Scripture
(by Dave, 10-15 min)
Numbers 6: 22-27
The Priestly Blessing
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 on 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.”
Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Priestly Blessing in context
If you attend church, maybe you heard the blessing of Numbers 6 from your pastor or priest as the service closed. I heard it many times and found the words comforting. This week God will bless me, shine on me, and give me peace. When I came upon this citation in the common lectionary for January 1 it was paired with a few other Scriptures that deepen the meaning and suggest a broader context. Maybe there is much more to these beautiful words than the comforting image they create.
The Priestly Blessing is immediately preceded in Numbers by a section entitled “The Nazirite”. The Hebrew word for Nazirite means separated or dedicated. Moses is told to describe the process for a man or woman to dedicate themselves to the Lord. The process creates a distinction between a Nazirite and other Israelites. Nazirites cannot eat foods or drink as other Israelites do. They cannot let a razor touch their heads, can’t go near a dead person, must persevere to make themselves holy and then bring sacrifices and go through a procedure with the priests to conclude their time of dedication. By completing this process, the Nazirite is set off as dedicated to the Lord.
These steps are not meant to be symbols of intentionality or recognition. In the middle of the description this sentence appears: “Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.” The steps are designed to represent a holy commitment to God for the length of the dedication. The NIV study Bible describes it this way: “This was not just a vow of personal self-discipline; it was an act of total devotion to the Lord.”
The elaborate Nazirite description is then followed by the familiar Priestly Blessing many hear in church. Why did the author of Numbers believe the blessing for many should follow a long description of heartfelt dedication and separation to the Lord for an individual? I suspect there is an underlying similarity between them we are to see.
What’s the same?
At first pass, the Nazirite and Priestly Blessing seem very different. The Nazirite elects to engage in a procedure of commitment to the Lord. The blessing given to the Israelites is not of their choosing. God’s name is placed on them, and so they are blessed. Yet both Nazirite and individual Israelite have a choice of the heart to make. The Nazirite chooses if his/her heart will be involved in the process of their physical dedication. Likewise, each member of the chosen Israeli nation carries God’s name but will choose in their heart whether or not to be dedicated to God.
The author of Numbers has brought together two processes of devotion to the Lord that share a fundamental core requirement. Dedication to the Lord of any type (voluntary or chosen) requires commitment of the heart. In other words, choosing to be committed is always up to us (for discussion of free will read Predestination and Free Will: A Matter of Perspective).
What’s in a blessing?
If it is up to us, the Priestly Blessing could be interpreted to reveal the ramifications of choosing to be committed to God in the heart. Commit yourself to God and blessings will flow into your life, a common theme among some contemporary ministers. If you are chosen by God and join Him in that choice, you will receive many blessings including things you need, good fortune, a rich family, good job, etc.
These kinds of blessings ought not be discounted for we should always be grateful to God for what we have. But that’s not how the Priestly Blessing is written. In delivering the blessing God says the priest: “will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Choosing God does not deliver the blessings of this world. Instead, it joins you with God as he puts His name on you which is the blessing. If God’s name is on you then you are kept by Him. Choose to accept His name and be filled with his gracious spirit. Accept being chosen with your whole heart and experience God’s peace.
The nature of the Priestly Blessing from God
What does a person look like when he/she is blessed like this? When a person draws as closely to God as she/he possibly can. I suspect that person looks like Jesus Christ who is so beautifully described in the Philippians citation today.
In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul tells us we should have the same mindset as Jesus Christ. Notice he doesn’t say be like Jesus Christ which he says many times elsewhere. Here the focus is on how we think. Paul goes on to describe the actions Christ’s mindset produced. Jesus “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
A kind of mindset that disregards equality with God to become a servant is found in only one. Even imagining lesser versions of it in humans reveals how rare, in fact unique, it is. For example, can any of us imagine the CEO of a large powerful company going to the lowest paid employee on their staff and saying with a genuine commitment of the heart, I give up my CEO status and am going to serve you. But it’s more than that. Paul says Jesus made himself nothing taking on the very nature of a servant. The CEO would have to be a lesser paid employee’s servant rather than CEO. Not just for a little while like we see on television shows from time to time, but thoroughly and permanently in this life. Moreover, the CEO, now lesser colleague, would be willing to die for his brother or sister knowing that his death was going to be unbearably brutal? All the while knowing he was still in reality CEO and need not do any of this.
This is how utterly unique the mindset of Jesus is, and the Priestly Blessing in Numbers tells us from where such a mindset comes. It is a blessing from God. Because Jesus chose to be dedicated in his human form to God, he was kept by God, held in God’s grace, and had peace. These blessings produced the mindset that induced him to do what Paul described.
God’s blessing in action
Many believe God’s blessings are things we want or need. There’s truth in that as everything we have comes from God. But the Priestly Blessing tells us we are God’s, and if we accept it, the mindset of Jesus is the blessing. Other things might come as well, but the real blessing is drawing close to God and becoming like Jesus. Perhaps a contrived example can illustrate the richness God intended when he instructed Moses in the Priestly Blessing.
The holiday seasons is just passed in the home of two pretend people. Call them Julia and Frank. Julia carries God’s name as a Christian and chooses to draw as close to God as possible. Frank is a lovely, kind secular person. Both people invited their extended families for dinner and both like to cook. Each could use some help in the kitchen, but none is forthcoming as everyone else is enjoying their time together. As Julia and Frank start to get understandably frustrated, the difference between them emerges.
Julia experiences the blessing that a relationship with God brings. Jesus humbly made himself nothing for her even to death on the cross. Surely, she can cook dinner for the family she loves. With these thoughts she realizes her family is enjoying one another and that her cooking for them is a gift, not a chore. If it was too hard on her, she could ask for help. But it’s not too hard, and it’s only her resentment at carrying the load that kindled her frustration. This fades as she starts to listen to the laughing from the family members in the other room. They too are blessings from God. When dinner is served, she is content and feels love toward the whole family.
Frank being kind says nothing to his family members when his frustration flares. But his resentment stays. The longer he is in the kitchen alone, the more upset he becomes. When his son asks if he can help, he inexplicably says “No!”. It’s almost as if he does not want his resentment relieved. As dinner is served, he is quiet stewing over his thoughts and his daughter asks what’s wrong. He says he’s fine and pushes his resentment down, but it lives on. As everyone leaves, no one has a clue he is upset except his wife to whom he gripes as soon as everyone is gone. She commiserates a while and says she will talk to the family. “No, no”, he says. “It’s fine”. Over the next few days his feelings fade, but they are his constant companion for each family gathering.
Isn’t Julia a door mat? Shouldn’t Frank just go ahead and say something? This is what our secular society says. You need to care for yourself if you’re going to care for others. Neither of our characters decide to take this pathway, and our contemporary society says that’s a mistake. The frustration will just grow and eventually blow up. But isn’t that only true for Frank? Julia no longer is frustrated because she accepted her chosen status as a Christian and committed herself to walking with God. The blessing is that her frustration is not just kept at bay like with Frank but is gone altogether and converted to thanksgiving and joy. It’s not hard to see how the Priestly Blessing plays out even in the lives of two very nice people.
Contrived is fine but what about real life.
You might be thinking: come on now, Dave, isn’t that just pie-in-the-sky? Julia will be frustrated again, right? Indeed, she will because aspiring to have the mindset of Christ is not having the mindset of Christ. Only one can do that and as Philippians said he is exalted by God so “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Julia is fallen just like Frank, but unlike him she has accepted God’s Priestly Blessing and carries his name. For her, the possibility of having the frustration genuinely eliminated will always be there. She will always be capable of being a servant at peace and always cable of taking on the mindset of Christ. Therefore, she will always have the Priestly Blessing moving into her life.
Holiday conclusion
I hope this message might resonate with you if in the joy or pressure of your holiday season, you could use a Priestly Blessing. It’s always ours, brothers and sisters in Christ. All we need do is dedicate our hearts completely to God who chose us. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a happy new year’s day. May God be with you this and every day in your faith journey.
Dave
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