The concept of light is seen very early in the Bible – almost immediately, as God separates light and darkness, order and chaos. He does this in our lives today as well.
This passage is still used today as a Priestly Benediction – the Aaronic priests were instructed to bless the people with this same benediction, and both Christians and Jews still use these words in blessing today. (In fact, Gene Roddenberry used this as the model for the Vulcan “live long and prosper.”
The Ketef Hinnom scrolls, discovered in 1979 are the oldest biblical texts found, dating from 600 BC, and contain this blessing.
The structure here includes a preface and a postscript, opening with the instructions to the priests about how to use the words. The blessing specifically references Yahweh, the Covenant Name of God, pointing back to the promise made to Abraham, and to the love and mercy of God, in contrast with Elohim, the term for God that speaks more to His strength and justice. The pronoun used here is the second person singular, not plural, like your might expect, a reminder that this covenant relationship is not only a corporate thing, but intensely personal between each person and their Creator.
The blessing itself grows progressively, with each line being longer than the one before, a growing tide of blessing that builds on itself. The term “bless” here is barak which also means “kneel” and is an intimate picture of a father kneeling to comfort a child. The term “keep” is “shamar” which can also mean to watch and guard.
This concept is continued in the next verse, where the face – in fact, the plural “faces,” possibly a reference to the Trinity – shines on us. His face becomes the illumination to our lives, His guidance the direction for our actions. But that comes in the midst of Him being gracious to us, “to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior”. This is the grace made ultimate on the cross and offered to each of us through that work of sacrifice.
The next verse returns to the Face of God, which turns to us, in contrast to turning away. This combined with the kneeling imagery creates an intimate picture of our relationship with God, going beyond the transactional concept that we often think about in relation to how we interact with God.
The blessing then closes with the concept of shalom, nor merely the absence of conflict but the restoration of relationships and the making whole and complete what was broken – personally, societally, environmentally, restoration in all things.
Lord, help us to receive this blessing, pass this blessing on and play a part in bringing this blessing to pass.
— Sermon Notes, Dave Sim, Renew Church, Lynnwood WA, February 5, 2023