Numbers 6:24-26: “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.”
Peace. Not necessarily the first word that comes to mind when I think of themes in the Old Testament. I’m much more likely to think of the angels singing “and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests” in Luke 2:14. And yet, here in Numbers we see the same theme of peace resting on those God blesses. God reveals His unchanging nature to us – He is the same God of peace in the past, present, and will continue to be in the future.
We also see that the Lord reveals Himself by actively entering the lives of His people and working to bring peace. It’s not something that happens passively. It’s through the active work of God that we experience true peace. And we have the privilege and responsibility of carrying this blessing and message of peace to others by being His hands and feet. Our passage is a command to Moses and Aaron, used to bless the Israelites. As they blessed the Israelites, and the angels blessed the shepherds, God chooses to use us to bless those around us by being peacemakers in His world.
As the priests, as God’s representatives to His creation, blessed the Israelites, might we consider how God is calling us to bring His blessing of peace to those around us this Advent season?
JD Kliewer
Pray
- Pray for David Schneider, our Youth and Worship Pastor, and Erin Gibbard, Youth Ministry Associate.
- Pray for our Worship Ministries Assistant and Lead Team Assistant, Daniel Zander.
- Pray for our Youth Ministry Team: Taycla, Anaya, Laurie, Heidi, Sunita, Kaylin, Anna, Hannah, Sara, Alyssa, Makalya, Grace, Nate, Hunter, Nick, Jonah, Landon, Jack, Drew, Logan, Noah, Nathan, Leks, Carter, Andrew, Joseph.