The Blessing

On this day of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of two songs. We Gather Together is a 17th-century Dutch song I remember singing in elementary school, along with The Blessing, with the lyrics taken directly from the Bible. The words to the first song below seem to set up the intentions of the second perfectly.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens his will to make known. The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.

With this in mind, take a moment to listen to The Blessing – let the words wash over you and sink into your heart.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; (V 26) the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26, English Standard Version, Emphasis mine)

Aaron’s priestly blessing shows God’s will to bless every Israelite. The ESV Study Bible denotes that this blessing engraved on a silver amulet is the earliest archaeological discovery, having the covenantal name of God (Yahweh), found in a Judean tomb dating back to the seventh or sixth century B.C.

Let us look at the meaning of each verse: The Lord blesses us by giving good harvests, peace, children, and his presence (Lev. 26:3-13). ‘Keep’ means to guard or protect. His face shines upon you in God’s presence, like sunshine (Ps. 19:1-11). A shining face is a smiling face, a pledge of God’s good favor (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19, ESV). The countenance is the expression on one’s face. The Study Bible says that for God to lift His face, He must treat people favorably. Peace or shalom means total well-being.

This led me to Daniel 9, which provides the same model of repentance and prayer along with this blessing. Daniel prayed a prayer of adoration, then a confession on behalf of himself and his people (9:4). Daniel asked God to show favor, make His face shine upon him, and bring exile to an end. Not because of his righteousness but because of God’s commitment to glorify His name (9:17). If we read further, Daniel received an answer from God through an angel named Gabriel. Still, I want us to pay attention to this: he confessed his sin and the sin of his people, presenting a plea to God and asking for His blessing.

As we gather to give thanks, I want you to know how thankful I am for each of you. I pray that you will receive God’s blessing and remember to thank Him every day for the blessing of Jesus Christ – the reason for the upcoming season – not only today but every day.

Be kind. Be safe. Be blessed.