Read: Numbers 6:22-27
Thus you shall bless the people. (v. 23)
In the novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis introduces us to Narnia—a cursed world in which it is “always winter, but never Christmas.” The savior of that world, Aslan, marks his arrival by ushering Christmas in. The book’s main characters, four children, receive gifts: a horn, a sword, a bow, and a bottle. These gifts are new and novel, but their full significance is revealed much later. In particular, the horn has the power to summon Aslan’s help.
If you have ever attended a Christian church, you have probably heard some of the words of Numbers 6. Verses 24-26 form the “Aaronic Blessing” (named for the high priest, Aaron). They are still spoken at the close of many worship services. Whether the blessing is new to you, or the novelty has worn off from countless hearings, you may not appreciate its full significance. It was given to the Israelite priesthood directly by Yahweh. These are God’s own words for blessing God’s own people. Yahweh says, “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (v. 27).
In Numbers 6, God makes two astounding promises. First, he promises his presence any time his true name, Yahweh, is spoken. Second, he promises his people peace. The Hebrew word we translate “peace” is shalom. This is more than a peaceful mind or a calm heart. Shalom is the restoration of the way God intended life to be. We may still call on God by his true name: Jesus. His presence is our peace.
As you pray, trust Jesus’s peaceful presence.
Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
