The Blessing

Viewpoint: الله يابرك لك  (God bless you). الله يابرك فيك  (May God bless you). These are common Arabic phrases used among Arabians. They desire God’s blessing upon their lives, but they do not always use this phrase the way God used it. They may use it like in English when someone sneezes, someone says, God bless you! God used the blessing to mean something very different in Numbers; he spoke to Moses and said:

Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

Numbers 6:23-27

God wanted the people of Israel to be blessed because He desired glorification. He wanted everyone around the people of Israel to know that they were His chosen people, and He was the One that should be glorified and worshiped. At the same time, God wanted a relationship with the people of Israel. Arabians believe that there is one God, and he should be glorified and worshiped. They do not accept that He desires to have a relationship with us. The people of Arabia need to know that God loves them so much that He wants to bless them and have a relationship with them. They need to know that He sent His Son, who gave up His life for them; then they will become blessed and bless others.

Prayer points: Pray for the people of Arabia that they will hear about God’s great love for them and how He desires to bless them. Ask that they turn from their sin, follow Jesus, and become a blessing to those around them.