Grow Guide | August 29

Renewing Worship | Benediction & Sending

Connecting Questions 

• Have you ever lost something, but your name was written on it, so it was returned? Tell the story. 

• List different ways you have heard people use the term “blessing,” “bless,” or “blessed.” 

Context 

This week we continue our series Renewing Worship by asking, “Why do we say a blessing at the end of the worship service?” What does it mean to bless, anyway?  

The text comes from the book of Numbers. The Israelites have just been delivered from Egypt where they had been slaves for generations. The story of their miraculous deliverance is found in the book of Exodus. God gives them a very specific set of laws that will help them become a nation. This gift of the law both fulfills God’s promise to Abraham and provides practical advice that will keep them strong and healthy as they enter a new country. The Law is found in the book of Leviticus. 

The book of Numbers begins with Moses organizing the people and preparing them to physically walk into the promised land and enjoy the fulfillment of God’s preferred and promised future for them. Once everyone is ready to move, God instructs Aaron, the high priest, to speak the words of Numbers 6:24-26 over the people.  

Look at the Book 

• The word bless means “to kneel before someone and offer to them something you deem valuable.” Keep that definition in mind as you read the following verses.  

• What is the blessing in these passages: 

  • Genesis 1:26-28. 

  • Genesis 12:1-3 

  • Numbers 6:22-27 

• “face” and “countenance” are the same word in Hebrew. The word simply means “face”. To "make his face shine upon" and "to lift up his face to them," means to notice them—to look upon them. What does it mean that God chooses to look at the people? 

• God is gracious (full of grace) toward the people and gives them peace (shalom). Think about the world of slavery from which they came. How might the people have received this promise? 

• How does God’s name connect to this blessing, according to verse 27. What do you think this means? 

Taking it Home 

• The people of Israel had known nothing but slavery and hardship for generations. Imagine how it must have felt to know that God looked up them with grace and offered them peace. What people in the world today might feel like the Israelites did--displaced, abused, helpless? How might we bless them? 

• In what ways do you need to receive this blessing and promise from God in your own life today?