Our Priestly Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27 

22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:

    24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
    25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
    And be gracious to you;
    26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
    And give you peace.” ’

27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

This prayer is often used today still as a benediction.  The Lord God told Moses to give these words to Aaron and the priests, that they might offer blessings to His people whom they minister to.  ‘In this way’ reminds us of the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus also told His followers to pray (Matthew 6:9) ‘in this manner.’  We need not have the exact words to confer the precise blessings of God, but the right heart of ministry as priests of the gospel, which every regenerated believer is who follows Christ as the Son of God.   We see here that it is the Lord who blesses us, not our own strivings.  He is the one who bestows the grace of His face in His Son (2 Corinthians 4:6) upon us, shining that face on us with such undeserved grace!  He is ever gracious to His children.  He still chooses to look upon us who are unrighteous sinners with love in the righteousness of Christ in whom we live and have our being.  He gives us peace with Himself in Christ (Romans 5:1, 2 John 1:3) as the ultimate blessing of which the passage here looked forward to as we look back on it and marvel at His love and forgiveness in the grace of His Son sacrificed for us, who gave His life that we might live and enjoy His blessings unto the Father’s glory forever and ever, amen!