Jonathan and I listen to CDs on the way to and from work
and the most recent CD we have listened too, is one by John Waller. The very
last track on the CD is called “Lord bless us and keep us” and the song is
based on the Aaronic blessing. It is a very short, but calming song and Monday
morning Jonathan and I got into a discussion about it. So, I thought I would
turn that discussion into this week’s blog post.
The
blessing can be found in the book of Numbers, chapter 6:24-26. It says:
The Lord bless
you, and keep
you;
The Lord make
His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift
up His countenance on you,
And give you peace. (NASB)
And give you peace. (NASB)
This
blessing was said by the Priest over the Sons of Israel and is still recited in
most Jewish and Messianic Jewish services. (**Fun fact: this is where Star Trek’s
Spock got his “Live Long and Prosper” phrase and hand gesture as Nimoy was raised Jewish**) Honestly,
this is one thing I really miss. But this sparks a question; who are the “Sons
of Israel”? Is it just the Jews? I don’t think so.
In Galatians
3:23-29 Scripture says:
For
you are all sons of God through faith in Christ
Jesus. For
all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free man, there is neither male nor female; for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong
to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,
heirs according to promise. (NASB)
To me, this means any baptized believer in the Messiah is counted as a
child/son if Israel. This does not mean you are “Jewish” although if you want
to say that I suppose you could, but rather like an adopted child or “grafted
in” is the terminology I have heard used. As a descendant of Abraham, and an “heir
according to the promise” this blessing applies to you.
I think most people view
Jews as the “chosen people/children/sons of God/Israel” and Christians as
Christians. Yes, Jews are still his chosen people, but Jesus/Yeshua was Jewish
and he came to save everyone regardless of heritage, faith, or imperfections. And as Scripture states,
we are all one in Christ and part of “Israel” in the Spiritual sense.Does this mean you need to become "Jewish" in the sense of keeping 613 commandments and such? In short, no. But that is a post for another day.
I could
go into more detail, but that would make this post far too long. So I will leave it for another day. Instead, I
will end it here. Below I have included links to the Aaronic (Priestly)
blessing on YouTube in case you would like to hear it. There are several
different tunes (and languages) so I have included several links.
Until next week: May the Lord bless you.
Aaronic Blessing; Hebrew & English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN8K96twMQo
Aaronic Blessing; Hebrew & Spanish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTHcpF3Io6Y
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