Tuesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
Posted on June 6, 2023 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
These verses contain the Aaronic benediction, or blessing, that we are also accustomed to hearing at the end of our worship services. We see the Aaronic benediction as yet another indication of the Trinity in the Old Testament. The blessing has a threefold structure; the Lord is named three times, using His own proper name, as indicated by the small capital letters in many Bibles. But it is one blessing, just as there are three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but together they are not three gods or lords but one God and Lord.
We also rejoice that here, as in other special revelations that God makes about Himself, He is first and foremost the God of grace and peace. That people of Israel certainly did not deserve that grace and peace, and neither do we. We have rebelled against our just and righteous God in many ways, as did the people of Israel. But God loved them, and He loves us. He sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for their sins, for ours, and for the sins of the whole world. It is in Him and through Him that we can be blessed with these words. May He ever keep us faithful to Him!
Prayer: 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.
