The Lord Bless you and keep you

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”’ ~Numbers 6:22-27
 
A song that of late has been receiving a lot of airplay on Christian radio and sung in church worship services the world over is “The Blessing,” written by Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, and the team at Elevation Worship. Taken from the Aaronic or priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, the song has touched a chord with many during this prolonged season of pandemic and unrest. At a torrid time when circumstances have forced us to change the way we live, work, and worship, we are desperate for reminders that God remembers us and that He has neither left nor forsaken us. The Aaronic blessing gives us three timely assurances toward that end.
 
Firstly, the blessing is especially pertinent for us “pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road” (as that old favorite by Steve Green, “Find Us Faithful,” has it). Interestingly, the blessing is snuck in the middle of an elaborate detailing, in the first ten chapters of Numbers, of Israel’s preparations for their journey from Mt. Sinai – where they had just received God’s law, Israel’s national constitution, as it were – to the Promised Land. The blessing is therefore meant for pilgrimage. God doesn’t just say to us, “Folks, I’ve saved and redeemed you, so just follow the road signs and find your own way to heaven. I’ll be waiting for you at the pearly gates to welcome you. No! He stays with us; He journeys with us on the pilgrimage He is sending us on; He will never leave nor forsake us. He is with us every step of the way!
 
Secondly, we read in vv. 25-26, “the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” It’s so important that God’s shining countenance is turned toward us, not against us! An example of “against” is in Psalm 13:1: “How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” Many of us might have voiced this lament during this year of discontent. Rather, we long for God to turn His face toward us to bless us and give us peace. As Psalm 67:1-2 put it, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us – so that Your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” We’re in the business of making His ways and His salvation known among all nations, and there’s no way we can succeed unless God is gracious to us, unless He blesses us, unless He makes His face shine on us!
 
Finally, I find v. 27 especially intriguing: “So they” – and here God is referring to His priests – “will put My name on the Israelites...” God loves to be associated with His people; He wants to emboss His own name upon us! He dares to entrust us, a people who are prone to stray and wander from Him, with His very integrity. The name of the Lord, Yahweh, is mentioned three times in the blessing.  The constant refrain “I will bless them” reminds me of Genesis 12:2-3: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” When God says He will bless His people, we can take it to the bank. It’s a done deal.
 
And so, dearly beloved, the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen!