The Tuesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
Posted on June 17, 2025 by under
Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27 (NKJV)
6:22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 “The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
26 “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”’
27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Devotion
Our reading for today contains the Benediction that is familiar to us, since every Divine Service closes with the pastor saying these words. This Benediction points to the Trinity. There is clearly a three-fold blessing, which is to be delivered as a single blessing. The Lord Himself connects His name to this blessing, not just once but three times, and further makes it clear that this is how the priests of the nation of Israel (that is, Aaron and his sons) are to put God’s name on the children of Israel.
God frequently declares that He is a merciful and gracious God, and we can see that so clearly in this blessing. This blessing calls for God to bless us, to be gracious to us, to look upon us with favor, and to give us peace. What greater blessing can we have beyond God’s name? What greater thing can we hope for in this life but that when He turns His face to us, when He looks upon us with favor and gives us peace? By His own grace, and through the merit of Jesus Christ His Son, this is exactly how God views those who trust in Him for their salvation.
Collect: Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hast given unto us, Thy servants, grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity: We beseech Thee, that Thou wouldest keep us steadfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities; Who livest and reignest, One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
