Grace and peace...

“Lord bless you
and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you

the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Let’s break this down and take a closer look at this blessing…

The high priest emerges from the holy of holies to bless the people…the two main themes presented are “grace and peace”.

This isn’t a wish or even a prayer…it is an declaration of what the LORD imparts. It was binding and sure as a patriarchal blessing which once said was official and could not be broken. The priest here is pronouncing the word of the Lord, declaring to the congregation the outcome of the atonement.

For the Lord to make his face shine on them would mean to be gracious to them…it’s the picture of divine favor—the beaming face of a parent for his child.

The last line of blessing also has the first image and then the parallel interpretation—for God to lift up his face is for God to give peace. The idea of a fallen face is one of anger….a hidden face is to withholding support, favor, or peace. If God lifts his face towards his people, it means he has given them shalom—peace, prosperity, completeness, health, safety, general well-being, the whole ball of wax…

After reading this I can only think of one person…Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of this prayer. Jesus the High Priest...declares us righteous and it cannot be broken. Through Christ the Father see us has His child and he beams with pride and joy….through Jesus we can experience shalom—peace the surpasses all understanding!

Grace and peace....

So my prayer for you is this..."may God bless you and keep you through Christ Jesus, may you discover Jesus’ love for you from the cross…may the Father look upon you and beam with joy and pride through the crimson flood…May Christ give you true and lasting peace…Grace and peace forever and ever, ever, ever…amen

-ps

Daily Reading: Num 5, 6 Mark 4:1-20