Aaron’s Blessing
First Sunday in Lent
26th February 2023
The Priestly Blessing Numbers 6:22-27
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ 27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
So on this first Sunday of Lent we are going to consider what it means for ‘The Lord’ to bless you, me and all of us.
When someone sneezes, people sometimes say “Bless you.”
Does that sound familiar to you?
But surely, it’s just being polite? I think that you could argue that the words have become meaningless today? We use it in every day life.
Apparently, saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes dates back to the 14th century, when the bubonic plague was ravaging much of Europe.
Apparently one of the symptoms was sneezing or coughing. So people said “God bless you” asking God to keep people from this deadly disease and the Black death.
It was a serious thing and it was asking God to bless you. It mattered and people had faith in God to believe that it mattered.
God is the source of blessing:
1 Chronicles 29:11-12
New International Version
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
It is within God’s will and love to bless His people. It is the main aim of His life to bless us as His children.
How has God blessed you in your own life recently and in the past?
Psalm 89:11
New International Version
11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
It is God’s purpose to bless us in His creation. He gave us this world that along with Him we could enjoy it together.
We see this clearly demonstrated in Genesis Chapter one.
Together we see Adam and Eve walking together in the Garden of Eden. They are enjoying a deep and meaningful relationship together.
We all know what happens next. Satan enters the scene and next we see the banishment of Adam and Eve from the garden.
This would have far reaching consequences for the whole of creation and indeed humanity.
This is a serious matter for us all.
Matthew 25:34
New International Version
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
This is the truth of the matter. At the final judgement there will be two categories of people. There couldn’t be more contrasting eternal futures.
Matthew 25:41
New International Version
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
This is why the “Great Commission” given to the disciples couldn’t be any more serious.
To tell people about the “Good News” of Jesus is about telling them the two contrasting futures people can choose for themselves.
Nothing matters more than making sure that we are among the blessed as apposed the cursed.
Saying yes to Jesus Christ being Lord and Saviour of our lives has eternal consequences.
Gracious God:
By nature, as sinners, we all deserve to be cursed.
But God’s nature is not like our nature.
Genesis 12:1-3
New International Version
The Call of Abram
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”[b]
This is without doubt one of the greatest promises of God to Abraham and his children and eventually all of us.
The whole Bible story is essentially about how each of us can get and receive this blessing from God.
How has this promise to Abraham now been fulfilled?
Galatians 3:6-14
New International Version
6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]
7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”[b] 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[c] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[d] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[e] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[f] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Conclusion:
As Christians we have been blessed in Christ, but we should pray for that blessing to continue, and for a deeper appreciation and experience of it, and for non-Christians to come to be blessed through faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
New International Version
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
This verse alone tells us of the blessings that we have in Christ.
In the Old Testament God’s blessing was often experienced in tangible, material ways. Health, prosperity etc.
In the New Testament the blessings God promises us in the gospels are spiritual.
So, the question is! Do you feel blessed by God? It is the will of God and the purpose of God that we should be blessed. God wants is that way. He wills it that way. He has orchestrated it to be that way.
Aaron said it to God’s people thousands of years ago. Jesus says it today through the out pouring of His blood at Calvary and again every time we participate in Holy Communion.
To God be the Glory. The God who will “Bless You.”
Amen.
Revd Captain Mike Griffin