Numbers 5-6, Mark 4:1—20 • Key Verses: Numbers 6:24-26
Today when I read these verses, I think of pastors in my youth who concluded the Sunday
service with these words or those of other benedictions found in the Bible. As a child, I usually
perceived the benediction as the beginning of the end. I would be ready to bolt from the pew as
soon as the moment of silence—just long enough to let the pastor get a head start to the
door—lasted.
Now I realize that there is more to these verses than the format for a formal conclusion. They are
words of blessing, a prayer as such, imploring God to bless the hearer.
What joy there is when we realize that God's face is shining upon us, His graciousness is in our
lives, He is watching over us, and He is giving us peace!
In the same way, what joy there should be when we ask God to do that for others. In a self-
centered life, we want. In a Christ-centered life, we give. Blessing is ours both to receive and to
give. Find someone today for whom you can pray God's blessing.
Fill in the blank: “God, bless today. ” Then tell that person you prayed for him or her to be
blessed.
Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in