What a beautiful short blessing God gives us at the end of this chapter: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Each of these three phrases gives a different expression of God’s total commitment to Israel. The first phrase is a general blessing – God’s goodness poured out on the people not only to provide for them but also to protect them and keep them from evil.

The second is more specific. God’s face radiates his glory. It burns up evil and gives light and warmth and life. There are many scriptures which encourage us to seek God’s face. When we seek his face – his glory – instead of his hand (or his handouts) it will transform our relationship with him and give us a fresh perspective on our lives and on eternity.

In the New King James Version, the final phrase begins, “The Lord lift up his countenance upon you…”. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘countenance’ does mean ‘face’, but it also means ‘presence’. The final blessing is more than a general promise of God’s goodness, or a reminder of God’s glory – it is a promise of God’s presence which brings us the shalom peace of God.

The grace and peace included here are often referred to by Paul in the greetings of his letters. This blessing must have been on his lips and on the lips of every other Jewish person and it is still spoken in some churches today. Let us speak it over ourselves and over each other as we go about our business this week.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH