The Aaronic Blessing
6: 22-27
The Aaronic blessing DIG: What does it mean to bless someone? How do we bless God? What are some of the promises in the B’rit Chadashah that Messiah will keep us? What is the full meaning of the word “shalom” and how does Messiah give it to His people? When you read or hear Aaron’s blessing, which images are especially touching to you?
REFLECT: Why do you think that the priests were to say the Aaronic Blessing to the people? What purpose did it serve? What does the blessing ADONAI gave to Aaron teach us about the desire of God for us? Thank the Lord that He delights to draw close to us. Ask the Lord to continue to “keep you” as you face difficulties that this life will bring.
The main objective of this passage is for God, through the Levites,
to extend a blessing on the people of Isra’el.
Among the chief duties of the priest was to bless Isra’el in the name of ADONAI (Deuteronomy 19:8 and 21:5). However, the blessing issues solely from ADONAI; the priest’s function was to channel it. This point is made emphatically clear by the threefold use of the divine Name in the blessing formula itself. And if this were not enough, the authorization for the priests to pronounce the blessing concludes with the warning that even though the priests utter the divine Name, it is not they but ADONAI who alone can activate the blessing. This repeated emphasis on the divine source of the blessing is projected into even bolder relief when it is contrasted with the formula of welcome pronounced upon the worshiper as he entered the Temple, “We bless you from the House of ADONAI (Psalm 118:26). Clearly our text has taken great pains to underscore that, although the priest is holy (Leviticus 8:30 and 22:9), indeed, one of God’s set apart one’s (Leviticus 10:3), he possesses no divine powers of his own. He is the representative of Isra’el, but whether his purpose is blessing or forgiveness (Leviticus 4:20), consent and implementation reside solely with God.106
This blessing was bestowed on Isra’el every day during Temple times. Each day, following the daily, continual burnt offering (see the commentary on Leviticus, to see link click Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God), the priests would recite this blessing over the Israelites. In modern observance, this passage is prayed by anyone, but on the festival days, the cantor in the synagogue actually calls the rabbi to step forward at that point in the liturgy. Those who are descended from Aaron approach the front of the congregation, turn to the assembly, lift their hands in the prescribed manner shown here, and chant the priestly blessing.107
The blessing is couched in poetic Hebrew style, an elevated form of speech characterized by parallelism, terseness, and the use of metaphor. In Hebrew, the first line of the blessing in verse 24 consists of three Hebrew words; the second line has five Hebrew words, and the third line has seven Hebrew words. The progression in the number of words mirrors the outward movement and flow of God’s blessing through the single priest to the broader community. Each of the three lines consists of two clauses. The first clause invokes God’s movement toward the people (bless, make His face shine on you, lift His face toward), and the second clause names the results of these three divine movements toward the people (keep you, be gracious to you, and give you shalom).108
ADONAI said to Moshe, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and tell them that this is how you are to bless the people of Isra’el: you are to say to them . . . (6:22-23). Furthermore, there are three lines, each line building upon the other as they add an additional thought to the previous one. Each line begins by invoking the sacred name of ADONAI. This is the Name that stresses God’s covenant keeping attributes. This blessing is an absolute and unconditional imparting of benefits from Ha’Shem to His people. There is no “if” clause in the blessing. By repeating it three times, the text puts the proper emphasis where it belongs – on ADONAI Himself, Who is the only source for any blessing.109
The God who keeps: May ADONAI bless you and keep you (6:24) The first request for blessing is to ask the Holy One to keep Isra’el. This word “keep” (Hebrew: shomer) is the usual word for “guard” or “protect.” This is quite relevant for as I write these words, Isra’el is at war with Hamas and Hezbollah. The Scriptures teach that God is the Keeper of Isra’el. Only He has the ability to preserve the nation from war, sin and famine. While He planned difficult times of distress and trial, ultimately, in the end, this blessing will come true. Isra’el, despite all of her sin and enemies, will be kept secure by ADONAI. This is what God says: He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – ADONAI-Tzva’ot is His Name. “Only if these decrees vanish from My sight,” declares ADONAI, “will the descendants of Isra’el ever cease to be a nation before Me” (Jeremiah 31:35-36).
This is also the same on a spiritual level for all who rely on the Holy One. If we are part of the holy community, the redeemed community by faith in the atonement and resurrection of Yeshua Messiah, ADONAI will also keep us, for we are eternally secure in Him (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). Even if our halo slips, if we are truly His, He will keep us, just as He promised to keep Isra’el.110
The God who is gracious: May ADONAI make His face shine on you and be gracious to you (6:25). How is it that God can keep and guard such a people who knowingly sin against Him? The answer lies in the second request, the second blessing: ADONAI be gracious to you. The Hebrew word translated gracious is from the root chanan. It can be translated to show favor or to be gracious. This word, in conjunction with its Greek counterpart in the B’rit Chadashah just oozes with unconditional forgiveness. The best illustration of this word is in the story of Hosea and Gomer. Just as Hosea was instructed to relate to his estranged and unfaithful wife Gomer, so does God relate to His sometimes estranged and unfaithful people, Isra’el. Despite their sorry spiritual state, God always grants forgiveness freely.
This is also the same way He acts towards us. Ephesians 1:7 teaches that God “lavished” His grace on us who believe in Yeshua Messiah, despite knowing how rebellious our flesh can be. Specifically, we are told that we have . . . forgiveness of our sins in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7-8).111
One expression of God’s grace is that He makes His face, or countenance, to shine upon us. This metaphor of light reminds us that light connotes clarity, revelation, the warmth of sunshine, rescue from cold darkness, renewal of life, and the brightness of joy. The bright shining of God’s face upon Isra’el is the theme in Psalm 67 of His blessing and deliverance in times of trouble. The psalm begins: May God be gracious to us and bless us, and make His face shine upon us; may Your ways be known on earth, your salvation among the nations (Psalm 67:1-2). The psalm’s focus on all the nations and all creation suggests a wider picture of God as Creator of all. As the life-giving rays of the warm sun extend over all the world, so the blessing of God’s shining face radiates to the end of the earth. Psalm 67 concludes: The Land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him (Psalm 67:6-7).
The shining of the divine face leads to God’s being gracious, dealing with people not according to their sins, but with freely given love and compassion. And ADONAI said: I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My Name, YHVH, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion (Exodus 33:19).112
The God who grants peace: The third line of blessing brings the passage to a climax. May ADONAI lift up His face toward you and give you shalom (6:26). Since God keeps and freely lavishes us with His grace, then one thing is certain . . . we will have His shalom. The midrash says this about shalom: Great is shalom, for no vessel can retain blessing so effectively as shalom. The blessings are of no avail unless shalom goes with them (Bemidbar Rabbah 11.7). Shalom is certainly one of the “pillars of the world,” according to the Talmud. In seeking to bless the Israelites with shalom, the Holy One undoubtedly meant wholeness of life, and freedom from war with their enemies. But I think it goes way beyond that, as great as those blessings are. Shalom, according to the ArtScroll . . . is not simply the absence of war. It is a harmony between two conflicting forces. It is the proper balance between the needs of the body and his higher duty to the soul (ArtScroll Chumash, page 765).
Yeshua Messiah, the Prince of Peace (see the commentary on Isaiah Ck – He Will Be Called the Prince of Peace), said that He came to give us such peace (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kq – No One Comes to the Father Except Through Me). ADONAI also promises to those who believe in Him . . . the peace that passes all understanding, guarding our hearts and our minds (Philippians 4:7).113
The ultimate goal of God’s blessing is summed up by the final word of shalom, or peace, which is the outcome of Ha’Shem’s lifting up His face and is the ultimate word of the blessing as a whole. Shalom denotes a rich array of benefits (but no guaranties): prosperity (Psalm 37:11 and Proverbs 3:2); longevity, happiness in a family (Psalm 128:6), safety, security (Psalm 4:9 and 122:6-8), good health (Psalm 38:4), friendship (Jeremiah 38:22), and general well-being. In the Psalms, shalom and righteousness go together: Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet, righteousness and shalom will kiss each other (Psalm 85:10).
In this way they (the priests) are to place my Name on the people of Isra’el, so that I will bless them (6:27). The book of Genesis ends with Jacob’s last words to his twelve sons couched in the form of a blessing (Genesis 49:3-27). Moshe’s last words to Isra’el the day before he died at the end of Deuteronomy were extended words of blessing for the twelve tribes (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Fy – This is the Blessing). Most of the major prophetic books of the TaNaKh end with words of promise and blessing in spite of earlier words of judgment. Whether in the congregational practice of worship or in ADONAI’s ultimate will for God’s people throughout biblical history, the word of blessing and hope is the LORD’s final word. The provisions for the priestly blessing of the community round out this section of Numbers with its obedient concern for the holiness of the camp and the enjoyment of God’s blessing in Isra’el’s midst. The Israelites bear the Name of God as a community, with His presence in her midst, a Name and presence whose ultimate will is peace, mercy and blessing.114
The pronouns in this blessing are singular, meaning God’s blessings come to us personally, but there is a plural pronoun in Numbers 6:27, “I will bless them.” ADONAI blesses the nation by blessing individuals, and by blessing the nation, He blesses the world. YHVH promised Abraham, “I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). We bless the world by sharing God’s truth, often one person at a time.
We need the blessings that God lists here: to be cared for by the Lord, who watches over us; to have His face shine on us and be gracious to us; to have the riches of His grace given to us; to have Him pay attention to us when we call; and, as the result of these things, to enjoy His presence in our hearts. Shalom is one of the greatest words in the Hebrew vocabulary, and it means much more than the absence of storms and trouble around us. It involves quietness of heart within us, spiritual health and spiritual prosperity, adequacy for the demands of life, and the kind of spiritual well-being that rises above circumstances. Paul said it this way: Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua. In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy. Keep doing what you have learned and received from me, what you have heard and seen me doing; then the God who gives shalom will be with you (Philippians 5:6-9).115
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for sending Your one and only Son to be the sacrificial Lamb who paid the penalty for our sin (John 1:29), and so graciously give Messiah Yeshua’s righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21) to all those who love and follow Him as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). Thank You for guiding the priests to bestow this blessing on Isra’el every day during Temple times. What a wonderful blessing it must have been!
Make Your face to shine on Your people today. When the sun is shining brightly and the wind is blowing ever so softly – come what may, our hearts are at peace and our face is smiling. However, when Your face shines on us, it is much better than even the brightest sunshine. When you bless Your children, You fill them with a warm peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Your Almighty power and strength cause any fear or worry to evaporate into thin air! How comforting it is to know, that Your face is the face of not only the most powerful ruling Monarch of the world, but You are also the kindest and best loving Heavenly Father! How much we love You and want to bless you back by living our lives as a continual offering of praise of You, and in humble and quick obedience of all You say. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen
Leave A Comment