Friday, June 5, 2015
Numbers 6:22-27 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.'"
THE AARONIC BENEDICTION: THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE CREATOR OF BLESSING
The third part of the Aaronic Benediction--also called the "Mosaic" Benediction because the Lord here told Moses to convey it to Aaron--repeats but strengthens the second part: "The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace."
Countenance is another word for face. When the gracious countenance of the Lord is raised over His believing children--yes, even in the midst of some trial or cross-bearing for His holy Name's sake--there is an over-riding sense of peace, a feeling of security that all is well despite the circumstances.
When the Israelites would break camp in the morning or bed down at night, they were to believe and know that the peace of God was their abiding blessing. So also we New Testament believers join the psalmist in praying, "Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us…" (4:6).
The knowledge that this peace of God abides with us is a gift from the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. As we heard in a previous devotion, the Spirit works through the facility of words. Through the gospel in Word and Sacraments, the Means of Grace, He calls to mind and heart the forgiveness of sins which Jesus won by dying for us and rising again. Through Spirit-created faith in the Savior, hearts are filled with a peace the world does not know and cannot give.
Listen to Luther again: "The third part pertains to things of the spirit; expressing a wish for comfort and final victory under the cross, death, and the devil, and all the gates of hell, as well as the world and the evil lusts of the flesh; for though He has been gracious unto us ... we nevertheless continually face, and are in conflict with, the devil and our own sins. ... so also here His blessing utters the wish that the Lord God would lift up the light of His Word over us and hold it there in order to shine more brightly in our hearts and overcome all temptations of the devil, death, despair, despondency, terror, and misfortune. ... Therefore let us earnestly pray that He would lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace."
Grant us Thy peace, Lord, through the coming night;
Turn Thou for us its darkness into light.
From harm and danger keep Thy children free;
For dark and light are both alike to Thee.
Grant us Thy peace throughout our earthly life,
Our Balm in sorrow and our Stay in strife;
Then, when Thy voice shall bid our conflict cease,
Call us, O Lord, to Thine eternal peace.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 47:3-4)
