Ex 39:43, And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them. 
We are looking at the fact that when we do that which honors and pleases God, we are blessed of Him in our lives. Sometimes that blessing is voiced upon us, as were all the people after the Tent of Meeting was finished. When Moses saw that all was done in the strictest accordance with the plan and the purpose of God, he pronounced God’s blessing upon them.
Now let us continue with looking at this blessing in terms of what it means in the lives of those upon whom it is placed. Please consider Josh 22:4-6, for example. Joshua was addressing the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, those Israelites who had desired indwell the land on the other side of the Jordan River. They had been given that land but had also been instructed to fight alongside the rest of the Nation of Israel to help conquer the Promised Land. 
In this passage, after the Promised Land had been won, we have the blessing of Joshua voiced upon the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for their faithfully fulfilling that which the Lord required of them in support of their fellow Israelites. Josh 22:4-6, And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan. Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. 
	As part of this public blessing, Joshua pronounced upon them peace and rest. They had been at war for a long time in the conquering of the land, war which they could have withdrawn from in some act of faithlessness or betrayal. They had, however, held true to their promise to Moses and God to fight the good fight for the sake of the whole people of God. Because of their faithfulness unto God, they received the blessing of rest for themselves as they went back to inhabit the land they desired. 
	This is something that we will experience in our lives as we are faithful to the Lord in the great and the small areas of living on this earth. We will know the rest of the Lord which will keep our hearts and minds from all the terrors of this age with its every turbulent disorder and turmoil. Despite being involved in the greatest trials and tribulations, there will be a rest that pervades our beings in the truth that The Lord is in control of our lives and we are under His mighty Hand of protection and Overruling Sovereignty. 
	Another who was brought to the place of pronouncing blessing upon the people was King David, as recorded in 2 Sam 6:17+18, as he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. He recognized that it represented the abiding presence of the Lord and he sought that with all his heart and being. Then, when the Ark was finally brought into the city, David rejoiced and celebrated and honored the Lord with his delight and joy at this triumphant commemoration. 2 Sam 6:17+18, So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 
	The whole city was blessed by David as he was in full rejoicing for the Ark of the Lord to be situated within the capital city of the Nation of Israel. This represented the reuniting of God with His people in the sense of bringing before all the nation the truth that the whole government rested on the recognition of the Sovereignty of God. While David was prevented from building the temple, he could still rejoice that the testimony of the Lord was now placed within the city which presented to the whole known world the power and the authority and the witness of the One True Living Lord God Almighty. It was on that basis that he blessed the people.
	Now, please turn to 1 Kings 8:12-16, where we have the blessing of King Solomon upon the full assembly at the completion of the Temple. 1 Kings 8:12-16, Then Solomon said, "The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. "I have surely built Thee a lofty house, A place for Thy dwelling forever." Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. And he said, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled it with His hand, saying, 'Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 
	The efforts of all the people were realized in the construction of the Temple. They had helped with giving supplies and support and the skills required. Then, they were all gathered together to dedicate the Temple to the Lord as a fulfillment of so many dreams, beginning with those of King David, and finally realized through the working of their own hands as guided by Solomon. Everything was at the culmination point from the prior generations being freed from slavery to Egypt, through their wandering in the wilderness, carrying the Tent of Meeting from camp to camp. Then, from the conquering of the Promised Land, through the ruling of the judges, and then Kings Saul and David and Solomon, to this building of the Temple to the glory of God. In it, they were blessed by Solomon in his appraisal of all that had gone into the construction for the Lord to have a place of dwelling in the midst of His Chosen People.
	Later, as detailed in 2 Chron 30:25-27, at the rededication of the temple after years of apostasy, there was the same rejoicing and blessing given to the workers and the assembly of the remnant of those faithful to the Lord in Judah. 2 Chron 30:25-27, And all the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven. 
	Please note another detail of the blessing of the Lord upon His people… their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven. There is the knowledge of God’s response to our prayers. We know that they are heard before His throne of Grace. He will hear and answer those prayers without fail. We may find that His answer is not the one we expected or that we wanted, but, we will know for certain, that it is always the best and the perfect answer to our petitions. This is a true blessing that is ours in Christ Jesus. When we call out to God, He listens and He hears. When we praise Him, He listens and He hears. When we ask Him for guidance, He listens and He hears. To know that truth is to know that we are covered fully by His grace and mercy and love and peace and rest, because He listens and responds to our every prayer.
	Continuing then, after the return of the inhabitants of Judah from their Babylonian captivity, in Neh 11:1+2, we have the blessing pronounced upon those who chose to live in the City of Jerusalem. This was not an easy choice because these men became the targets of those who wanted to keep the Israelites weak and oppressed. But those who volunteered to go back to the city and to rebuild it were blessed by the remnant of the faithful. Neh 11:1+2, Now the leaders of the people lived in Jerusalem, but the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem, the holy city, while nine-tenths remained in the other cities. And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to live in Jerusalem. These men were blessed by their peers for choosing to go forth as a witness of the Chosen People of God returning to the place of His testimony among the nations. They placed their very existence into the hands of God for His sake and they were blessed for that commitment.
	Our next passage is the observation of the Psalmist, as recorded in Ps 19:1-11, if you would please turn to it. Ps 19:1-11, The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Thy servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. 
    	The Psalmist pronounces upon us the blessing of God as detailed in the totality of His creation. Everything is working together and functioning in full accordance with God’s plan and purposes. We are blessed to know this in the every detail as modern science gives further and further proof of just how intricately everything works together to function by the Law of God. 
This is as true of the natural realm as it is in the spiritual realm as we rejoice in and adhere to the full Law of God in the every detail of our walk on this earth. As the sun shines and the rains bring refreshment and growth so blessed is the spiritual growth of those created anew in Jesus Christ. 
	This brings us to the blessing announced to those who believe in Jesus Christ, as Our Lord, Himself, detailed in Matt 5:3-12, if you would please turn to it. Matt 5:3-12, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 
    	We are not going into the details of this passage, as volumes have been written dealing with it. The key that we need to realize is that this was the blessing that was spoken by The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, upon those who heard it and who would read it for all these centuries afterward. This is the Son of God blessing those who would hear and believe upon Him. He spoke the reality of what our life in Him entails and every aspect of this blessing is ours in Him. It is His encouragement for us to deal with the every difficulty and trial and tribulation and persecution of this realm against the truth of Who He is and what He has done by His death and resurrection. As we hear and obey, so will we know the blessing of His life as our own. 
	When we began this short study, I mentioned that it has made me cognizant of the fact that I have not always followed through on the necessity of telling you, as a fellowship, that you are blessed of God for your faithful and willing service unto Him and your obedience in honoring Him above all else. It is a privilege to be made part of you in the manner in which we learn together and grow together and worship together and yes, sometimes even suffer together. It is all for the sake of the witness and the testimony of Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected. We are continuously seeking to know more of Him in the living relationship that honors and glorifies Him above all else. On that basis, I close with the public blessing upon you as recorded in Ps 134.
	Ps 134, Behold, bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord, Who serve by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, And bless the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth. So be it!

This morning’s benediction is Ps 104:31. Let the glory of the Lord endure forever; Let the Lord be glad in His works… Amen.