“For You, 0 Lord, will bless the righteous. With favor You will surround him as with a shield” (Ps. 5:12 NKJ).
Favor is the word that speaks to us in this verse. We meet the combined promise of blessing and favor in Deuteronomy 33:23 in which God assures one of the tribes of Israel that they will be satisfied with favor and full of the blessing of the Lord.
Here in this verse from Psalms, the order is reversed. The psalmist says that the righteous will be blessed by the Lord and shielded with favor.
Sometimes we feel we know what a word means until we examine it a bit closer. All my life I had an instinctive feel for the word “favor.” It is a word we like to use. It fits into our prayer vocabulary nicely and slips easily into our speech. With all the linguistic tools available to us today, it is possible to expand the possibilities of this word and give it real depth and dimension.
In this Old Testament verse, the Hebrew word translated favor is ratson (raw-tsone’). It refers to acceptance, good pleasure, delight, approval, satisfaction. To have God’s favor is to bask in the sunshine of His smile of approval. It means having the Lord single you out for special attention: “This is My beloved son (or daughter) in whom I am well pleased!” (Matt. 3:17). Having God’s favor is having His goodwill and being in a position to receive His benefits.
Three translations consulted read: “You protect him with Your shield of love,” “You surround him with the shield of Your good will,” and “You do throw Your loving-kindness about him like a shield.” We need to pray for favor from God. It is worth asking for.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.