NUMBERS 6
Who knew one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible was in the book of Numbers?!
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (vs 24-26)
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What is more amazing? The simple beauty of this heartfelt blessing? Or what it tells us about the heart of God? Here’s what it told me about God: He is longing to share Himself with us, as much of Him as we can handle. And here’s why I say that.
Notice... this blessing is in three parts. Do you think that’s a coincidence? I think very little in the Bible is coincidence (especially if it directly involves God!). And particularly when it comes to numbers. (Ha! Numbers!) So, when it comes to God, what is significant about the number three?
Right off the top of my head, of course, I think of the nature of the way God exists—as One in Three Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. Could it be that in this beautiful blessing, God is yearning to give us a tiny glimpse of His very nature? Let’s examine the three sections of the blessing.
1. The Lord bless you and keep you. Here is the Father. Heavenly Giver. Strong Sustainer. He is always seeking to bless, always working for our best good and protection. Jesus described Him as the one who causes "His rain to fall on the just and the unjust." (Matt 5:45)
2. The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. Ah, Jesus. Son of the Living God. Light of the World, causing His face to shine on us. And Grace of the World, revealing the tender, merciful heart of God toward sinners.
3. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. And here we have the Spirit. Holy Comforter. He who brings the peace that passes all our human understanding.
How incredible it is to find the Trinity tucked away here, nestled into all the formal facts and figures of Numbers. At every moment, in every way possible, God is seeking to share more and more of Himself with us. He wants to be known. He knows everything about us; He created us! But He wants us to know Him. It’s not enough for Him to know. The cry of His heart is to be known.
Photo © Unsplash/Tyler Nix
One final nugget worth considering here is the word face. The Hebrew word, paniym, often translated face, also carries the connotation of the whole person (not just one part of the body). That goes right along with the idea that God—as a Person—is longing to really be known. And it spun a whole new meaning in this blessing for me:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord brighten your day with His presence and grace;
the Lord turn Himself toward you and personally bring you peace.
Sure sounds like a blessing to me!