Devotion for Saturday 18 September
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is the Aaronic Blessing, taken from the Book of Numbers, Chapter Six verse Twenty Five, “May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you,” (NRSVB). God gave these words to Moses as an expressed form of blessing upon Israel and said, “This is the way that you shall bless the Israelites, put my Name upon them and I shall bless them,” (Amplified Bible). In the history of God’s journey with his people this blessing has marked the ending of a worship service until this very day. After the service the worshippers are sent into the world to proclaim God’s peace to all. This work is an all-encompassing work, it speaks of peace and works towards peace, proclaiming the life and love of the Prince of Peace.
The Aaronic blessing promises God’s faithful protection and care: he keeps his eyes on his children and guards them wherever they are. The Lord turns his face towards them, unlike humans who turn their faces away from encountering their neighbour’s plight, God looks directly at his children. His eyes see their plight and his ears hear their cries. He comes to their aid and gives them his anointing and his insight. They benefit from his gracious gifts and abundant blessing. God looks at them with approval, his countenance is affirming them with his presence and blessings of peace and tranquillity, so that their hearts and minds are at rest. They are blessed because the mighty Name of the Lord has been announced and called over them, they are his, called by his surname! We are blessed with the words that God has given, as we are sent to live and experience a life filled with blessings. We can appropriate this blessing for us, for we are made sons and daughters unto God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. We need not fear when we enter God’s house or leave God’s house, nor any place where we find ourselves. God is our refuge and his desire towards us is to bless us with his peace.
The Apostle Paul describes this peace of the Lord as a peace that transcends all understanding in his Letter to the Philippians. This peace is like a river that maintains the blessed situation of rest and joy in mind, body and spirit. Despite the turmoil around, the heart and mind are steadfast and look up to God, from where our help comes. A fable is told of two artist who had to paint a picture portraying perfect peace. One painted a bird who sat singing on a glorious summers’ day in the branch of a flowery cherry tree. The other painted a bird sitting peacefully on her nest, in the hollow of a rock, while the storm was raging overhead. The blessings of the Lord and his protection give peace in sunshine, rain and during the storms of life.
When Jesus blessed his disciples and followers he said to them, as we read in the Gospel of John, Chapter Twenty verse Twenty One, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” (NRSVB). The sending out of the followers of Christ in this world is a peace mission, a command of the Lord to be an instrument of his peace, to bring love where there is hatred, joy where there is sadness and hope where all hope has been lost.
Dear Father God, we thank you that you bless us and keep us and make your face to shine over us, to be gracious unto us and to and give us your peace. Help us to be peace-makers in this world, Amen.
