The Practice of Blessing Others

Psalm 129:8 - Neither do they that go by say: 'The blessing of the LORD be upon you; We bless you in the name of the LORD.'

Ruth 2:4 - And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and said unto the reapers: 'The LORD be with you.'  And they answered him: 'The LORD bless thee.'

We learn from Ruth 2:4 that it was customary for a passer-by to address a blessing to the reapers, such as, the LORD be with you.  In ordinary circumstances the prayer would imply, 'May God prosper your work.'*

In Psalm 129:8 we find that no blessing of God can be invoked upon men engaged in the work of oppressing Israel with extreme brutality and oppression, and no one could utter such a hope in connection with those whose work was so malicious in character.*

When I read this Psalm this morning, I found myself wishing that the LORD's children could return again to this custom of greeting others with a blessing.  Wouldn't that make our walk on this earth a more pleasant one?  Which greeting would you prefer to receive:  'Hello.', or: 'The blessing of the LORD be upon you; We bless you in the name of the LORD.'  The first greeting does not mention the name of the LORD and the second one does.  The second greeting acknowledges the LORD and draws me into His presence. 

In closing, just let me say to all of you who love the LORD: 'The blessing of the LORD be upon you; I bless you in the name of the LORD.'

*Commentary taken from The Psalms book from The Soncino Books Of The Bible.