NUMBERS 6: 22-27
A PEOPLE OF BLESSING
[2 Corinthians 13:14 / Ephesians 1:3]
God wants His people to be “A Blessed People.” A blessing is God’s way of asking for His divine favor to rest upon others. This benediction before us is most beautiful. The ancient blessing evoked in these verses helps us understand what a blessing is supposed to be and do. Happily this blessing is not restricted in usage or potency to God’s ancient people but brings great joy, grace, and peace to Christians as well.
This blessing identifies YAHWEH as the Author of all that is good. God alone is able to bring prosperity and peace to His faithful people in any age or time. This beautiful blessing was used as a formula for pronouncing God’s favor upon His people at the close of worship services. It may have originally been intended as a model for blessing as the Lord’s Prayer is a model for prayer. Whether formula, model, or both, as I believe, it’s purpose is clear: It communicates the desire of the Lord to invest His people with His name. The name of the Lord is to be equated with the Lord Himself so that this blessing became an intercession that God would live among His people and meet all their needs. For He is the One from Whom all blessings flow.
The blessing is conveyed in five or six parts after its introduction and defining of the True Blesser. Let’s use the following outline to delve into it.
I. The Law of Blessing, 22-23.
II. The Ultimate Blesser, 24a, 25a, 26a.
III. Bless and Keep, 24a, b.
IV. Shine His Face, 25a.
V. Be Gracious, 25b.
VI. Turn His Face, 26a.
VII. Give Peace, 26b.
VIII. The Outcome, 27.
I. THE LAW OF BLESSING, 22-23.
“The LORD spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his son, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:’”
Numbers 6: 22-27 concludes the section of mainly legal material that stretches from Leviticus 1 to Numbers 6. Numbers 7:1 records the day Moses first set up the tabernacle. The blessing concludes the section dealing with priestly legislation that promised that if God’s Word is kept, God’s blessings will follow.
In verse 22 we see that YHWH is the Author and provider of the blessing. Moses was the mediator of the blessing between God and man. Verse 23 indicates Aaron was to be the first discharger of this solemn blessing. The priest pronounced it as one having authority with his hands lifted up and his face towards the people. [The last thing Jesus did on earth was to bless His disciples with uplifted hands (Lk. 24:50, 51)] This benediction became the liturgical conclusion to Israel’s worship services and has become a tradition in closing many Christian worship services still today. It serves as an official act of God’s blessing upon His worshipers as they go out into the world.
Moses here again acts as mediator between God and man. He delivers God message to man. Moses was designated to represent or foreshadow the great place of Christ, the ultimate and only true mediator between God and man. He alone can truly represent and bring both parties together for He alone is both God and man. Christ is the ultimate fountain of blessing, “In whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).
The common practice of the apostles in blessing the people leads us to infer that the act of blessing was to be continued in the church (2 Cor. 13:14) though now it’s initiation of worship has become as common as it’s conclusion of worship (Rom. 1:7; Gal. 1:3; Phil. 1:2; 1 Tim. 1:2; etc.). Ministers have no power or authority of their own to convey a blessing, but act as stewards, or vehicles to bring the blessing of God upon His people. Though this blessing is very simple, it has been the divine means to bring down untold blessings upon those over whom it was pronounced. So priest then and pastors today act as official intercessors and speak the blessing in the name of Him Who commanded it. It was and is commonly pronounced while standing with uplifted hands in a loud voice toward the people (Deut. 10:8; Lev. 9:22) which is what Jesus did in Luke 24:50-53.
II. THE ULTIMATE BLESSER (24a, 25a, 26a).
The form of the blessing God ordered His people to be blessed with has three separate lines. In each of these lines the divine name YHWH is repeated to make it emphatic that it is God who is the divine author of all that is good. God blesses with His gracious presence, prosperity, protection and peace to His people. Actually the blessing is a prayer, an intercessory prayer, that God would grant His presence and watch care over His people. It is expressed in three poetic lines of unequal but increasing length. Verse 24 contains three Hebrew words. Verse 25 has five words and Verse 26 has seven, the number of completeness or perfection.
Unlike us, the Hebrew people take the high name of God, YHWH, and treat it with great holiness. In the past it was not even uttered much less written. The Tetragrammation or the four consonants were left blank on the page. It is in His name that the blessing falls, thus it is emphatically repeated in each line so that we would acknowledge Him as giver and respond to Him in praise and thanksgiving - to Him from whom all blessings flow. It is God Who is able and willing to bless His faithful people.
Having understood the background and the Blesser, now let’s look at the elements of the blessing.
III. BLESS AND KEEP (24a,b).
In pronouncing God’s favor on the people, the priest would use this formula for blessing. We all need the blessings that God lists here. Each verse conveys two elements of benediction and they get progressively longer. The first verse has three words in the Hebrew text is that The Lord would care for us and watch over us.“The LORD bless you and keep you.”
The name of the LORD is first invoked, asking Him to move toward His people. Notice the change from plural - say to them (3rd person plural) in verse 23 to the singular you (2nd person sg.). The blessing is upon every faithful person in their individual life and duties. God’s blessings come to us singularly. No one is loss in the multitude that come before God for His blessing. God’s blessing comes upon individuals in the believing community and upon the community as a whole or group. God blesses us individually so that we might be a blessing to the whole group or as in our text, nation.
The first line of the intercession is that God will bless the individual of the community and the community as a whole or as a unified obedient body. When God blesses it means give abundant increase and the multiplication of good things both earthly and eternal, both temporary and spiritual. The LORD bless you means bestow upon you an abundance of fruitfulness in all areas of life or in a general way.
The Lord bless and keep you is that He would kindly guard and preserve your life and your blessings and give you their enjoyment. Keep (samar- watch, or guard) is to afford the person or group specific oversight and protection. This care is the faithful guardianship which the Most High exercises towards those who put their trust in Him (Ps. 121:7). God has the power to guard and preserve His faithful servants no matter where their path leads.
IV. SHINE HIS FACE (25a).
Next is a blessing of acceptance and favor. “The LORD make His face shine upon you”
This is the opposite of hiding His face or removing His presence and favor. It is a petition for God to bring the radiance, splendor, or light of His presence upon you. His face is His presence. It is possibly a request for His Shekinah glory to enliven you, save or sanctify you (Ps. 44:3, 80:7). May the Lord shine on you like the sun shines upon the earth to bring it to renewed life and maturity. May the Lord love you and cause you to know that He loves you.
V. BE GRACIOUS (25b).
Next is the favor of God is pronounced, “And be gracious to you”
It is a petition inviting the LORD to make His grace and compassion (hanna) an integral part of their experience. Grace describes one in a superior position doing kind action to one in an inferior position who has no claim upon the superior. It is a request for God to extend undeserved kindness to you.
VI. LIFT UP HIS FACE (26a).
“The Lord turn His face toward you”
The Lord is invited to turn or lift up His face. It is a request that God look directly at you. That you would receive His full attention or that He would give you His full approval. His face is turned in an upward or cheerful attitude toward you. It is God giving us the assurances of His special attention and acceptance.
VII. GIVE PEACE (26b).
The last blessing pronounced is for a personal condition of righteousness and well-being: “And give you peace.”
The blessing concludes with an invocation of peace - shalom which is peace, prosperity, completeness, health, safety, general well-being and even more.Shalom is not merely the absence of conflict, although it may be part of it. It is a spiritual well-being that involves a quietness of heart that rises above the circumstances. In essence Shalom means fullness of life and wholeness, adequateness or completeness in all areas of life; material, relational, emotional, and spiritual. It is a product of spiritual health which enables one to fully serve God and man. Such blessed peace comes only from the Lord. [Phil. 4:6-20]
VIII. THE RESULT (27).
This beautiful blessing may be only a model, as the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is a model for prayer, but its purpose is clear: it communicates the desire of the Lord to invest His people with His name as verse 27 states. “So they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
The blessing is invoked by the threefold repetition of the divine name. The Lord desires to transform His people so that they bear His name or His image. His name represents His qualities, His nature (attributes), His personality. This blessing will enable the faithful believer to put on the fullness of Christ. So here God promises to ratify and confirm His blessing
The section closes with a promise to the one pronouncing the blessing and the one(s) receiving the blessing. And then I will bless them. The Lord will then honor His Word and bless them (return to the 3rd person plural). For heeding the Word of His covenant in faith the Lord promises to bless His servants.
The name of the Lord is tantamount to the Lord Himself so that this blessing becomes a petition that God might live among His people and meet all their needs. He alone can bless His people, keep them, look on them with favor (make His face shine and turn His face toward them), be gracious to them, and give them peace.
CONCLUSION
When you are asking God to bless others you are asking Him to do these (six) things. The blessing will not only bring God favor, acceptance, and presence, it also demonstrates love, gives encouragement, and models a caring concern for the welfare of others.
God has the power and willingness to bless His faithful servants. He is concerned for their welfare and future. Yet He is concerned for the reconciliation of those not yet His people also. He extends the blessing to us so that we, being His blessing and representing His blessing to the world, may pass it on to them. He sends us out into the highways and byways, amid the sinful darkness and restless bondage of humanity that we might bring the name of God Who is our blessing and be a blessing to others. As we go out in His blessing we bring the greatest blessing, the Lord Jesus Christ to them that they too might be blessed and become a blesser of man.
Have you such a blesser? Are you a blessing? Will you be a blessing? If so God will bless you. Quote 6: 24-26. Come forward tonight and be blessed in the name of Jesus so that you might bring His blessing to others.
