“The Lord bless you…”— Numbers 6:24
AAAAHCHOO!
“Bless you!” we say in response to a sneeze. We also commonly bless other Christians: “Bless you brother” (or sister). Sometimes we even “bless” God.
God gave Moses a specific prayer that the priests were to say over the people. It begins with “The Lord bless you” (Numbers 6:24-26).
What does it mean to “bless?” It’s a vague word in English. We know it implies something good and positive, but beyond that? Fortunately, the Hebrew word for bless —barakh —provides us with a concrete picture. It literally means to kneel.
Abraham’s servant made his master’s camels barakh by a water well (Genesis 24:11). In ancient times, merchants would load their camels with necessities and luxury items to sell at villages, towns, and cities. The goods were piled high and the only way to get them was to bring the camel down—to get him to kneel or barakh.
The Hebrew word barakh is also closely related to another Hebrew word: berakhah, meaning a gift or present. Now we have a greater sense of what it means to bless: literally, to kneel down and offer a gift.
Surely God can’t be kneeling down to us?
Our Heavenly Father, the most powerful being in the universe, is also the most humble. “Who is like the Lord our God…who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and on the earth?” (Psalm 113:5-6).
He became a vulnerable baby, and entrusted Himself to fallen human beings prone to mistakes and accidents. He stepped down from perfection to live in a body that felt pain and a world that experienced evil. He came as a servant and died for His enemies.
There is no one more humble than our God.
In love and compassion, the Almighty God of the universe kneels down before us, by paying attention to us, keeping track of the ever-changing number of hairs on our heads, saving our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8) and unloading His gifts to meet our needs.
Could He take care of us from a distance? Yes. But that’s not His nature. He kneels down to be close to us. Open your heart and receive His gifts of love and awesome humility.
