possessions. When we pray and thank God for all our blessings we normally mean our homes, our cars, our things. They were thankful primarily for the blessing of having a relationship with God and bearing his name first and foremost. The rest are all secondary.

In the broader context of Numbers 5-7, the blessing is the basis of purity and why the people will hold to the covenant demands made on their lives. These three lines provide the blessing of God and his commitment and obligation to make good on his side of the covenant. God is committed to watching over his people, to show us favor, and to give us wholeness in all areas of life. We are committed to living lives of purity because we are in a relationship with God. Let us thank God "for blessing us" in our prayers with a whole new understanding of what that really means.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 1

The next couple of posts are going to be about blessing. It is something we really don't practice in a biblical way any more. I am not talking about blessing the meal. I am talking about casting a vision and an expectation of a future that is inextricably tied to God. To kick it all off, here is a blessing for your day:

"The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. 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 turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

Numbers 6:22-27

We will unpack that blessing later. Have a blessed day!