![]() The Lord alone established the nation of Israel and He would continue to preserve His people.Īs the Lord indicated, when referring to the pronouncement of the blessing, “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” ( Numbers 6:27, NIV). Using His covenant name, Yahweh, God was emphasizing His close relationship with Israel. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” ( Exodus 3:14, NIV). When Moses asked who he should say sent him to free the Israelites, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. God first revealed His personal, covenant name to Moses when He appeared to Him in the burning bush in the wilderness ( Exodus 3:1-6). Numbers 6:24 employs the divine name, represented in the Hebrew tetragrammaton, YHWH commonly translated as LORD in English Bible translations. He is the central focus and subject of the blessing.Ĭentral to the blessing is God’s covenant name: Yahweh. It is the Lord who blesses, keeps, makes His face to shine upon His people, acts graciously, turns His face toward His people, and gives them peace ( Numbers 6:24-26). The priest merely declared the blessing to the hearers. The Lord, not the priest, was the one who blessed His people. The passage specifically focuses on God, as His Name is the subject of the blessing. The Passage’s Subject: The LordĮach successive line in the priestly blessing starts with the words “the LORD” ( Numbers 6:24,25,26). Given just before a time of hardship when Israel would be punished by wandering in the wilderness for 40 years ( Numbers 14:34), this priestly blessing would serve as a reminder of God’s presence with and provision for His people. The priest would declare the blessing over the nation of Israel, imparting the Word of God. In addition to being a blessing, which demonstrated Israel’s uniqueness as a nation set apart for God, the blessing contained God’s promise given through the Aaronic priesthood. ![]() Required in the vow was to agree to being separated to the Lord for a set period, which means the vow was not permanent or ongoing ( Numbers 6:5,13).įollowing the same idea of being set apart, the priestly blessing introduced in Numbers 6:24 is the Lord’s way of reminding the Israelites that they are set apart as a holy nation in contrast to the rest of the world ( Deuteronomy 7:6 14:2 26:18-19). When an Israelite took a Nazirite vow, they were consecrating themselves to the Lord or separating themselves in service to the Lord ( Numbers 6:2,21). Most of Numbers 6 deals with the Nazirite vow, with all its rules and conditions ( Numbers 6:1-20). Some pastors or ministers declare this passage over their congregation regularly, but the question arises as to what the words in Numbers 6:24 mean.Ĭentral to comprehending this priestly blessing is the background and context of the passage, the subject of the blessing, and what is being promised to those who are being blessed: to bless and keep. This song garnered great success leading to translations into other languages around the world.Īs a great reminder of the Lord’s blessing of His people, this song points back to the priestly blessing in the Book of Numbers, which was declared over the nation of Israel by a priest. Quoted in the song are the words of Numbers 6:24-26, which is an Old Testament priestly blessing. The Lord Bless You and Keep You explores this benediction to discover the important connection between a person's face and the face of God-finding that through faces, God shines the light of the gospel upon his people and offers his grace, goodness, and blessing to those who believe in him.In 2020, Elevation Worship along with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes released their song called “The Blessing.” This theme of faces reverberates throughout Scripture, first appearing with Adam and Eve and notably surfacing in the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6. But have they deeply considered the meaning behind them? What does it mean for God's face to shine upon his people?įaces are often referred to as the window to the soul, displaying emotion and providing relational clarity between individuals. For centuries, Christians have read these words and received them as a blessing. "The LORD bless you and keep you the LORD make his face to shine upon you," (Numbers 6:24-25). Exploring the Gospel through the Aaronic Blessing
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