Parameter to Blessing
Daily Old Testament Reading: Numbers 34-36
Daily Focus Passage: Numbers 34
God seeks to bless his children. The blessing may not be exactly what the believer expects, but the blessing will far exceed any expectations. At the same time, the blessing does not permit a free for all. In the creation account, God blessed Adam and Eve but gave them a parameter to stay within by commanding them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In Numbers 34, the people start to approach the Promised Land, and in this passage, the Lord declares the boundaries of the land. Thus, he placed parameters on the blessing. This moment in Numbers must encourage us and challenge us to live within the blessing of the Lord.
THE BLESSING HAS BOUNDARIES
The Lord offers his children blessings within the boundaries he establishes. The boundaries exist to provide the opportunity for us to respect and obey the directives of the Lord. The setting of boundaries does not lessen the blessing but instead emphasizes the need to remain faithful to the Lord to experience the fullness of the blessing.
Boundaries create an opportunity for obedience, forming a protection to the blessing. The boundaries protect the blessing by allowing people to see the Lord at work. The protections enable us to remain focused on the Lord and give him the glory and praise for the blessings we experience. The boundaries and the blessing within the boundaries reveal the goodness of God and his care, compassion, and love for his children.
THE BLESSING IS BIG
The blessing from the Lord is a big blessing. Like the grace of the Lord, God’s blessing is more than enough to provide for his children. Thus, the boundaries of the blessing do not exist to limit the blessing but to maximize the opportunity to serve the Lord and experience the more than enough nature of the blessing. The boundaries established by the Lord are God-sized, so we must notice that our needs and desires are fulfilled.
THE BLESSING REQUIRES BELIEF
The blessing of the Lord comes to those who receive Him as their Lord. Today, we understand this in the New Covenant as a relationship established through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The blessing requires a belief that one understands the Lord as the one true God. We demonstrate this belief through life obedience to his will and his ways. At the same time, our belief in the Lord guides us to believe in his desire to bless us as his children. Thus, the blessing requires a belief from us.
BELIEF IS STILL NEEDED TO SEE THE BOUNDARIES OF GOD’S BIG BLESSING
The children of Israel needed to understand the boundaries of the blessing of the Lord and grasp how the boundaries did not limit the enormous scope of God’s blessing. The key for the children of Israel rested in their ability to trust the Lord completely. The same reality exists today for believers. The Lord desires to extend blessings to his children. He establishes these blessings with boundaries that do not limit the blessing but allow the believer to experience the big nature of the blessing fully. At the same time, we must recognize that the blessing comes when we respond to the Lord in genuine belief through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. How does recognizing God desires you to experience blessing challenge you? How does recognizing the need for parameters on the blessing change your perspective?
