Archaeologists
in Israel discovered two small silver
scrolls in 1979 that recorded a priestly blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, “The
Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine on you and be
gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you
peace.” God spoke this to Moses approximately 1500 BC and the scrolls were
dated to the 7th century B.C., which means the blessing was still being honored
800 years later.
Why was this Scripture so important and what did it mean? Since
God told Aaron and the priests to say
this blessing over future generations (Numbers 6:22-23), it must have an
important purpose. This blessing is an appeal to God to look favorably on His
people and to grant His presence, blessing, guidance, and grace.
1. The Lord bless you asks God to extend His favor and bless
what we do.
2. And keep
you requests
God’s protection from evil and harm.
3. The Lord make
His face shine on you and be gracious to you suggests that God
does NOT shine on everyone or give His grace. He causes His face to shine on
those who seek His face and want to know Him. These verses ask God to not
hide His face from them (Job 13:24, Psalm 27:9, 44:24, 69:17, 88:14, 102:2,
143:7). Today we’d say, “Please don’t turn your back on me.”
Jesus
said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones for I say to you
that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father in
heaven” (Matt. 18:10). Jesus informed us that the angels watch over children and
at the same time are looking at God’s
shining face in heaven. Sometimes we forget God in heaven is that close.
4. The Lord lift His
countenance on you is a picture of a father smiling and taking pleasure in
his child. When the Lord lifts His countenance upon us, it shows
that He is looking on us for our good.
5.
And give you peace.
Peace calms your soul and keeps your soul from being tormented. Only God can
give peace to your soul.
God wants to
bless us. He wants to protect us. He wants to smile on us, be gracious to us,
and give us peace. But it doesn't come automatically. It happens when we seek to know and please Him. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
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