Who the LORD is: Your Blesser and Keeper

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:" (Numbers 6: 24)

Many people have a harsh, wrong idea of God.

They see him as angry and vindictive.

Now, when the Israelites entered into a provisional covenant based on the law, He had no choice but to curse them when they failed:

"8And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. 9And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD." (Exodus 19: 8-9)

The consequences for not obeying were severe:

"58If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 59Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.  (Deuteronomy 28: 58-59)

Now, God already had a better covenant in place, which he announced through His prophets:

"17Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 19And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 11: 17-21)

This New Covenant was fulfilled on the Cross, when Jesus shed His blood and took all are sins and diseases upon Himself:

"And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." (Mark 14: 24)

Through the blood of Jesus, we are cleanses of all sin and fully justified:

"24But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4: 24-25)

He died for our sins, and rose from the dead as the full testimony to the world that we are forever made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Now, we can know and believe that He is our God, that He is keeping us, and that He is out to bless us, not curse us:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 3-6)

Blessed, chosen, favored -- the Lord is your blesser and keeper.