"The Lord Bless You and Keep You" — Numbers 6:22-27
Ascension by John Singleton Copley (1738–1815); image from Wikimedia Commons.
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What does the Bible teach us about blessings, and what does the blessing Jesus gave before he ascended to heaven mean for God’s children today?
The Lord’s blessing puts his love, grace, and mercy on us.
There are three kinds of blessings in the Bible:
First, we can bless each other. One person says, “May the Lord bless you,” which is essentially a prayer. As we bless another, we are praying that God would do them good. (Example: Ruth 2:4)
Second, we can bless God, which is basically an act of praise and thanksgiving. “Blessed be the Name of the Lord!” This is praising and glorifying the Lord. (Examples: Psalm 113:2; Luke 24:53)
Third, the Lord can bless us, which is not a prayer but a decree. The Lord’s blessing is a performative word where he actually puts his love, grace, and mercy on us. In the Aaronic benediction, the priest wasn’t praying; rather, he was a mere channel or conduit for the Lord’s decree of favor (Numbers 6:24-26).
The benefits of belonging to the Lord are stated in the Aaronic blessing.
With the Aaronic benediction the priest was putting God’s name upon his people, which expresses ownership and care:
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Num. 6:22-27)
For the Lord to put his name on you means you belong to him as a precious possession. In fact, the benefits of belonging to the Lord are stated in the blessing. God’s favor could only be put on his sinful people after full atonement had been made—the sacrifices paid for Israel’s sin. The sacrifices appeased God’s wrath, and they sealed the covenant bond in grace and gratitude.
The blessing Jesus gave before he ascended to heaven pronounced his priestly work was finished.
In Luke 24:50-53 Jesus blesses his disciples:
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
For Jesus to give a priestly benediction before he ascended to heaven (Luke 24:50-53) means that his priestly work of atonement was finished. In the uplifted hands of Jesus, he pronounced that in Christ all our sin was paid for and destroyed in his sacrifice upon the tree.
On the altar of the cross, the blood of Christ made our crimson sins white as snow. No more sacrifice is required. Christ’s one death is more than sufficient for all our sins. With wrath appeased and sin dealt with, the blessing of God can flow to us.
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