‘“‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.
Yahweh make His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.
Yahweh lift up His face toward you, and give you peace.’”’
(Numbers 6:24-26)
After the Exodus of God’s people from slavery in Egypt, whilst they were still at ‘Sinai’(Exodus 19:1ff.) receiving the Ten Commandments etc., God set aside ‘“Aaron”’(Exodus 28:1) and his descendants as priests. At that time ‘“‘Yahweh’”’(Exodus 3:15) – the name for God revealed to ‘Moses’(Exodus 6:2ff.), spoke to Moses and said: ‘“Speak to Aaron and… his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel’”’(Numbers 6:23), then gave him this famous liturgical text. It’s therefore become known as the Aaronic blessing, and is still used widely today, Christians sometimes even singing it over ‘one another’(Ephesians 5:19, cf. 1 Peter 2:5). So it’s good to reflect on what this blessing includes, and its implications.
However, the first interesting thing to note is that God actually instructs His ‘chosen’(Deuteronomy 7:6ff., cf. 1 Peter 2:9) people to ask Him for this blessing – putting words into their mouths, as if to say ‘just ask me’, ‘“and I will bless”’(Numbers 6:27) you. In fact, He has determined that He will ‘“bless”’(Genesis 12:2ff., cf. Acts 3:25-26, Galatians 3:28-29, Ephesians 1:3ff.) us – yet our asking is a prescribed part of the process, so we must/will ‘seek’(Hebrews 11:6, cf. Ephesians 2:8, John 10:27-29, Matthew 7:7-8) His face like this.
It’s also of note how the blessing seals God’s chosen people with His ‘“name”’(Numbers 6:27), rather like being baptised into ‘“the name of the Father… Son and… Holy Spirit”’(Matthew 28:19) today. The specific content of the blessing’s three lines perhaps even echo this trinitarian aspect of God: ‘“‘Yahweh… gracious… peace’”’. Either way, being sealed by God’s ‘name’(Revelation 22:4) is a significant thing, and linked to the amazing blessing of being His ‘children… and… heirs with Christ’(Romans 8:14-17, cf. Hebrews 11:39-40), as became clear later – perhaps even partly why the designation ‘Christian’(Acts 11:26) arose. Moreover, such naming indicates not simply our belonging, but God’s guiding presence with us too – an important aspect of how we’re blessed by our heavenly ‘“Abba! Father!”’(Romans 8:15). For the Israelites in Moses’ time that was external, in the form of ‘a pillar of cloud… and… fire’(Exodus 13:21); today He’s ‘“with”’(Matthew 28:20) us in ‘another’(John 14:16ff.) less visible but more tangible form.
And so to the ‘“‘face’”’ of God, which He seeks not only to ‘“‘shine’”’ on us generally, but turn ‘“‘toward’”’ us, with attentive benevolence and love, culminating in this ‘“‘peace’”’(Romans 8:6).
The word used here is the very full Hebrew concept of Shalom – a multifaceted, all-encompassing peace, which is perhaps why the apostle Paul, writing in Greek later, once saw fit to write ‘may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all ways’(2 Thessalonians 3:16). Shalom includes what we think of as peace, but more broadly things like everything being well ordered, bountiful and whole.
Such a state obviously requires our being at peace with God, so stems from Him being ‘“‘gracious’”’ toward us, mentioned here too. The clearest and fullest explanation of this in scripture also comes from Paul, such as when he describes our ‘peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’(Romans 5:1ff.), stemming from ‘our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace’(Ephesians 1:7). That’s no doubt why Paul mentions ‘grace… and peace’(Romans 1:7… Philemon 1:3) at the opening of all his letters, probably deliberately echoing this Aaronic blessing.
So, like here, Paul would have had in mind more than simply our forgiveness, rather the ‘grace of God in its various forms’(1 Peter 4:10) as Peter puts it, meaning there especially any spiritual ‘gift’(Ephesians 4:7ff., cf. 1 Corinthians 1:4-7) that God blesses us with, but we can include all blessings ‘that pertain to life and godliness’(2 Peter 1:3, cf. 2 Corinthians 9:8 & Titus 2:11-13). We’re to attribute anything like that to ‘the grace of God’(1 Corinthians 15:10), and more generally everything ‘good’(James 1:17) that comes to us is ultimately a blessing from Him.
Finally, we must consider the ‘“‘keep you’”’ mentioned here, which probably includes this positive side to blessings, but also God’s protective ‘“hedge”’(Job 1:10) around us too, as if protected inside a ‘strong tower’(Proverbs 18:10), such that whatever befalls us we’re ultimately guarded ‘by the power of God… for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time’(1 Peter 1:5, cf. John 10:28-29). Again, as Paul puts it: ‘the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and… preserve me for His heavenly Kingdom’(2 Timothy 4:18) – the ultimate expression of this blessed shining ‘face’(Revelation 22:4ff.), ‘forever’(Revelation 22:5).
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