The Lord Bless You and Keep You

The LORD Bless You and Keep You...

This weekend I went to see our daughter who lives up north. She is highly creative and has the gift of hospitality. So, as she had different people coming and going in her home, I noticed a piece of framed art she had created recently. She had a blank canvas and wrote scripture on it from Numbers 6:24-26.

We went to church on Sunday and one of the pastors led us in saying this same scripture as the benediction as we were leaving worship. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Read the text below slowly…

Aaron’s Blessing

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;

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

26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Contemplate what you have just read. The God of Creation spoke to Moses and gave him what we call the priestly blessing. This text is spoken by God the Father and involves Him in action.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;” Verse 24 describes God does and will bless you. He blesses in different areas of life and through people and circumstances (reference Lev. 26:3-13). He also says He keeps you and will continue to keep you. “To keep” here means to guard and protect. How has and does God bless you? How has and does God keep you (guard and protect)?

25 “the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;” Verse 25 declares “the Lord make”. There is intentionality in these words. He chooses to do…He wants to. He is committed to…make His face to shine upon you. God has been described as “light” all throughout scripture. To us, “God’s presence is like sunshine (Psalm 19:1-11)”. What do you picture with a “shining” face? Is it smiling?

Psalm 80:3, 7, 19 describes God’s face shining on the readers to grant them salvation. We might also look at this as a “pledge of God’s good favor” which is another way of saying He will be gracious to you.

26 “the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” The noun use of the word countenance means a person’s face or facial expression (Oxford Languages). The Creator chooses to lift up his countenance upon you. This involves “taking notice of and treating His people with favor”. He also gives and will continue to give you peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It means total well-being.

What should we take away from this “blessing”?

The Great “I AM”, the Creator of the universe, God the Father loves you so much. He has, and He will continue to bless you by giving you good things, including His presence. He promises He will continue to guard and protect you for His purposes and for His glory. The Lord God chooses to make His face to shine upon you; smiling and pledging His good favor upon you. He chooses to be merciful, forgiving, compassionate, kind, and loving toward you. He takes notice of you and treats you with His favor and complete well-being.

Now read the text again and insert your name where appropriate. Read it out loud.

The Lord bless you [your name] and keep you [your name]; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you [your name]; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you [your name] and give you peace.

My prayer for you is this scripture. You are truly loved, adored, and cherished by the Father. Lord, watch over us this day as we worship you and learn about your character through your Word. In Jesus name, amen.

Be blessed by the song “The Blessing” with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes! Click the LINK to watch the live recording video.