And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them… Numbers 6:22,23
The people shuffled and whispered and kept their eyes fastened to the veil that closed off the holy place in the tabernacle from the crowded courtyard. Eagerly they waited for the next event in this the most important day of their calendar. They had watched the preparation and events of the Day of Atonement, up to and including the entry of Aaron the high priest into the holy place, carrying a basin of blood that he would sprinkle on the mercy seat in the holy of holies. Aaron had already been in there for awhile, and the people began wondering if all was OK, whether the blood had been acceptable to the Lord. The veil began moving, and as the crowd sighed deeply in relief, Aaron emerged, looking splendid in his special Day of Atonement garments, and with a glad and magnanimous smile on his face. Looking over the great multitude before him, Aaron lifted up his arms toward them and began to recite a special blessing. And their hearts were filled with joy. Just as our hearts are joyful to consider the blessing we have received from our Great High Priest.
We can read the special blessing that Aaron recited that day, in fact, we will examine that blessing over the next few days. The words are lovely, and express the heart of a loving God in His desire that His people be blessed. The children of Israel got to know that blessing well; it was recited on many occasions, not just on the Day of Atonement. As our text notes, it was given not only to Aaron but also to his sons, who would pass it on to their sons and down through the generations and centuries. And its words are just as lovely and as relevant today as they were in the days when the tabernacle accompanied the children of Israel during their wilderness journeying.
Our text doesn’t look much like John 3:16, does it? And yet, it shares with that great Gospel text one of the most profound and precious truths of Scripture: the love of God the Father expressed through the God the Son. Our text speaks of the Lord with a blessing for His people giving that blessing to the high priest to pass on. The high priest is a little illustration of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of John 3:16, who God gave for us in His unmeasurable love. In His role as our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus blessed us with salvation and daily blesses us with His intercession for us at the Father’s throne.
Just as He did with the children of Israel, our God would bless us today though His Son. -Jim MacIntosh