“ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord shine his face upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace.” ’––Numbers 6:24-26, NCB
Favor is one of those words we don’t hear a lot. In everyday conversation it typically means we are asking someone for help, as in, “Can you do me a favor and pick up some milk at the store?”
But that’s not what we are talking about today. Favor is plastered all over both the Old and New Testaments. We see it in the stories of Ruth and Esther—two mighty women of God who found strong favor in God’s eye. So what does favor typically mean in the Bible? Here’s a definition:
When God orchestrates positive opportunities or circumstances beyond human capacity or expectation.
Webster’s includes this: “a verdict in favor of the accused.”
I love that because it’s the entire thrust of both Testaments: atonement (an act or verdict of positive outcome) in favor of the accused. It’s when positive doors open that we could not have opened ourselves. Favor is Ruth—a foreign, penniless widow from Moab—meeting and marrying Boaz, a respected, prosperous Israelite. Favor is Esther—a poor, powerless Jewish slave—getting positioned to meet and win the affections of the enemy king.
Favor is different from grace and mercy. While grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve (the forgiveness of sins and eternal life), and mercy is God NOT giving us what we DO deserve (an eternity without Him), favor is a combination of both. Oftentimes, favor is when God’s grace and mercy intersect to alter a person’s life for the better.
The big reveal? When we surrender our lives to Christ and walk in that position of “You before me, Lord,” we gain His favor. It might not be a $100,000 Tesla Cyberbeast (which looks like a cross between Walter White’s Pontiac Aztek and a DeLorean, amiright?). It might not be anything material at all. How many of the apostles left behind a financial inheritance to their families? (Phillip, and maybe Peter and Matthew, but not many. And they gave up their worldly possessions to preach the gospel.)
Peter was given favor when Jesus said to Him, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” Peter’s faith gave him favor … but it also required much of Peter, including martyrdom.
Jesus is handing you a box; when you open it, it contains the word “favor.” Receive it; move forward in it. It’s a gift.
Father, may my life be surrendered to You and may Your favor be upon my household.
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