Charles Billingsley
One of the most well-known and iconic passages of scripture is tucked away at the end of Numbers 6.
Number 6:22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’
27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
We tend to throw the word “bless” around quite casually.
Someone sneezes and we say – “bless you”
We leave Way-mart and say God bless you.
We say the “blessing” before a meal.
We say the word all the time.
But what does God mean when He says it??
1. God’s Transformation
Vs. 24 – “The Lord bless you and keep you;
And it is this God – YHWH who gives this blessing.
The Lord bless you –
The Hebrew word – Barakh
2. God’s Preservation
The Lord bless you and keep you;
Psalm 121:3b
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
3. God’s Illumination
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you
2 Corinthians 4:6 – 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
When God shines on us, we shine the light of His glory and grace in our own lives. We become a reflection of HIs glory!
one other thing: You’ll never see a face shining that isn’t smiling. I really think they are one in the same.
Emily – walking down the aisle – in a wedding . what happens? everyone then turns to look at the groom.
Cooper’s face was shining – the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face!
As the bride of Christ – when we reflect God’s glory in our lives, it makes God smile! He face shines upon us!!
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
He is God the illuminator. And He is God – the deliverer.
4. God’s Pacification
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
(turn His face toward you)
This gives us the picture of God not only shining upon us, but actually turning HIs face toward us and gazing upon us – watching over us.
When God turns His face toward you it is because He approves of you and you are His own.
And give you peace.
Paul put it this way in the New Testament:
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
In line 1 – He is God the giver – Father gave(John 3:16)
In line 2 – He is God the deliverer – The Son set us free from sin (Romans 6:18)
In line 3 – He is God the comforter – Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)
5. God’s Glorification
27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
To do something in His name – does that sound familiar?
What about another benediction:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
For 2025, in your coming and your going, in your victories and your valleys, in your successes and your failures, in your tasks and your relationships,
24 “The Lord bless you – The Lord Jehovah kneel before you and meet you where you are, transform you from the inside out and provide for you all you need to flourish in this life for His satisfaction and glory.
and keep you – Jehovah surround you and guard you with His protection just as a shepherd watches over and keeps his sheep from harm.
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you – Jehovah illuminate your life with His very presence, dispelling the darkness, and reminding you that He will never leave you nor forsake you.
And be gracious to you – Jehovah deliver you from harm and rescue you from sin and show His grace toward you with His ever present love and boundless mercy.
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you – Jehovah turn His face toward you, not away from you, and smile in approval of who He has made you to be and who you have become in Him.
And give you peace.” Complete and total peace – no matter what comes your way in 2025…The indescribably wonderful peace of God be with each of you
each and every moment of each and every day.
Amen.