05/01/2026
The Aaronic or Priestly blessing is one of the most ancient benedictions in the world (Numbers 6:24-26). It has been spoken over the people of God for millennia. In many churches, including my own, these words conclude every Sunday service as our pastor speaks them over us.
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.
In Hebrew, the structure is both simple and strong.
1) The first line is 3 words, the second 5 words, the third 7 words.
2) The first line has 15 letters, the second 20 letters, the third 25 letters.
3) And, most obviously, the divine name Yahweh is repeated three times.
There are a total of six actions that God performs: he blesses and keeps; shines and is gracious; lifts up and gives peace. The “and” between each of these, however, could also be translated as resultative. That is, God blesses us so that we are kept safe; he shines his face on us so that we receive grace; he lifts up his countenance on us with the result that we receive shalom.
What is the summary result of this blessing? God tells us: “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Num. 6:27). The threefold speaking of the divine name puts that name upon us. God’s name is his presence, his person, his grace and power and mercy. It is analogous to when we are baptized in the threefold name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
God’s words do things. Just as in creation, his “Let there be” brought forth all things, so his words still accomplish reality. When God blesses, you are blessed. End of discussion. The Lord isn’t waiting for you to do your part. There is no “part” for you to do. Some might say, “Well, but we have to believe it.” Yes, by faith we receive divine blessings, but faith is simply the empty hand into which the Lord puts his blessing.
We can no more claim faith as a “work we do” or a “part we play” any more than a child can boast about what a great job he did for his mom while being born. Faith is a gift, as is life itself.
The Lord bless you all in Jesus the Christ.
(The picture is of a tiny silver roll, possibly an amulet, dated to the sixth or seventh century BC. It was discovered in a burial chamber at Ketef Hinnom in Jerusalem in 1979. The text is the Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6. You will notice that the Hebrew on the right, the reconstruction, looks very different from the Hebrew on the roll itself. That's because the Hebrew script on the roll is the older form of Hebrew writing called paleo-Hebrew. The script that was gradually adopted around the 5th to 3rd c. BC, and still used today, is called "square script" or "Assyrian script").
