Numbers 6:22-27 The Lord’s name was to be invoked upon the people in blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you.” Copyrighted material that appears in this article is included under the provisions of the Fair Use Clause of the National Copyright Act, which allows limited reproduction of copyrighted materials for educational and religious use when no financial charge is made for viewing.

The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

The LORD said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites.

Say to them: The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

What’s a Blessing? A blessing has five parts. A hope that God will protect the person. A hope that God will be pleased with the way you are living. A hope that God will continue to be merciful and compassionate toward you. A hope that God will give his approval. A hope that God will give you peace. Today we see the shepherds, those on the outside edges of the community, being blessed by visiting the Messiah. Notice the line of visitation was not long. Notice that those who knew the Messiah was coming at any moment were not their, they remained in the temple.

A blessing has five parts.

A hope that God will protect the person.

A hope that God will be pleased with the way you are living.

A hope that God will continue to be merciful and compassionate toward you.

A hope that God will give his approval.

A hope that God will give you peace.

Today we see the shepherds, those on the outside edges of the community, being blessed by visiting the Messiah.

Notice the line of visitation was not long.

Notice that those who knew the Messiah was coming at any moment were not their, they remained in the temple.

A Child When I was a child, no one in the family was allowed to leave Grammy's house without having our reading for today pronounced over them. You might say that this is a nice little family tradition but there were a few times on our way home that the blessing came in handy. The one that stands out in mind was the night my father stopped for the traffic light and when the light turned green he paused to light a cigarette. That was when the 18 wheeler ran the light. Had he started up immediately everyone in the car would have been killed. Thanks Grammy, she lived in the hope that God would protect us on our way home, she was right.

When I was a child, no one in the family was allowed to leave Grammy's house without having our reading for today pronounced over them.

You might say that this is a nice little family tradition but there were a few times on our way home that the blessing came in handy.

The one that stands out in mind was the night my father stopped for the traffic light and when the light turned green he paused to light a cigarette.

That was when the 18 wheeler ran the light.

Had he started up immediately everyone in the car would have been killed.

Thanks Grammy, she lived in the hope that God would protect us on our way home, she was right.