Friday, June 27, 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 (V)
The third phrase of the Benediction says, "The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." This third and final phrase of the Benediction has often been connected especially with the work of God the Holy Spirit. The phrase "lifting up one's countenance" has been associated with the idea of smiling. When one smiles, the features of a person's face, or countenance, are drawn in an upward manner by the facial muscles. This is a warm and personal expression of God's love and affection for His believing people. By the person of the Holy Spirit, God comes to His believing people in a most intimate manner, as the Scriptures reveal that by the person of His Spirit, God comes to make His own home in the heart of each believer.
Furthermore, in the Scriptures the idea of peace in a person's heart is closely connected with the work of the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome (14:17), "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." It is by the work of the Holy Spirit that we are able to have the peace that is given to us through the blessings of the Father and the grace that comes to us through the Son, for it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to believe. Sadly, without faith given by the Spirit, one cannot have the best things that come from the Father and the Son, and so ultimately there can be no peace for the person who remains condemned in his sins. However, through the working of faith by the Spirit, one has access to the blessings and grace that come through the Father and the Son. This produces the peace that comes from knowing that one will be preserved through the course of this life, ready to inherit the perfection of the everlasting life that is to come.
