The book of Numbers is normally
considered to be one of the least exciting books of the Old Testament. A real
snoozer. As the name implies, there is a lot of counting and number taking. Something only an accountant or mathematician might love. Yet there are some real treasure chest gems in that book to guide us
in our search for Shalom. More gems for us to gather and store in our hearts.
We’ll explore just one of them today and learn how to have peace by preparing
ourselves and receiving the blessing.
The first stop we’ll make is at
Numbers 6:26, but to get the full impact of this Shalom type of peace, we’ll
back up to verse 24. You may instantly recognize this passage as a common
benediction your pastor bestows upon your congregation.
“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 Shalom.”
This blessing is what God told the
high priest Aaron (Moses’ brother) to say to God’s people. It is known as the
“priestly blessing” and it comes to the people of Israel after their numbers
have been counted, a full census has been taken, each tribe has erected a
standard or banner signifying their lineage and location or dwelling place in
the camp, so they all know where they belong — in their assigned place with
their own tribe and family. And the priests have cleansed the camp according to
God’s direction. Only after all of these things had been done could God bestow
this kind of peaceful blessing on them.
And after all of that preparation,
the LORD can bless them through the priests with the above words. The blessing
seems short, but it’s loaded with meaning.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee points out that
this blessing has the Trinity embedded in it — God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit.
He says, “The LORD bless you, and
keep you” speaks of God the Father who is the source of all blessing. “The LORD
make his face to shine upon you” speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who makes
His face to shine upon us. “The LORD lift up his countenance upon you” speaks
of the Holy Spirit that both looks upon us and gives us Shalom — rest,
happiness, security — when He resides in our hearts, and when we allow Him to
govern our lives.
It is a simple, beautiful picture of
God’s love and desire to bless us, to look and smile upon us, and grant us the
favor of a life of rest, prosperity, happiness, and health. It is a reminder of
the total security we have as children of God.
Contrary to what many think, God does
care about us! He loves us deeply. His heart aches for us. He didn’t just
create the universe and then drift off to some distant corner of the cosmos to
leave us to wander aimless and vulnerable on this little planet. He wants us to
know Him intimately; He wants us to seek Him daily; and He desires to shower us
with spiritual blessings. He wants us to live in Shalom with Him, in spite of
all that is swirling like a hurricane around us.
Questions to Ponder:
1) Do you feel
as if you’re experiencing this blessing? Dr. McGee gives us some insight as to why
many of us, and our churches, are not experiencing this blessing. He says,
“Many churches today are not
experiencing the blessing of God. The problem
is that they are not properly
prepared for the march. They are trying to
start out without first setting
things in order. They are like a soldier who
forgot to put on his belt one
morning. Believe me it is pretty hard to march
and carry a gun without your belt or
suspenders! And there are churches
like that, my friend. They are
starting out before things are set in order. Paul
is writing to the church when he
says, ‘Let all things be done decently and in
order’ (1Cor. 14:140). Know your
pedigree; that is, know you are a child of
God; know your standard; know what
your gift is and use it for Him; and
keep your life clean.”
Are you prepared for your march, or
do you need to back up and set things in
order first, in order to receive the
full blessing of God before the journey? Ask
God to reveal to you where you may
have been hasty and moved ahead of
Him. Ask Him how you can back up,
prepare, and fully receive His blessing, so
you
are not laboring in vane to build your house!
2) One thing I
like to do, which I have found to be tremendously effective, is to pray the
Scriptures. I encourage and invite you to pray this priestly blessing in the following way:
“Please, Lord, bless me and keep me;
Lord, make your face to shine upon me. Please
be
I love to watch our pastor pray this blessing upon our congregation at the end of the service,
as he walks down the center aisle, hands
outstretched, his giving eyes meeting our expectant ones, as though he wants each of us to be covered and showered
in God’s love and blessings.
Maybe someone in your life needs you to pray this prayer for him or her. Your spouse? Your son? A friend? It is a wonderful prayer to pray on a daily basis for any of them, and it takes little time to pray it. Personalize it by placing their name in the passage.
Who do you know
who needs this blessing from God this day? Raise your hands to heaven and pray
it aloud, for you and for others!
Next week we’ll stop
at the end of Numbers to study one more passage on Shalom before we move on to
Deuteronomy.
Until then, may your week be
full of blessings that you receive and give, your heart be full of joy and
thankfulness, and your days be filled with laughter! Build a little heaven in
your life right now, and watch your heavenly garden grow!
In Christ’s love and
peace,
Andrea
When the eyes of the soul looking
out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on earth. ~ A. W. Tozer
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