God’s Blessings of Truth

Whenever we bless someone, the blessings that the High Priest would speak over the people comes to mind.

He said, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

When we bless people in the name of the Lord, we are asking God to do something good in their life, to extend them grace and peace.

But is this exactly true?

Prior to his death, Jacob called his twelve sons into him to bless them.

He said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father … And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.” (Genesis 49:1-2, 28)

Jacob’s blessings were not only to them individually, but to their descendants as well, “that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.” Further, these “blessings,” were not all that pleasant, nice, kind, graceful, or full of peace. In fact, they were quite harsh.

What I’ve found is that God’s blessings are not always what we want to hear. And this is where the church has got it all mixed up. To bless someone is to tell them the truth, no matter if it may be difficult to hear.

When people know the truth, then they are able to take the necessary steps to right any wrongs, and to confess and repent, which is the greatest blessing of all, because it gets us back into that right relationship with God.

However, the way we bring forth these truths will determine whether they are a blessing or a curse. We need to see God’s people as the Lord sees them; that they are of great value. And then we are to speak God’s blessings of truth in love.