The Aaronic Benediction

The Aaronic Benediction

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”  (Numbers 6:24–26)     Since this blessing was pronounced over the people by the priest, we understand that words are important and powerful.  In fact,     Scripture says that the power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).

     Let's examine this meaningful passage that so beautifully states God's will for our lives. The Lord bless [y'varech'cha] you: The first element of the benediction is blessing.  The Hebrew word bless is barak.  This word shares the same root as knee (berech).  In fact, the word barak means to bless and to kneel.  It takes real humility to get down on our knees and receive the blessing of God. And keep you:  The word keep is shomer, which means to guard, watch over and protect from all evil, sickness, poverty and calamity.

     The Lord make His face to shine on you:  In this benediction, the Hebrew word panav (His face) is repeated twice, which indicates that we can enjoy an intimate, face-to-face relationship with God.  God’s face shining on us indicates His attention, favor, light and friendship. And be gracious unto you:  When we seek the face of God, instead of just His hands—what He can give us, He will cause His favor and grace to be poured out upon us (Psalm 44:3).

     The Lord lift up [naso] His face [panav] upon you:  Here, we once again see the name of the Torah reading—naso, which means lift up or elevate.  We also see the second usage of the term panav (His face) in this meaningful benediction. and give you peace [shalom]:  The pinnacle of this blessing is shalom (peace).  We can experience this shalom (peace) even in the midst of a storm.  Peace is the inheritance of the children of God, as Yeshua said: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you."  (John 14:27)

     The Lord is longing to be gracious to us and to bless us.  He wants us to receive His blessing, divine protection, favor, the light of His face, and also peace, wholeness, and completion—in Him! The Aaronic Benediction ends with these words:  “So they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”  (Numbers 6:27) 

     It's the name of our God/Christ/Christian/Christ-ones upon us that blesses us, establishes us and makes us successful, even gaining for us the victory in all our battles.“Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes.”  (Psalm 44:5)

     As the (priests) blessed the people of Israel, they understood that it's ultimately God who blesses.  Likewise, as people bless us, let us be mindful that God/The Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of all blessing.

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