Thursday, June 26, 2008
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: A BLESSING OF THE TRIUNE GOD (IV)
Again, while we might not be able to say with certainty that the second phrase of the Aaronic Benediction is specifically speaking of a certain person of the Trinity, over the years many Christians have closely connected this second phrase of the Benediction with the work of the Son.
The second phrase of the Benediction says, "The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you." Particularly, the grace of God has been revealed to men through the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. As we hear in the Gospel of John (1:17), "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
It is in the person of Jesus that God has shown this world of sinners how much He has loved us by sending His only Son to come here to take our place under the Law's condemnation. Jesus gave His life in the place of sinners so that whoever believes in Him will not be condemned, but will be saved and will have eternal life, by grace, in His name. Yes, through the person of the Son, God truly and graciously makes His face shine upon us by saving us for eternity and by making us His own dear children through faith in Jesus. Simply put, the word "grace" means "undeserved love and favor."
