Even greater, what God wants to give to us is not a string of cosmic party favors—a bit more prestige in one part of our lives, fewer problems in another. God commanded his people to speak the words, “May ADONAI bless you,” because he longed to give his children the gift of himself. Blessedness is not about receiving things; it is about receiving God. To receive the blessing of God’s presence is to rejoice in God not because he does favors for us, but because he has shared his own sacred identity