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, ESV)
God called upon “Aaron and his sons,” the priests of Israel, to pronounce this blessing upon the “sons of Israel.” Today, at times we pronounce this blessing as a benediction at the end of a worship service. This benediction is not just a nice cliché, or a way to end a service, it is the sincere expression of a pastor’s heart for the people of God. It is something that the good pastor should hold in his heart for every parishioner. The Lord has blessed pastors to be part of their local fellowship and their heart’s desire is for the parishioners to experience the manifest blessing of the Lord.
This blessing is six fold. “The Lord bless you,” refers to the covenant blessing for Israel. As believers in Jesus, we are participants in the blessings of the new covenant, which is a relationship with God through Christ’s shed blood.
The Lord “keep you” refers to the Lord as the keeper of Israel. The Lord keeps us secure in Him. We should have the complete assurance that our sins are forgiven and that our destiny to reign with Christ is guaranteed.
“The Lord make his face to shine upon you” refers to the Lords abiding presence. He says He will never leave us or forsake us. We will walk more confidently when we realize that the Lord is present always.
The Lord “be gracious to you” refers to God’s grace extended toward His people. This refers to His favor extended towards us by His grace alone apart from any works of our righteousness. He saved us by grace and continues to pour out His grace in every way to so we can live victorious and fruitful lives which will glorify Him.
In the phrase, “The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,” the word countenance is the Hebrew liphnay, which literally means before or to the face. The NIV translates the phrase, “the Lord turn his face toward you.” The idea here has to do with the Lord’s active continuous concern and participation with us in life. Remember that the Lord is not only with us but cares for us.
The Lord, “give you peace.” The Lord grants peace to His people. This has to do with the peace we get in our completeness and well-being in Him. Remember that by His grace, we have peace with God, and the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in the midst of anxious times as we trust Him (Philippians 4:6-7).
Renewing the Heart 