Enter the New Year with the LORD’s Blessing—Of his protection
Here is a bit of trivia. What is January 1? You are pretty safe with an answer of New Year’s Day. But that is too easy. That is hardly a challenge. You could come up with that even if you stayed up to 12:01 last night and are a little tired from watching a ball drop.
I will give you some help. Here is a hint. It is eight days after December 25. If you go back to the Old Testament, the 8th day was a significant one for a male child. It was his circumcision day (Ge 17:12). That procedure was a visible sign of the covenant between God and Israel (Ge 17:10).
Another important event happened at that time. That is when the newborn officially received his name. Luke records the incident in a few words: “On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was given the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived” (Lk 2:21). It is something that we could easily miss as it falls on January 1st and many have their minds on other things.
Speaking of names, God referenced his—who he is and what he does. And then the Lord relays how it is to be used. We don’t want to skip over its function, especially as we begin a new year.
The children of Israel were camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. God had forcefully brought them out of their slavery in Egypt with the 10 plagues. Those were convincing miracles of his might. Then when pharaoh’s army gave chase, God gave victory. His people crossed to the other side on dry land as the Red Sea stopped running. The soldiers in hot pursuit drowned when the walls of water came crashing down on them. The nation made their way safely to the sacred mountain.
Before they took down their tents there to take off for the Promised Land, God wanted to place his name on them. So he spoke. Note the direction: God to Moses. Then Moses to Aaron and his sons—the High Priest and priests. And finally those men to the people. “The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites’ … So they will put my name on the Israelites” (Nu 6:22,27). This is more than what my mom did when I was growing up. With three boys, she would put our initials on our socks so they wouldn’t end up in the wrong dresser drawer. But we are not God’s possessions; we are God’s people. He is highlighting this fact: “You belong to me.”
This benediction is not something that Moses crafted. Aaron and Company didn’t compose it. No one was commissioned to author it and the others were convinced to adopt it. It is from the Lord. He gave the blessing to them and he gives the blessings in it. He stands behind it—our Triune God. And while we hear it as a group, God wants us to have it as an individual—as if the Lord is addressing each of us directly, personally. And he will do it. This is a time of resolutions—what we intend to do when it comes to more exercise and less sweets. (I didn’t say less chocolate.) But within weeks or days (hopefully not minutes), we forget or fail in our determination or dedication. But not God. And he is emphatic: “And I will bless them” (Nu 6:27). It may have been the priest then or the pastor now who talks, but it is the Lord always and ever who works.
“The LORD bless you” (Nu 6:24). This is more than a casual statement from someone after you sneeze: “Bless you.” They have no ability to do anything. This is a constant situation from the Lord as we breathe. “The LORD bless you” (Nu 6:24). It is the changeless Lord—who is gracious and compassionate, who gives his love and forgives our sin (Ex 34:6,7). He prospers. He protects. He provides.
“The LORD bless you and keep you” (Nu 6:24). He watches over us carefully and attentively like a mother hovers over her children at the playground, making sure that they are safe. But he never slumbers or sleeps (Ps 121:4). That is possible because he has all power, that same as he used to call the world into existence (Ge 1) and now keeps us close (Jn 10:29).
“The LORD bless you and keep you” (Nu 6:24).
The Lord does that for us spiritually. He creates faith and keeps us in that faith. We remember our baptism as he connects us to his family. We read his Word as he communicates with us in black and white. That can be in public or in private. And not occasionally, but regularly—in and around the Word. We relish the sacrament as he comes to us in, with, and under the bread and wine with his Son’s body and blood.
The Lord does that for us physically. In spite of our grumbling and griping at times like the Israelites who along the way yearned for the supposed good life of their previous oppression at the hands of cruel taskmasters, God delivers our daily bread—all that we need for body and soul. The air that we inhale, the food that we eat, the jobs that we perform, those all originate from the Lord. His guarantee of his guidance includes the problems and pains that we drag into 2017.
What he did in former days, he will do in future ones. Enter the new year with the Lord’s blessing of his protection. Happy New Year.
We read from Numbers 6:22-24,27:
The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and keep you.” … So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’”
Enter the New Year with the LORD’s Blessing—Of his pardon
Names are not just a combination of sounds and syllables. We can’t hear a name and not think of a person. I will give you a simple example: “Jesus.” That brings to mind a baby in a manger and a body on a cross. And his name gives us some insight not just into who he is—God, but also what he does—rescues. The angel announced that as he appeared to Joseph in a dream explaining the child Mary was carrying: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). God sent Jesus to save us because he loves us.
The Lord mentions that in the second section of the blessing. “The LORD make his face shine upon you” (Nu 6:25). We can tell a lot about someone by looking at their face—sometimes more than by what comes out of their mouths. We spot if there is hurt or happiness pretty quickly—if there is a wrinkle in the forehead or a sparkle in the eye. That is the picture that God uses. His face lights up like when a military husband who is deployed overseas surprises his wife by coming home early. God’s face beams like the sun breaking out of the clouds. It is bright with mercy and pity. In Jesus there is light and life (Jn 1:9).
That is not what we might expect for the children of Israel as they partied and pranced around a golden calf. Or as they moaned and groaned in the wilderness about the apparent lack of food and water. But God had not left them.
We ought not point the finger until we peer into our own heart. It is dark with sin—the ones we keep from others or the ones that are clear to them. David is right when he reminds us: “The face of the LORD is against all who do wrong” (Ps 34:16). We do well to recite another one of David’s prayers: “Hide your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities” (Ps 51:9).
But there is more to his face. “The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Nu 6:25). And that is what happens. He smiles on us and sends our sins away in Jesus (Jn 1:16,18). That is why we get so excited to see his arrival and celebrate his birth at Christmas. God pardons us with his grace—giving us the opposite of what we deserve. Instead of anger, there is that unmerited kindness in Christ. That was ours yesterday. It is ours today and tomorrow. Because Jesus offered himself for us—his perfect life in our place and his perfect death in our stead (Ro 5:8), nothing will be able to separate us from God’s love (Ro 8:38,39), not even death. It is then that we will see his bright face forever.
Enter the new year with the Lord’s blessing of his pardon. Happy New Year.
We read from Numbers 6:25:
“The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.”
Enter the New Year with the LORD’s Blessing—Of his peace
Imagine how many times someone has uttered your name? It could be either when you were in trouble or when you are in need. (You figure out which one is more often.) Now consider how many times the Lord has put his name on his people since he presented this to Moses almost 3500 years ago. Not just in your life. And not just in your language. To different people in different places in various situations and various circumstances—after a church service, in a hospital room, at a deathbed. The number would be huge. But the Lord wants us to use it.
There is one more part: “The LORD turn his face toward you” (Nu 6:26). There it is again—God’s face. If someone is looking down, we can’t see their face. Is that how the Lord’s is? That was the accusation of the Israelites in the desert—that God was uncaring because they were hungry and unconcerned because they were thirsty. But yet manna came down from heaven and water came out of rocks. He was not against them, but for them.
And the same is the case for us despite our feelings or moods. At times we find ourselves wondering like David: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Ps 13:1). The Holy Spirit allows us to confess Jesus as our Lord and confide in him as our God (1 Co 12:3; Jn 20:28). He will not forget us or forsake us.
“The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Nu 6:26). That last word is like an explanation point on the blessing. Peace. When the Lord lifts up his face, there is peace. There is a wholeness and harmony where before there was friction and fighting. We have peace with God in Jesus (Ro 5:1), the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6). Glory to God in the highest (Lk 2:14). All is right between us and God. Heartache cannot upset us because heaven awaits us.
Enter the new year with the Lord’s blessing of his peace. Happy New Year.
We read from Numbers 6:26:
“The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
January 1, 2017
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