Prayer: Priestly Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27 Introduction Introduction

Introduction

● Discovered in 1979, a copy of the Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6 is oldest physical copy of Scripture still in existence (3000 years old) - predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by several hundred years. ● "I will not say that this teaches the doctrine of the Trinity; but I must say that, believing the doctrine of the Trinity, I understand the passage all the better. The shadow of the Triune God is on the sacred benediction in the name thrice repeated." (Spurgeon) Introduction

● DO NOT pray this blessing expecting a “genie in a bottle”

○ “YES!!! Believing and praying over this season….Pour your MORENESS into (so-in-so) RIGHT NOW LORD! We believe in your response to faith and thank you IN ADVANCE for it is already DONE in JESUS NAME!” Introduction

● DO NOT pray this blessing expecting a “genie in a bottle”

○ “We pray to “Our Father” not to “the Genie of the bottle”. The genie of the bottle gives you whatever you wish, even if what you wish for is not ultimately good for you. A father, on the other hand, gives you what is best for you; because He loves you, He gives you exactly what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows.” (Tim Keller) Introduction

● DO PRAY this Priestly Blessing as an example of what we should ask regarding: ○ Bless (Barak) ○ Keep (Shamar) ○ Peace (Shalom) Bless (Barak)

● Bless (H1288): bârak, baw-rak'; a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a beneﬁt); —× abundantly, × altogether, × at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, × greatly, × indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, × still, thank. (Strongs) ● Who is giving the Blessings in the OT? ○ The Levites (Kohanim) - cursed in Genesis 49: 5-7 - and “to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.” (Joshua 13:22) ○ 48 cities (Numb 35:1-8) and provision for the priests (Deuteronomy 18:1-8) ○ “Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them...And ﬁre came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering...and when the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” Lev 9:22,25 Bless (Barak)

shamar - “The image painted by the Hebrew word shamar שׁמר (Keep (H8104 ● is a sheepfold. When a shepherd was out in the wilderness with his ﬂock, he would gather thorn bushes to erect a corral to place his ﬂock in at night. The thorns would deter predators and thereby protect and guard the sheep from harm. The word shamiyr, derived from this root means a thorn. The word shamar means to guard and protect and can be seen in the Aaronic blessing, May Yahweh (bless) you and guard you.” (Benner) Keep (Shamar)

● This is where we get our idea for “hedge of protection” Wrong Idea!! Right idea! Keep (Shamar)

● So to ask God to “keep” you, is essentially a prayer for protection and security . ● Which begs the question, how would Jesus guard or protect his people? “Face to Shine”

● Turn your face away… ● Avert your eyes… ● Out of my sight… ● Imagine Happy Parents... Peace (Shalom)

● Peace / Shalom (H7965) - Completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace… ○ Typically “peace” in the English context means - “Freedom from disturbance; tranquility” or “cessation of hostility”. ● The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21, emphasis on verse 10). ○ “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) ○ This is where we get those incorrect ideas about the “hedge” from earlier…When we pray for Shalom the emphasis is for a correct response more than a change in circumstance… ■ “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.” (2 Thes 3:16) Why should we pray this blessing?

● Because Jesus (our High Priest) prayed a blessing over his disciples with lifted hands… a. “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.” (Luke 24:50) b. The form of blessing the people used by Aaron, and his sons, the priests, who were types of Christ, is recorded in ( Numbers 6:23-27 ) and though our Lord might not use the same form in blessing his disciples, yet it seems he used the same gesture, lifting up his hands, as they did. (John Gill commentary)

Why should we pray this blessing?

● Because we are called to be a “royal priesthood”. ○ “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) ○ We, as believers in Christ, are called to ‘proclaim the excellencies of him’ and to join with the Levites in understanding that the ‘Lord God of Israel is our inheritance.” ○ What better way can we do this than to pray blessing into those around us?