Consider for a moment what it means to be favored by God. What does this favor look like in the life of his children?

God’s Favor – Mary’s experience

Picture the throne room in Heaven. The angel Gabriel, who stands before God, has been given a mission. And oh, what a mission it is! All of Heaven has been waiting for God to declare that the time was right. The earth and all its inhabitants have been groaning under the curse brought on by the tragic fall of man. Now, at last Gabriel has been commissioned to deliver the world-changing message to a select few – those chosen and favored by God.

In the small town of Nazareth, a young girl named Mary is simply looking forward to her upcoming marriage. Her future husband is a skilled craftsman with a reputation as a kind and just man. In Mary’s world, such a marriage prospect was a great blessing. She probably had a good idea of how her life would play out and she was probably content with that vision.  Then Gabriel bursts on the scene, and with his simple greeting, her world begins to turn upside down. (Luke chapter 1:26-38)

“Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you” ^(v.28)

(“Chaire Kecharitomene!” The English language fails to convey the celebratory nature of this introduction. “Chaire” means “Rejoice” and when used as a greeting, it conveys respect and enthusiasm – much like “Hail!” might be used at a political rally or athletic event”. “Kecharitomene” declares her a recipient of God’s high favor and provides the reason for this call to joy.)

Joy and wonder are evident in Gabriel’s choice of words. In the mind of the people of Israel, God had not spoken to them in over four hundred years. Present in the throne room of God, the faithful angel had watched events unfold as God worked behind the scenes, meticulously preparing every detail in the execution of his plan. And the time was now! Mary was a very special part of God’s plan, and Gabriel arrived for the purpose of revealing this wondrous news to her!   

And Mary’s initial response to Gabriels enthusiastic greeting?

“But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.” ^(v.29)

Gabriel sees the tension and confusion that washes over her, and he quickly reassures her.

“ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”^(v.30)

Then he goes on to explain to her the impact that “God’s favor” will have on her life. The bewildered girl asks logical questions, and Gabriel tries to explain this great mystery of the divine incarnation of the Son of God in human flesh. Since the answers are too profound for her to understand, she simply submits to the will of God.

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” ^{(v. 38)}

But Mary’s troubled and pondering mind would continue to be challenged in the coming days, months, years, and decades. She had to face her parents, her betrothed, and her community with her incredible circumstances. Ahead of her were difficult conversations, hurtful accusations, and fears for her very precarious future. After the birth of her child, she would become a refugee fleeing a deadly king. As the years passed, she would fret over the responsibility of raising a child of such importance to the world, and as that child grew into a man, she would be angered by the hostile words and actions of those who rejected him. This favored woman would eventually watch her son die a cruel and undeserved death, while being mercilessly mocked and spit upon. Even after the resurrection, Mary’s life would be filled with pain as the believers endured persecution and martyrdom for their faith in Jesus. Mary’s life would never be easy. The words of Gabriel must have often echoed in her mind.

“Greetings, O favored one! The Lord is with you!” ^{(v. 28)}

God’s Favor and the Hebrew language

The Hebrew words for “God’s favor” (Ratsah and Chanan and their cognates) – refer to him “delighting in”, “being pleased with”, or “accepting favorably” something or someone – or not doing so.

How humbling it is to think of the God of the universe delighting in any mere human being,

God chose Israel, and he delighted in his people. Yet, when Moses first approached Pharaoh with God’s demands, the lives of those “favored by God” grew much harder, not because the people of Israel were rejected by God, but precisely because they were chosen by him.

God’s Favor and Blessing as “The Light of his Face”

It was God himself who dictated the words of the blessing that Aaron and his sons were to speak over the people.

²² The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

²⁴ The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord lift up his countenance^] upon you and give you peace.

²⁷ “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” ^{(Numbers 6:22-27)}

God wanted his people to know the value of God’s face shining upon them. It demonstrated how deeply God desired to have an intimate relationship with them, to pour out his grace and blessings upon them, and give them peace or more accurately – shalom – spiritual peace and prosperity – a people truly favored by God.

The interaction between Gabriel and Mary is much like that priestly invocation of God’s favor entrusted to Aaron. And it is the experience that all his people need to crave. It is God greeting us, looking into our eyes, expressing his delight in us and inviting us to delight in him. As the light of his face shines upon us, we know that we are blessed and kept by him – whatever our circumstances in this wilderness we are passing through. This knowledge gives us a peace in our spirit that allows us to respond to him as Mary did:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” ^{(Luke 1:28)}

God’s Favor and the Valley of the Shadow of Death

In Psalm 23, David paints a serene scene of abundance and security – green pastures, quiet waters, and right paths. But it is not a perfect world; there are times when he must “walk through the valley of the shadow or death (Tsalmaveth, v. 4) and he has nearby enemies (v. 5). Yet, it appears that David mentions them only to celebrate God’s supremacy over them.

It is the writer of Psalm 44 (of the Sons of Korah) who details the experience of God’s favored people being “covered with the shadow of death” (Tsalmaveth, v. 19). He begins by describing the great heritage of faith that has been passed down to God’s chosen people by previous generations, carefully acknowledging God as the source of their success and prosperity.

“for not by their own sword did they win the land,    nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.” ^{(v. 3)}

He continues as a spokesman for his own generation declaring:

“In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. ^{(v. 8)}

If this is the mindset of the people, their experience is far from what you might expect. The writer begins to grieve that God has “rejected and disgraced them”^{(v. 9)}, making them “like sheep for the slaughter”^{(v. 11)}, “scattered among the nations” ^{(v. 11)} and “covered with the shadow of death.”^{(v. 19)}

Like Job, what mystifies him is that he can state with confidence:

“All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten you, and we have not been false to your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way;” ^{(v. 17-18)}

In this season when God does not make sense to him, he cries out to the one who appears to be sleeping and has rejected his people ^{(v. 23)}, or is hiding his face from them for unknown reasons ^{(v. 24)}.

In response to God’s perceived silence, he concludes with a heartfelt cry:

“Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! ^(v.26)

It may not seem like it, but this is a moment in which God can delight – the shadow of death has done its worst, and like Job, he has sought a hearing before God. He has bared his soul, giving voice to all his questions and complaints. He listens for God and hears only the mockery of his neighbors. When all his energy is spent, he whispers what seems like a feeble prayer, but it is powered by his faith in the redemptive heart and steadfast love of God. Like his ancestor Jacob, he wrestled with God and he overcame – because when it is all over, his faith, however shaky, still stands.

 God’s Favor and the New Testament Church

The apostle Paul, enduring endless persecution, looked back on the wearied writer of Psalm 44 and saw described there the struggles of his day – of early Christians facing fiery trials that Jesus warned would come. Through it all, he clung to this priceless favor – this reciprocal delight between God and his people.

“³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ^{(Romans 8:33-39)}

Likewise, Peter, while facing his own trials for the sake of the gospel, encouraged “the elect exiles” about the “inexpressible and glorious joy” ^{(1 Peter 1:8)}that is theirs through faith in Jesus!

The writer of the book of Hebrews understood that this was the key to our personal endurance, cheering God’s scattered children to hold fast to this singular focus:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. ^{(Hebrews 12:1-2)}

The joy that was set before Jesus is the same joy that is set before us! Our Savior and our God – delighting in us, and we in him!

Every generation of God’s favored people has its unique experience with the valley of the shadow of death. For the Israelite slaves in Egypt, it was the cruel Egyptian taskmasters; to Job it was devasting personal loss, unbearable physical torment, and the silence of God; to the writer of Psalm 44 it was national defeat and disgrace; to David it was a death sentenced imposed by a king to whom he was steadfastly loyal; it was his children destroying each other and seeking to destroy him as well; to Joseph and Mary, it was the wrath of a murderous king that drove them away from every from everyone they knew and loved, and to the early church, it was the threat of being ostracized by family and community, as well as persecution, exile, and death.

God’s Favor and You!

God’s favor is truly priceless, but it is not equal to earthly peace and prosperity. As every child of God learns, this favor is not without cost! However, it cost our Lord and Savior more than it will ever cost us! Paul writes to the church at Corinth:

Now is the time! Delight in the knowledge that he delights in you; that the Creator of the Universe rejoices over you with singing! ^{(Zephaniah 3:17)} Pray for God’s favor upon yourself and others! When the shadow of death covers you, cast everything else aside and cling to it with all your heart and soul and mind and strength!