The Aaronic Blessing - Devotional

Written by: Heidi Farris

Numbers 6:24-26

Numbers, the fourth book in the Old Testament is.. well...not quite as exciting as Daniel's sleepover with lions or Jonah spending some time with a big fish. 

There's a reason it's called “Numbers.” There's a lot of counting. The first four chapters are a census of the people of Israel preparing to go to the promised land. The Book of Numbers ends by counting the same people in each tribe of Israel. Counting people sounds boring until you realize that means every person counts to God.

Between counting the people, the Book of Numbers is filled with God giving Moses some heavy instructions to guide the Israelites. God knew we would need some pretty solid duties and boundaries for something as important as learning how to have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

I guess you can say Numbers starts and ends with all business. 

I know it’s the Bible and I truly do appreciate every word of it, but counting people can get pretty monotonous, right? But then, out of the blue, the tone changes and we get a glimpse of Our Father’s heart.  God tells Moses to instruct Aaron and his descendants to bless the children of Israel at the end of each daily service with these words:

“The LORD bless you

and keep you,

The LORD make his face shine upon you

and be gracious to you.

The LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 

Take a moment and think about that. He is God.  He already knows about the upcoming rebellion of his people.  He knows in a very short time they will lose faith, complain, and not follow his requirements.  He still loves them unconditionally.  All these counted people gathered together to worship God and as they leave, they aren't threatened with a final reminder to follow every rule; they are BLESSED. Remember, the priest giving that blessing had been commanded by God to do so. It's that important. That, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is the beautiful business of our heavenly Father.

God can create or demolish anything, harden or soften hearts, control nature, and make bad things beautiful. He certainly doesn't need us to follow his instructions. WE need us to follow his instructions. After we worship, the foundation of all that guidance is this:

“I love you. I want you to have the best life.

I want us to talk to each other all day.

I want you to enjoy complete peace.”

That is the heart of a perfect father beaming with pride and joy as he watches his kids head out into the life he gave them.

If you are his child, you count and he is sending you out with that blessing every day.

(I recommend this addition to your playlist: The Blessing- Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes.)