²⁰ Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord …

Closing statements of a NT book are often overlooked as non-essential wrap-up to the other more “meaty” parts of the writing. This ought not be so, for every word of “ Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). Commonly called a benediction or a blessing, the writer calls upon God to do something good for his readers, in the case of Hebrews, to “equip” them (vs. 21). Blessings are not uncommon in Scripture; see some of the more well-known blessings in Numbers 6:24–26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Jude 24-25.

What is the value of such statements? Do they make a difference in a person’s life? A blessing, as it appears in its usual form, conveys a desire for the good of the person on the receiving end of the blessing. It is a pronouncement of good will or favor. One could make a case that the very words of the blessing inspire the person being blessed, motivating them to look forward to the blessing, or in some way believe it to be true and therefore live their life in accordance with that “truth.” But at times, it carries much more weight.

The first use of the word “bless” in Scripture (Gen 1:22) involves God “blessing” His creation. Because of sin, that blessing is obscured, and fallen mankind experiences the opposite of blessing, namely the disfavor of God. But God, in order to restore His blessing, called Abraham out of obscurity and graciously blessed him. This became the core to God’s redemption plan for His fallen image-bearers: “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing…and in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:203). This blessing was prophetic, in that it conveyed God’s good will as a promise. (In Hebrews, we see this confirmed in the record of Melchizedek blessing Abraham – 7:6-7). This blessing was then passed on to Isaac, Jacob, and so on.

The benediction seen here in Hebrews includes a summary description of the aspects of God related to the blessing desired. We are reminded of the peace of God, which is the great benefit of salvation. We have no barriers preventing our good relationship with our Creator. He is the one who raised “Jesus our Lord” from the dead and has given us an eternal commitment. This One is the Shepherd who gave Himself as the eternal Lamb of God. It is He who can give us peace. And that is a blessing beyond all measure.

Lord, thank You for bringing peace to me in my relationship with You. You paid a huge price for this, the death of Your Son. How can I ever thank You enough?