The Blessing of God’s People
- jacarroll71
- Feb 14, 2013
- 2 min read
Today’s reading: Numbers 4:34-6:27
My selection: Numbers 6:22-27
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.”
My reflections: This traditional blessing was given by the LORD to Moses for Aaron and his sons to pronounce upon the people of Israel. It is wonderful in that it recognizes that true blessing comes from God and from being in His favor.
1. Presence. Blessing from God includes His face to shine upon them and His grace to be shown to them. It involves His countenance to be lifted up towards them. They are not alone. God sees them and He sees them with love and favor.
2. Protection. Being kept by God implies safety and security for His people.
3. Peace. The Hebrew word here is “barak”, the peace which is the result of this blessing. Peace is given by God. It is the true peace which is internal not merely outward, depending on the up-and-down circumstances of life. Jesus repeated this theme with His disciples.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27
My challenge: Of course, this blessing is not unconditional. In pronouncing it, the priests were putting God’s name on the people. Blessing came to them because they were included in the people who had received His name. In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we learn that to have God’s name is not a matter of being born into the line of Israel. It depends upon believing faith through the grace of God by which Jews and Gentiles are made God’s people. The Church of Jesus Christ, the Israel of God, is blessed with God’s presence, protection, and peace. Is this blessing yours? Believe in the promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom come all the blessings of God.
Tomorrow’s reading: Numbers 7:1-89
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