And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of

Israel. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”’ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

This passage records the solemn benediction which God appointed for dismissing the people at the close of the daily service. It is not a concluding prayer, but a statement of divine approval,

pronounced on behalf of God by His servant to the people of God. The blessing begins with the promise of God’s blessing. A

promise of God’s abundant protection, that all of life would

prosper under the watchful care of God. God’s blessing endues one with power for success, prosperity, longevity. The next phrase describes the contents of God’s blessing on us. To be blessed by God is to be kept by God. This is the promise of God’s watchful care over us, His people, to ensure nothing happens to us apart from His loving concern. You are indelibly tattooed on the Father’s hand. God blesses you by preserving you, protecting you each step of your life. That does not mean evil will never enter your life. That does not mean that difficulty will be far from you. Rather, in the midst of any troubles you face, whenever life is traumatic, God’s presence and security is present (Jn. 10:27-30).

The second aspect of this blessing is the wonderful reminder that God’s pleasure is always on us. The picture of God’s face shining on us is an allusion to the sun which warms and gives light. God’s face is always shining on us; His anger is forever turned away. The benefit of God’s shining face is His Grace; His Compassion and Favour. When life is hard pressed and you wonder whether God has forgotten you and can’t recall what His shining face looks like in your life, it is then you have to remember that even when it is the darkest, God’s pleasure rests on you because you are His favourite. He smiles on you today for everything that could ever be done has been done for you.

When God turns toward us it is not in wrath, but with a smile, a huge grin. He is beaming with pride, for we are His children. His gaze is always toward us; His ear is also tuned to our words. We never have to vie for attention; we don’t have to make an

appointment. It is then we know we can live with confidence, for His affection is flowing toward us. This means that He is paying attention to us and is pleased. The benefit of His attention is that we can have His Peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of assurance that all is in God’s hands and we can rest at ease that He loves us. It was for this reason that Jesus died for us. By His death and resurrection, our sins have been atoned for and we have every right to believe that today, tomorrow and forever God will bless and keep us that His face shines towards us and is gracious to us, that His attention is drawn to us so that we can have perfect peace. Remain blessed.