Nel did a bit of deep dive on the Aaronic blessing in Hebrew last Saturday. I base this post in part on her work then some things the Lord showed me. I pray this will bless you all.
Numbers 6:23 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.’
A much fuller translation of the blessing based on the full Hebrew rendering is:
24 Yahweh will kneel before you presenting gifts and will guard you with a hedge of protection.
25 Yahweh will illuminate the wholeness of his being toward you bringing order and he will give you comfort and sustenance.
26 Yahweh will lift up his wholeness of being and look upon you and he will set in place all you need to be whole and complete.
This full translation gives us a deep insight into the heart and ways of the Lord.
In this part 1 I will unpack verse 24.
Two phrases stand out in vs 24 – bless you (בָּרַךְ baruch) and keep you (שָׁמַר shamar).
First, the full meaning of baruch is to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit).
The idea of the Lord kneeling before us is very confronting, and when I first considered it I felt that I should be kneeling before Him and worshipping Him.
I felt the Lord say that I needed to let Him to wash my feet, and as soon as I knew that I realised that it was exactly this that Jesus did at the last supper.
It is the nature of the Lord to bless and then in turn, as we receive His blessing, we are then well able to bless others.
We need to humble ourselves to allow the Lord to bless us! He wants to bless us and we often are too hung up with issues that prevent His blessing. Don’t reject the Lord’s blessing, receive it with humility and grace and then give it to others.
If you want a really good understanding of blessing check out Richard Brunton’s book ‘The Awesome Power of Blessing’.
James 1:17 Every good gift (blessing) and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Of course blessing is outlined in Matthew 5:3-11 (the beatitudes).
Secondly, the full meaning of shamar is to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, observe, to preserve.
As we come into His blessing we also come into His protection. This protection of the Lord is something we need to actively receive and apply in our lives.
When life issues come along, we need to run into His protection. He wants to guard us, but often we go outside His boundaries and protection.
We can stay within his protection by simply following Him. The shortest sermon ever was when Jesus said ‘Follow me’. When we obey that call we come into His protection and have the ability to deal with anything in His grace and His strength.
Proverbs 4:6 Do not forsake her (wisdom), and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you.
Psalm 5:11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.
Prayer
Dear Abba Father
We humbly pray for people reading this that You will kneel before us presenting gifts and You will guard us with a hedge of protection!
Allow our hearts and minds be open to Your word, Your truth and Your life.
Let us humble ourselves and receive all that You have provided for us.
We bless the reader in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; amen!
Releasing the Aaronic Blessing – Part 2
This video from the Ancient Hebrew Research Centre will bless you…
2 Replies to “Releasing the Aaronic Blessing – Part 1”