First Baptist Church, Somerville, NJ

June 2022

“A Father’s Blessing”

In Numbers, the 6th Chapter we find the people of Israel had been camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai for almost a year after leaving Egypt. They had received God’s ten commandments by Moses and built the tabernacle according to God’s precise instructions. The Israelites now are on the brink of moving toward inheriting the promised land and going into battle. In doing so, God commanded Aaron, the high priest to pronounce this blessing over the people.

“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.”      Numbers 6: 24-26.

 Many of us have heard these words pronounced by clergy as a benediction at the end of Sunday worship service or event. Because we hear these words recited so often, we can lose the real meaning in these unprecedented times we are confronted with in our daily lives. Notice that it was the Lord who spoke to Moses and told him to tell Aaron and his sons that they should bless the Children of Israel with this wonderful blessing, or benediction.  

God blesses people then and today in countless ways—spiritual, mental, emotional, and material. But the focus here is on blessing people with words. We remember that God’s blessing has always in mind our greatest and highest good. We often expect God’s blessing to mean a life of comfort and ease – but that certainly isn’t always the case, especially as we see our families, children struggling in today’s economy.

Jesus both started and concluded His ministry by blessing people. When children came to Him, He took them into His arms and blessed them. After His resurrection, He lifted up His hands and blessed the disciples. Jesus loved to bless people.

Essentially God was saying to the Israelites and to us today, "I want the people to remember, I want this blessing etched into their hearts. I want them to know this blessing from memory and be able to recite it at a moment’s notice." Why? Because this blessing would show them what God is like. It shows His nature and attitude toward them and, in effect, toward us.

In this phrase the word “countenance” is translated from the Hebrew word "paniym." It’s the same word as “face” in the previous verse. “Lift up” comes from the Hebrew word "nasa." It has three main meanings: to lift up anything, to bear or carry (especially guilt for sin), and to take away (often of removing sin). When the Lord lifts His countenance upon us, it shows that He is looking on us for our good.  God wants to bless us.  He wants to protect us.  He wants to make His face to shine upon us and be gracious to us and give us peace.   

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Loreno R. Flemmings