My Dear Friend,

Across the centuries of sacred history, Psalm 134 is calling us. It's summons? Bless the Lord and the Lord will bless you! Simple enough.

But let's probe a little deeper. How do Christians "bless" the Lord?

We bless Him by following Psalm 134's simple instructions. "Bless the Lord," or give His heart joy by praising and thanking Him with raised hands: "Lift up your hands."

And not just during the spiritual "day." Jesus said, "I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day" (John 9:4). It is spiritual "day" when the Sun of Righteousness is beaming His love down upon your life, the light of His favor is bright, your path is clear before you, all things are going your way in God's will, and you are therefore joyful, comfortable, and brimming with God-confidence. And praising God is easy.

But the psalmist is calling us to also praise and bless Him "by night." Jesus said, "the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). It is spiritual "night" when the Sun of Righteousness seems to have withdrawn His blessing beams and the dark powers seem to be having their way in your life. You can't see the path in front of you, your surroundings seem cold, all your prayers are delayed and your God-works frustrated.

When the Father permitted the dark powers to hold sway against His beloved Son, Jesus, Scripture carefully notes "the night" had come. "He [Judas] then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night" (John 13:30). Jesus told those who arrested Him, "When I was daily in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness [or night]" (Luke 22:53).

In our spiritual nighttimes, we experience surprising defeats, injustices, abandonments, losses, and betrayals. Fearing God has forgotten us, we feel stunned, alone, lonely, and forlorn - highly unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled. Yet the Psalmist calls us to bless the Lord even then! To praise God when we don't feel like it. When instead we feel like complaining, pouting, or questioning Christ's sovereign care over our lives. To bless and praise Him in such low, dark nighttimes requires a sacrifice. What happens if we give it?

The Lord will bless you "from Zion," or heaven, in accord with His Word (Psalm 134:3). Long before the psalmist wrote these words, God gave Moses the blessing to which the psalmist referred. It is Numbers 6:24-26. Let's review its contents.

The Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26)

• "The Lord bless thee," or bestow good upon you, including an excellent sense of wellbeing and happiness (v. 24).
• "And keep thee," or charge His angels to protect you wherever you go, shielding and preserving you from all harm (v. 24; see Psalm 91:10-12).
• "The Lord make his face shine upon thee," or lovingly smile on you with divine favor, radiating beams of fatherly love, benevolent planning, and fruitful kingdom initiatives (v. 25).
• "And be gracious unto thee," or deal with you generously, liberally granting favors and kindly showing mercies (v. 25).
• "The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee," or watching over you with His approval and assisting you with your works (v. 26).
• "And give thee peace," or grant you His wondrous shalom - the distinctive divine peace of wholeness, everything in your life being in place; completeness, no part of your life being incomplete or defective; reconciliation, every relationship peaceful, loving, and marked by joyous fellowship; and prosperity, every work you undertake growing, thriving, and fully accomplishing its goals (v. 26; see Job 42:10-17).

Wow! That is a supremely God-blessed life! An enviable life! Yet one clearly within our reach by God's grace. The next question, then, is, who? Who qualifies for this blessing?

Today, Christians! While we do not permanently replace ethnic Jews in God's sight, we do nevertheless inherit a share of their Abrahamic blessing, including the Aaronic blessing expounded above. Why? We, too, are Abraham's children, not by blood, but by faith. The apostle Paul declared, "They who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham" (Galatians 3:9). But there's a catch.

Not every Christian qualifies. Then who does? Who are the blessed, and the legitimate beneficiaries of the blessing described in Psalm 134 and Numbers 6?

The Blessed

Blessed Christians are those who walk closely with Christ. They draw near Jesus every morning - and would never think of beginning their day without Him (Matthew 6:33). They love God's Word and read and study it often. They pray often. They worship regularly, publicly and privately. They follow the Holy Spirit's guidance. They receive His corrections. They obey the biblical teachings of their pastors and all other anointed ministers they know. Wisely, they receive counsel from wise elders. They are soft-hearted, forgiving often, lest sin harden their hearts. They are humble, always willing to learn, change, conform to Christ's will more closely. They examine themselves constantly, not others, and confess all sin to Christ quickly with penitent hearts. And they faithfully use their God-given gifts, discharge their ministries, and fulfill Christ's commissions to preach, make disciples, and be His witnesses whenever possible. And one more thing.

They follow Psalm 134's instructions! They praise and bless the Lord faithfully, by day and by night. When the spiritual "night" falls upon their lives - to test their faith, grow their patience, build their endurance, increase their spiritual strength, make them able to minister deep comfort to deeply tried souls, and make them genuine, full-fledged, master overcomers - they humbly accept it. They keep walking closely with Christ, and continue offering sacrifices of praise and worship in the night: "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15). And daily they become more like Jesus.

Not surprisingly, Jesus also offered a "song in the night" (Psalm 77:6)! Knowing His hour and the "power of darkness" had come, and being fully accepting of it for the Father's higher purposes (see Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28), Jesus led His disciples in a night song (probably the Hallel) on His way to the Garden of Gethsemane: "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives" (Matthew 26:30). Then, in the midst of His passion, the Father blessed His Son - and made Him the greatest blessing in human history.

Who, then, are the unblessed, or those who are the opposite of the blessed?

The Unblessed

There are two types of unblessed ones. First, those not born again by faith in Jesus Christ. Second, carnal Christians. Though blessed with God's gracious salvation, carnal Christians choose subsequently to not pursue a spiritual life of daily union with Christ.

Thus, they remain saved but unchanged. They are proud, independent, stubborn. They don't seek Christ at home daily. They attend church meetings infrequently. When they do, they are religious spectators, observing but not participating. They don't explore God's Word. The things of the Word bore them, but the things of the world thrill them! They won't humble themselves to pray or worship God in song, even in their brightest spiritual "day." They attend athletic or political events often, but never prayer meetings.

They never seek pastoral instruction or correction and, if given, they ignore or protest it. Yet they profess Christ, though, sadly, they don't possess Him on a daily basis, and so never enjoy the wondrous spiritual walk He has provided. And it should come as no surprise that they do not obey Psalm 134's instructions. These are the unblessed. Why?

They are "unblessable," neither desiring God's blessing nor qualifying for it. God wants to bless them, oh yes! But His uncompromisingly holy nature and faithfulness to His Word prevent it. His mercy bids Him ever to bless, but His unchanging righteousness won't permit His blessing to rest on those who impenitently prefer unrighteousness. Just as the curse won't land in a person's life without cause (Proverbs 26:2), so God's blessing won't visit, it can't, if Christians prefer the ways of the unblessed life.

When Christ permits spiritual "night" to visit these unblessable ones, it is not a test to grow their spiritual development. Rather, it is a disciplinary act sent to awaken them to return to their Savior's fellowship. Rather than let the Good Shepherd's rod rouse them to spiritual alertness, many prefer to reject His loving discipline and remain unchanged and spiritually “asleep,” or indifferent to their sins and their soul's true condition. And to the times, specifically, the imminence of Christ's return and the urgency of personal spiritual preparation.

These indifferent Christians forfeit the rich, enviable blessing of Numbers 6:24-26. Asleep, they are also in imminent danger of being left behind when Jesus suddenly appears as a thief in the night (Matthew 25:1-13). Unless, of course, they wisely and humbly repent and choose to begin living like the blessed Christians they see and know in their circle of contacts. What will happen if they do?

Our most merciful Father will immediately forgive them and begin training them in the ways of the blessed life. And it won't stop there. He will fulfill the real, ultimate reason He bestows His blessing: to make them blessings to unblessed ones all around them! Which brings us back to God's original purpose in selecting and blessing Abraham: "I will bless thee . . . and thou shalt be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2).

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So, there you have it: the blessing, the blessed, and the unblessed. Reject the unblessed life, embrace the blessed walk, and enjoy God's blessing. Then, under the powerful, sustained shalom of God, you will be a blessing - a walking, talking minister of Jesus' life-changing truth and love - to everyone you come in touch with the rest of your days. Until Shiloh comes.

Maranatha - HE comes!

Dr. Greg Hinnant

GREG HINNANT MINISTRIES