Numbers 6:24-27 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, “speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, ‘On this wise you shall bless the children of Israel, you shall say unto them “The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make His face to shine upon thee. And be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift us his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.”‘” This is an endearing passage. Pastor Chuck would end all of his messages with this blessing. There are many wonderful things about it. God wants to bless us. He isn’t angry or impatient. He also isn’t like a grinning senile senior who mindlessly gives. God’s brilliance is incomprehensible, but so is His love for us. Like a wise, wealthy parent, He wants the best for his kids, but doesn’t want to spoil them. He wants us to know it’s Him, who is the giver. Not for insecure reasons. It’s good for us to know and to develop gratitude and proper dependance. We learn to love Him for His goodness and generosity. Not like an ungrateful heir who is a bratty, spendthrift. We live our lives all the while asking guidance and sustenance from heaven. He opens and closes doors. It’s a wonderful walk. The second desire is for God to keep us. This reminds me of the job of the shepherd. He is to keep the predators away and to keep the sheep from straying into danger. There are plenty of people that want to scam us. It may be for money or other abuses. They may want to have us join them in their ungodly habits. We could stray on our own. We could adopt unbiblical philosophies or lifestyles. All of these things lead us from Him and towards danger. Protection partially comes from the bible. As we read it, we live in it’s confines. This is our part. The “to do’s” and what “not to do”. The book of Revelation begins with saying that the reader will be blessed who heads the words of this book. The blessing comes with the heading. I’ll end this entry having discussed the blessing and the keeping that God wants to do. I’ll finish it next time. Lord, thank You for these. Life is sweeter than the honeycomb, as we live it with You