the spiritual character of the congregation of israel culminated in the blessing with which the priests were to bless the people. the directions as to this blessing, therefore, impressed the seal of perfection upon the whole order and organization of the people of God, inasmuch as israel was first truly formed into a congregation of Jehovah by the fact that God not only bestowed His blessing upon it, but placed the communication of this blessing in the hands of the priests, the chosen and constant mediators of the blessings of His grace, and imposed it upon them as one portion of their official duty.
the blessing which the priests were to impart to the people, consisted of a triple blessing of two members each, which stood related to each other thus: the second member in each case contained a special application of the first to the people and the three gradations (or blessing) unfolded the substance of the blessing as a whole step by step with ever increasing emphasis.
v24 'Jehovah BLESS thee and keep thee' conveys the blessing in the most general form, merely
bless - (all words are hebrew) barak- to bless, kneel
describing it as coming from Jehovah and setting forth PRESERVATION FROM THE EVIL OF THE WORLD as His work. 'the blessing of God is the goodness of God in action, by which a supply of all good pours down to us from His good favour as from their only fountain' then follows, secondly, the prayer that He would keep the people, which signifies that He alone is the defender of the Church, and that it is He who preserves it with his guardian care' (calvin)
v25 'Jehovah MAKE His face SHINE upon thee, and BE GRACIOUS unto thee' defined the blessing
make shine - or-to be or become light
more closely as the manifestation of the FAVOR and GRACE of God. the face of God is the
be gracious - chanan-to show favor (i found particular delight in 'favor'..it's webster definition..
-etymology: middle english-'friendly regard' (old french the same); latin-from 'favEre - to be favorable; old high german- gouma - attention; old slavic- goveti - to revere
1. archaic a. appearance
a. countenance
b. a facial feature
2. a.1. friendly regard shown toward another especially by a superior
2. approval, approbation(approbate- approve officially)
b. partiality
c. arch. leniency
d. " permission
e. popularity
3. a. gracious kindness; also an act of such kindness
b. arch. help, assistance
c. pl. effort in one's behalf, interest, attention
4. a. a token of love (as a ribbon) usually worn conspicuously
b. a small gift or decorative item given out at a party
c. badge (emblem awarded for a particular accomplishment)
5. a. a special privilege or right granted or conceded
b. sexual privileges (usually pl.)
6. arch. letter
7. behalf (middle english by+half - half, side; 'interest, benefit, support, defense')
thank You so much Lord for Your gracious favor!
personality of God as turned towards man. fire goes out from Jehovah's face and consumes the enemy and the rebellious (leviticus 10.2, 17.10,20.3; exodus 14.24; psalm 34.17) and also a sunlight shining with love and full of life and good (deuteronomy 30.30; psalm 27.14, 3.3, 44.4) if 'the light of the sun is sweet and pleasant for the eyes to behold' (ecclesiastes 11.7), 'the light of the divine countenance, the everlasting light (psalm 36.9) is the sum of all delight' (baumg.). this light sends rays of mercy into a heart in need of salvation, and makes it the recipient of grace.
v26 'Jehovah lift up His face to thee and set (or give) thee PEACE' (good, salvation), set forth the
peace- shalom-completeness, soundness, welfare from shalem-to be complete, sound
blessing of God as a manifestation of power or a work of power upon men, the end of which is peace , the sum of all the good which God sets, prepares, or establishes for His people..to lift up the face to any one is equivalent to looking at him...when affirmed of God, it denotes His providential work upon man.
as the threefold repetition of a word or sentence serves to express the thought as strongly as possible (cf. jeremiah 7.4,22.29), the triple blessing expressed in the most unconditional manner the thought, that God would bestow upon his congregation the whole fulness of the blessing enfolded in His divine being which was manifested as Jehovah...the substance of this blessing..is communicated to us through the Father, Son and Spirit.
v27 'so they shall invoke My name on the sons of israel and I THEN will bless them'. this blessing was not to remain merely a pious wish, however, but to be manifested in the people with all the power of a blessing from God.
this is taken from keil and delizsch commentary on the old testament. he includes luther on the same verses in a footnote:
see the admirable elaboration of these points in luther's exposition of the blessing. luther refers the first blessing to 'bodily life and good'. the blessing, he says desired for the people 'that God would give them prosperity and every good and also guard and preserve them'. this is carried out still further, in a manner corresponding to his exposition of the first article. the second blessing he refers to 'the spiritual nature and the soul', and observes, 'just as the sun, when it rises and diffuses its rich glory and soft light over all the world, merely lifts up its face upon all the world; ...so when God gives His word, He causes His face to shine clearly and joyously upon all minds and makes them joyful and light and as it were new hearts and new men. for it brings forgiveness of sins and shows God as a gracious and merciful Father, who pities and sympathizes with our grief and sorrow. the third also relates to the spiritual nature and the soul. and is a desire for consolation and final victory over the cross, death, the devil and all the gates of hell, together with the world and the evil desires of the flesh. the desire of this blessing is, that the Lord God will lift up the light of his work upon us, and so keep it over us, that it may shine in our hearts with strength enough to overcome all the opposition of the devil, death and sin and all adversity, terror or despair'.
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