Slices
Prepare
Take time to praise God for blessing us ‘with every spiritual blessing in Christ’ (Ephesians 1:3).
Bible passage
The priestly blessing
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 ‘“‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.’”
27 ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’
Offerings at the dedication of the tabernacle
7 When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings. He also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. 2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. 3 They brought as their gifts before the Lord six covered carts and twelve oxen – an ox from each leader and a cart from every two. These they presented before the tabernacle.
4 The Lord said to Moses, 5 ‘Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work at the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.’
6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, 8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. 9 But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.
10 When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. 11 For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.’
Explore
Pilgrimages can be tiring. Early mornings and long distances lead to weary travellers. In leading tours of the Holy Land, I have found it is so important to start each day’s journey with a group devotion and a prayer. Tired eyes soon begin to spark up. Today’s adventure begins.
With Israel’s journey about to begin, God gives Aaron and the priests such a start to their day, a blessing to help them on their way (vs 24–26). Look at each line carefully. Notice how each describes the Lord’s promises of how he will act towards his people. He will bless them and keep them (v 24). With danger ahead he guarantees their protection and future. He then assures them of his love and grace (v 25). As a parent’s face lights up when they see their newborn child, so the Lord’s face constantly shines with pleasure towards Israel his son (Jeremiah 31:20). Finally, he pledges his presence and peace (v 26). God’s constant attention will assuredly lead to shalom – Israel’s well-being, health and prosperity.
In the light of this, the response of the people is unsurprising. Tribe after tribe bring a fellowship offering to be dedicated at the altar (vs 10,11,17). The people recognise that God’s generosity deserves nothing less.
Respond
Although Aaron’s prayer of blessing is prayed corporately, the words are addressed to individuals. What do you need to hear from it today?
Deeper Bible study
Count the blessings you have received.
We have come to the end of the laws and regulations that have dominated Leviticus and Numbers up till now. Before we are taken back to the dedication of the tabernacle, which we left in Exodus 40, we have the blessing that Aaron and his sons were to declare over the people of Israel. These words continue to be used in Jewish and Christian worship, as they have been down the centuries. In 1979, two silver amulets excavated from a tomb in Jerusalem and dated to the seventh century bc contained these words – our earliest copy of words of scripture. The blessing is carefully structured in the Hebrew text, with three words in the first line, five in the second and seven in the third, made up of 15, 20 and 25 letters, making the whole like a river of blessing flowing out and expanding.
It is the Lord's blessing to all Israelites, but it is directed towards each individual (the ‘you’ is singular). The blessing is to be found in the richness of life to which is added the Lord’s protection both from losing and misusing the blessing. The second line speaks of the intimate relationship that God has with us so that we see, like Moses, the shining glory of the Lord and know the fullness of his forgiving grace towards us. For us, this is fulfilled in the person of his Son! In the third line, the face of the Lord is turned to us in recognition of who we are and will become as we rest in his peace – shalom – that comprehensive well-being that is found in dwelling with him, whose name is ‘I am who I am’.1
The rest of today’s reading shows one pattern of response to all the Lord’s blessings as the leaders of the people bring offerings for his tabernacle.
Read through the blessing several times, immersing yourself in each word.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 3,4; Matthew 19
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks for the growing impact of Guardians of Ancora and for the latest language version, Guardianes de Ancora. Praise God for the vision and hard work of SU global team member Davi Kruklis, project manager Julio Cesar Aliaga and their team in Bolivia in giving millions of children around the world the opportunity to discover the difference Jesus can make, by having material in their own language.
