October 25th, 2023

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Numbers 6:22-27

The presence of God is a tricky idea for most of us - we imagine something that swoops in unannounced and disappears because of interference, almost like a radio with no antenna. We think that God is present when "religious stuff” is happening, when things are going “our way”, some of us may imagine that God is more present when things are going poorly - like the Lord is some sort of cosmic crank bent on our displeasure. Throughout the Bible, there are these special verses, benedictions, that function like prayers of blessing. In fact the term benediction, literally means “good word.” These prayers of blessing are from God himself for his people - prayers which God is sure to answer, albeit in His own way. In fact, for those who are in Christ, God’s “amen” to each of these biblical blessings has already resounded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

But, as you look at this familiar blessing from the book of Numbers, you can see something of what a blessed life actually is. It is a life established and upheld by God (The LORD bless you and keep you);. It is a life marked by the free gift of God’s heavenly affection (the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you); It is a life that rests upon God’s approval, and our reconciliation to him (the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace). You would do well to notice that the “Aaronic Blessing” of Numbers depends entirely on God taking the first step towards us - not us earning his attention. God has done this for us in so many ways: the roofs over our heads, the food on our tables - but he has done it most of all in sending his Son Jesus to pay the price for all our attempts to live apart from him. The chief task for us is simple - receive the gracious gift of us presence through confession and forgiveness. 

—Matt Allhands