Shine

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

" ' "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." '

"So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them." – Numbers 6: 22-27

When I first read this I kind of glanced over it. But something told me to go back. I asked myself… what exactly does this mean?

This is the priestly blessing that was passed down to Moses, and through Moses to the people. Obviously there is something very deliberate about each word.

So I read it a second time and this sense of overwhelming peace came over me. The power of this blessing it still sinking in, but this is what I have so far.

“The Lord bless you and keep you…”

This gives me a sense of comfort and security. I love the idea of God keeping me. It makes me thing of that saying “I am not my brother’s keeper”. How cold is that?

But this is the exact opposite times infinity. If my brother does not want to be my keeper, that’s cool…

Big Homie has that covered.

“The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious toward you.”

Think about the last time you were outside on a cool, overcast day. Do you remember experiencing a break in the clouds? The sun suddenly breaks through and hits you. You feel a subtle chill as the warmth penetrates your skin all the way down to your bones. In a moment your whole body is filled with a radiant warmth. You look up towards this brilliant miracle and smile because suddenly you feel much happier than just a few moments before.

This is how I imagine this line… but the light that God shines goes through the skin, through the bones and penetrates into the heart and spirit. It makes the soul smile, and helps it remember that it is loved.

“The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

And just when you are in that moment, basking in the rays of God’s grace, you feel deep within a sense of peace that melts away the pressures of life and circumstance. And it becomes clear that all that truly matters is love.

Yeah… kinda dramatic but that’s what I see in these lines. Imagine being able to feel this way every second of every day of your life.

Wouldn’t that be amazing…

That’s what I imagine heaven is like.

Today’s Reading: Numbers 4-6; Mark 4: 1-20