Lange Commentary - Numbers 6:22 - 6:27

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Lange Commentary - Numbers 6:22 - 6:27


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SIXTH SECTION

The Blessing on God’s Army

Num_6:22-27

22And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, 24, 25The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, 26and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. Now that the army of God is established in every respect, the next thing is to declare its signature and destiny. The name of Jehovah shall be shed over it as the brightness of the sun: on Jehovah’s part this name shall rest on it; on its part it shall bear this name. To bear the name of Jehovah, the revelation of the covenant God in its universal historical significance, and bear it forth into the world, and especially itself to be blessed and become great in this name, as this destination was already intimated in the germ in the name of Shem, such is its great, concentric, exclusive vocation, toward which all its wars and victories should point. See Genesis 12 sqq.; Isaiah 42 sqq. Aaron and his sons were to be continuously the organs of the blessings into which this benediction would develop.

The one benediction subdivides into three chief blessings, and each blessing again into two members. It is a number six, that becomes in the unity of the name Jehovah the number seven.

2. The first blessing forms not only the general foundation of the whole benediction, of the entire salvation of revelation, but is at the same time the first special blessing, Jehovah bless thee, i. e. direct upon thee all prosperity in immeasurable progression; and keep thee, i. e. ward off every curse, all adversity from thee. That is the peace of the gracious providence of God, according to its two aspects, His positive and negative governance.

3. In the second blessing, the light of Jehovah’s countenance rises on Israel. On the meaning of His countenance see the Bible-work on Gen_12:1-20, § 5, and the related passages in Exodus. The effect of the shining of the countenance of God, which Israel was the first to experience, is the experience of His redemption that blots out guilt, His grace.

4. The third blessing might appear to be identical with the second were one to take the ðָùָׂà ôָּðָéå only in its current sense, and the recurring àֵìֶéêָ just as in the second blessing. But, according to the progress of the thought, the countenance of Jehovah rises up over Israel in kindness, and thence sinks deep down on it; it operates penetratingly as the sun in the zenith. Hence its operation manifests itself as peace, and if one take the ùׂåּí in its full significance, then the second clause says: establish peace for thee, peace par excellence.

Thus if the name of God is laid on Israel from above, so, too, Israel is therewith in this name raised high aloft.

On the reference of this wonderful benediction to the mystery of the Trinity, see Keil. It is not to be ignored, that the number three may be regarded as an Old Testament form of emphasis, and the six members as a three-fold parallelism of members. But just as little should one ignore that the three economies of divine revelation are very plainly reflected in this benediction. And thus it forms one of the most glorious of the typical germs of New Testament revelation in the Old Testament.

Knobel is of the opinion that the Elohist cited the Aaronic blessing already in Lev_9:22. But he overlooks the distinction between blessing in general and this blessing.

[And they shall put my name, etc. Num_6:27. “Hence we gather that whatsoever the ministers of the Church do by God’s command is ratified by Him with a real and solid result; since He declares nothing by His ministers which He will not Himself fulfil and perform by the efficacy of His Spirit. But we must observe that He does not so transfer the office of blessing to His priests as to resign His rights to them; for after having entrusted this ministry to them, He claims the accomplishment of the thing for Himself alone.” Calvin.—Tr.]

HOMILETICAL HINTS

Num_6:22-27. The Aaronic Blessing. A blessing of unity (einheitlicher Segen) for the people of God in their unity. For its departure into the world. The three-foldness of the Aaronic blessing no system, but a germ of the doctrine of the Trinity. The three blessings singly. Their gradation. The Aaronic blessing in the light of the New Testament. The six parts of the three parts of the blessing (bless, keep—making the face shine, be gracious—letting down the countenance on thee [by the Spirit] and the peace). Thus Jehovah blesses His own Himself by His servants. All blessing of God is included in His name, in His revelation of salvation. The name of God is to be distinguished from His being, but is the impress of His being in religious contemplation. The priest is to bless; the congregation pronounces the curse.

Footnotes:

say.