"THE PRIESTLY BLESSING"
Numbers 6:22-27 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise
ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD
maketh his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace. 27 And they shall put my name
upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
1. In a book filled with "numbers", this beautiful scripture,
has been called "the Lord's Prayer of the Old Testament":
"The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD
makes His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."
2. Here it is, the blessing of the Lord with which Aaron
and his sons were to bless the children of Israel...
a. Aaron and his sons made up the priesthood for Israel
b. Therefore this passage has often been called
"The Priestly Blessing" (the Aaronic Benediction)
3. In this passage, I believe we learn things about the Lord
which are just as valid and true today...
a. Even though we don’t live under the Old Covenant,
with its Aaronic priesthood
b. We do have a "High Priest", JESUS….
who desires to bless us just as richly and even more so !
"THE PRIESTLY BLESSING"
I. THE PRIESTLY BLESSING DEFINED
A. "THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU"
1. The word "bless" means to confer well-being & prosperity
a. Also, the promises of these blessings are conditional –
Deuteronomy 28:1-9 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee,
if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be
in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit
of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and
thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face:
they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee
seven ways. 8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee
in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto;
and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee. 9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people
unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep
the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
b. Failure to meet God's conditions brought curses, not blessings
Deuteronomy 28:15-19 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all
his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, field, basket, store,
fruit of thy body, land, flocks, coming in, and going out.
2. The word "keep" means to provide//care for, to guard//protect
a. A beautiful psalm that speaks of God's care is
Psalm 121:1-8 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in for ever more.
b. Like a shepherd guarding and providing for his sheep,
this blessing calls upon God to keep watch over Israel
B. "THE LORD MAKES HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU,
AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU"
1. To "make His face shine”...
a. God's smile of favor is on His people, being "gracious"
Psalm 31:16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
Psalm 80:3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine;
Daniel 9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
2. To "be gracious" means to show unmerited favor
a. This favor refers to the “priestly blessing”
b. The blessings are unmerited, but also “conditional”
C. "THE LORD LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON YOU,
AND GIVE YOU PEACE"
1. To "lift up His countenance" means to smile with pleasure and affection and also with approval and recognition
2. The word "peace" is not just the absence of war or turmoil, but a positive state of rightness and fullness of well-being
a. God promised peace for Israel, if they were faithful -
Leviticus 26:6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall
lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
b. There was also peace for the individual who trusted in God -
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
God really wanted to bless and provide for Israel. But,
How about today? Does God desire to bless us, and if so, how?
II. THE PRIESTLY BLESSING TODAY
A. "THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU"
1. Yes the Lord does desire to bless us!
a. Today, those blessings come through Jesus Christ -
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ:
Matthew 5:3-12 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall
be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
2. And the Lord desires to provide for and care for us!
Matthew 6:25-32 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought
for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet
or your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things
do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth
that ye have need of all these things.
b. But this care is conditional, the condition described in
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Seek first the Lord and the priestly blessing will be upon you too!
B. "THE LORD MAKES HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU,
AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU"
1. All “spiritual blessings” come through Jesus,
2. So, God's “grace” comes through Jesus -
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
3. God desires His favor upon us, but not, in vain!
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time;
How sad, God's grace is free, yet so many want to abuse it !
C. "THE LORD LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON YOU,
AND GIVE YOU PEACE"
1. Through Christ, peace with God is now possible -
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2. And as we continue to pray, God gives peace through Jesus
Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” - The Father is willing to give us peace, but do we accept it?
"The Priestly Blessing"
God wanted to bless Israel through His Aaronic priesthood
The same blessings are available today through Jesus Christ,
Who, if you are saved, is our "High Priest" -
Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.
If you desire "The Priestly Blessing" today, you must be in
Christ and He must be your High Priest;
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ:
Are you in Christ Jesus? How do you get "into" Christ,
where you can receive the blessings He offers as our High Priest?
Galatians 3:26-27 For ye are all the children of God
by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you
have been baptized into Christ,(saved), have put on Christ.
To have Christ in you and you in Him, you must be born again.
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life and turn toward you. Please forgive me, and help me to live for you. I repent. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life and soul. With my heart,
I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.
This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to a license to sin, but,
it always leads to repentance. Lord Jesus, transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying
for me and giving me eternal life. Amen.
"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."
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