Tuesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
Posted on June 14, 2022 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
“This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel.…” The Lord gives Aaron and his sons this specific blessing by which the Lord would put His name on His people. In this blessing He not only showed the mystery of the three persons in one divine essence, He revealed that He loves His people. He blesses and keeps His people. He causes His face to shine on them. This means that He looks with favor and fondness upon His people.
God turns His face away from the impenitent, no longer looking upon them favorably. The Psalmist prays, “Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger” (Ps. 27:9). Asaph sings the refrain in Psalm 80, “Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” When we choose to sin, or refuse to repent of our sins and amend our lives, God hides His face from us so that we might see the severity of our sin and cry out to Him for contrite hearts and salvation. He lifts His countenance upon the contrite and believing soul, showing His fatherly goodness and mercy. Knowing that God lifts His countenance upon us, we say with David, Psalm 42:5, “I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.”
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.
