Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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 BLESSING OF THE ONE TRUE GOD
When the LORD God through Moses told Aaron to put His name on the Israelites, the blessing through which this was to be done was three-fold. In this way while Israel, in the face of the rampant pantheism of the ancient world was taught to emphasize the oneness of the true God, the LORD would daily announce to them His trinitarian nature in the context of His continuing grace.
This is ever the setting in which God reveals Himself to lost sinners. He does not reveal Himself in all His power and holiness so that we are either scared witless or burnt to a crisp. Instead He comes to us with words that show His love in action, His grace. It is God's desire not to put us sinners in our well-deserved place, but to restore us to His family, to give us His peace.
In this connection we do well to note that it is not only the nature of God (Three-In-One!) which is impossible for our human minds to comprehend, it is just as impossible for us to fully grasp the depths of God's grace! This does not keep the Holy Spirit from planting that confidence in the human heart that clings to the Father's faithfulness and the eternal blessing he brings through the Son.
It was at Mt. Sinai that the LORD gave this benediction to Moses. The last time you received this blessing of the one true God was probably this past Sunday. Whether on the road to the Promised Land or on the road of life, believers travel at peace in the Triune God's three-fold blessing.
