“‘ “‘The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.’” ’” (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV)
These verses are known as the Aaronic Blessing, conveyed from God through Moses, to be uttered over the Children of Israel by Aaron and his descendants. Carrying forward from that day, Jewish priests and rabbis, as well as Christian priests and pastors, and parents of all stripes, have proclaimed this verbatim over their congregations and children on occasions both special and mundane. This is, of a truth, the original Beatitude, pronouncing God’s blessing upon His people
There is no more powerful blessing one entrusted to lead can give to his flock. A prayer for God to preserve and favor the recipient; for Him to bestow unmerited favor upon them; the prayer to, “lift up His countenance,” is akin to a father looking at his children when they are in need. Peace is the end result of His blessing.
This was not the only iconic blessing to be recorded in holy writ. After rehearsing the curses which would accrue as a result of disobedience, Moses contrasted the good things that would follow when the Children of Israel obeyed his commands. He said:
“‘Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
“‘Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
“‘Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
“‘Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.’” (Deuteronomy 28:3-6 NKJV)
Again and again, the scriptural example shows that God’s blessings rest upon His own; even in times of tribulation, he will not leave them desolate. Obedience, though not always easy, is a blessed path. Countless millions have tried it have found Him to be true to His word. Trust Him and see.
The iconic words of a cherished hymn will end this consideration. The text of the hymn was pulled directly from this scripture, the music composed by Peter C. Lutkin. Even now, the, “Amens,” resound in the mind.
“The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord lift his countenance upon you,
and give you peace,
and give you peace.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious,
and be gracious;
the Lord be gracious, gracious unto you.
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen,
Amen, Amen, Amen.”
As Tiny Tim said, in, A Christmas Carol, “God bless us, every one.”
Related Scriptures
“The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.” (Psalms 121:7 NKJV)
“Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, ‘Where is He?’” (John 7:11 NKJV)
“Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.” (Psalms 31:16 NKJV)
“God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us,
“Selah” (Psalms 67:1 NKJV)
“Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved! . . .
Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved! . . .
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!” (Psalms 80:3, 7, 19 NKJV)
“Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.” (Psalms 119:135 NKJV)
“‘Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate.’” (Daniel 9:17 NKJV)
“Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, ‘Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?’ And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’” (Genesis 43:29 NKJV)
“Then He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’” (Exodus 33:19 NKJV)
“‘But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
While this is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?’
Says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 1:9 NKJV)
“There are many who say,
‘Who will show us any good?’
LORD, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.” (Psalms 4:6 NKJV)
“Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.” (Psalms 89:15 NKJV)
“‘“I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid;
I will rid the land of evil beasts,
and the sword will not go through your land.” (Leviticus 26:6 NKJV)
“You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. . . .
LORD, You will establish peace for us,
For You have also done all our works in us.” (Isaiah 26:3, 12 NKJV)
“‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’” (John 14:27 NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)
