Numbers 6:22-27, “The LORD spoke to
Moses, saying, (23) "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,
Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, (24)
The LORD bless you and keep you; (25) the LORD make his face to shine upon you and
be gracious to you; (26) the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and
give you peace. (27) "So shall they put my name upon the
people of Israel, and I will bless them."”
This blessing is a blessing that teaches us so much about the
character of God, who God is to us, and the many ways in which God bestows His
undeserved favour upon us.
When we read this blessing we notice that there is a repetition in it.
The LORD, the LORD, the LORD. Why is
there this repetition, surely mentioning the LORD once is sufficient, why
repeat it three times?
There are two reasons for this repetition. The first being to
emphasise that this blessing is not just a general blessing, it is a divine
blessing, it is God’s blessing that He is giving to His people. It describes
the relationship that God is going to enter into with His people, the special
position and privileges they will enjoy as a result of this blessing.
Furthermore the various aspects of this blessing, that which is being promised,
they can only be truly and fully performed and carried out by God Himself. No
man can offer us this kind of blessing, keeping, favour, grace, relationship
and peace. It all comes from God, it is a divine, God-centred, God-given,
God-fulfilled blessing.
Secondly, it is thought that this three-fold repetition represents the
Trinity, to God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. Whether that was
God’s deliberate intention and what He intended us to see when He gave this
blessing, we cannot know with certainty. But what we do know is that this
blessing definitely points us to the Trinity. How so? All three members of the
Trinity are at work in seeking to apply, uphold and fulfil this blessing in our
lives. The Father protecting us and prospering the work of our hands, the Son
extending the grace and favour of salvation to us, and the Spirit applying the
presence and peace of God in our hearts and leading us to prayer. We are
witnessing again the depths and wonder of this blessing, all three members of
the Trinity at work in our lives so as to fulfil this blessing.
It is tragic that we can become so caught up in the worries of this
life, that we forget the incredible ways the Triune God is at work constantly
in our lives. We need to remind ourselves that if we are believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ, then this blessing not only becomes ours, it is also ours every
moment of every day, for all eternity! What a wonderful reality! The Triune God
is working, daily and for eternity so as to lavish His grace and mercy upon us
in this blessing. He will all through this day, and forever more, be at work so
as to be blessing and keeping us, shining His favour upon us and extending grace
upon grace, upon grace, inviting and receiving us joyfully into His presence
and filling us with His abiding and unfailing peace. What goodness and grace we
have received from our God, let us rejoice in this today and glorify His great name!
Our great and gracious Triune God we bow
in adoration before You today. We stand amazed at the blessing and favour that
You bestow upon us, that You, Father, Son and Spirit are constantly at work in
our lives. Thank You that because of our salvation in Christ, we know the truth
of this blessing now and evermore. Help us not to lose sight of this blessing
by being overwhelmed by the worries of this world, or this life. Help us to
remember that we have the Triune God at work in us, around us and working for
us, for our good, a work and a blessing that will never fail. We thank You once
more and praise Your most glorious Name. Amen.
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