The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The verse is part of the blessing Aaron and his sons were commanded to pronounce over Israel. The shining of His face is His gracious favor turned toward His people, giving the sunlight and health of His countenance, and as the Sun of Righteousness Christ gives life and light to all who turn and look to Him. That favor and grace rest upon loyal subjects who keep holy the day He set apart, and by obeying the fourth commandment they take His name upon themselves and are publicly marked as holiness to the Lord. He lets His countenance shine in clear rays upon those who humble themselves and walk humbly with Him, and upon those who put their trust in Him He will not disappoint them but will be first and last and best to them and a present help in every need. It is therefore prayed and spoken over others, over families and households and aged believers, asking Him to bless and keep them safely to the end, shelter them beneath His wings, and let His converting power rest daily upon heart and character.
Setting and Meaning of Blessing
The verse belongs to the blessing Aaron and his sons were commanded to pronounce over Israel. The shining of God's face in that blessing expresses His gracious favor and grace toward those who receive it. That same shining signifies His favor and gracious care turned in love upon the oppressed and suffering.
The shining means giving the precious sunlight of His countenance and the health of His countenance. Christ as the Sun of Righteousness gives life and light, so that turning toward Jesus and looking to Him brings the health and light of His countenance. The verse is therefore used as a plea for God to turn His face toward His people in love and let His light shine upon them.
As the heavenly Watcher who observes all things, He turns His face toward them in love and blesses them when they walk in accordance with the light given them, so that those who walk in the light do not walk alone. The promise that He will bless and let light shine is given as assurance that prayer is heard and answered. The favor and grace of the shining face rest on those who keep holy the day He set apart.
That gracious shining gives cheerful and happy assurance of His blessing to loyal subjects of His kingdom who acknowledge Him as Creator of heaven and earth. Those who obey the fourth commandment take His name upon themselves and receive the blessings associated with that name. The blessing publicly marks God's people who honor Him by keeping His commandments, putting His name upon them and making holiness to the Lord their badge. In this way it draws a plain line of demarcation between him that serves God and him that serves Him not.
Receiving His Favor and Grace
The shining of the face is given when ministers and people humble themselves and walk humbly with Him, and He lifts them up and lets His countenance shine upon them in clear, distinct rays. That humbling requires putting away pride and self-love and complying with His word, and then He can clothe them with salvation. Such compliance means being transformed by the renewing of the mind rather than being conformed to the world.
The blessing rests on those who put their trust in Him, and He will not disappoint them but will be first and last and best in everything to them and a present help in every time of need. In the last days of service they receive special grace and the peace Christ desires them to enjoy. To be blessed and kept is to place the hand in the hand of Christ and be held, led, and protected by His power. It is to be blessed and strengthened so that the last days are the best days, fragrant with the softening, subduing influence of His love and full of repose in His love.
The Lord causes His countenance to shine on a feeble, afflicted believer who does not complain, giving light and peace. He sustains with arms that never tire and comforts with unchangeable love, bringing the soul into fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. The one thus blessed grows daily in knowledge of the divine will and partakes of the divine nature with increasing reverence, childlike holy trust, and confiding love. As the hold on the world loosens, the pardoning blood of Christ seems most precious and priceless.
An oppressed, suffering servant is vindicated when God turns the light of His countenance upon him in favor and gracious care. The Saviour likewise reflects the light of His countenance upon self-sacrificing women who serve under the influence of God's Spirit, giving them power for their work. His light is also let to shine into the hearts of relatives who do not yet know Him, so that they shall know the Lord, whose going forth is prepared as the morning.
Praying the Blessing for Others
The blessing is to be prayed and spoken over others, asking the Lord to bless and keep them unto the end. It asks Him to keep them safely, sheltering them beneath the shadow of His wings in protective care through earthly trials. It asks Him to keep them in hope and courage as they do their appointed work in faith and hope. So prayed, it keeps them from giving way to discouragement under any circumstance, that they continue as consecrated channels through which heavenly life flows to others. It is fittingly spoken when parting, with thankfulness for meeting in good health and gratitude for His blessing on the work.
It is prayed for a family and household that God will help, guide, strengthen and bless them. It asks Him to keep Willie, the dear children, and every member of the household as in the hollow of His hand, with continual assurance that it is well with the soul while looking to the resurrection morning. It asks Him to take the whole household under His guardianship for the day and to stay in the home with His abiding presence. Then every person in the family receives the converting power of God daily upon heart and character. The shining of His face in this prayer is the giving of the precious sunlight of His countenance.
It is applied to aged believers who have given years to the service of God and still help with their means, affirming that the Lord is their stay and blesses them. It asks Him to bless and keep and sanctify them to Himself. It asks Him to give good courage in old age while waiting to rest in the grave and to meet again when warfare is accomplished.
It is prayed personally that the blessing of the Lord may rest richly upon the one blessed. It asks that the health of His countenance may be lifted upon him. It asks the Lord to bless and be gracious, to let His Spirit rest upon him, and to preserve him in health.
The verse is part of the blessing Aaron and his sons were commanded to pronounce over Israel. The shining of His face is His gracious favor turned toward His people, giving the sunlight and health of His countenance, and as the Sun of Righteousness Christ gives life and light to all who turn and look to Him. That favor and grace rest upon loyal subjects who keep holy the day He set apart, and by obeying the fourth commandment they take His name upon themselves and are publicly marked as holiness to the Lord. He lets His countenance shine in clear rays upon those who humble themselves and walk humbly with Him, and upon those who put their trust in Him He will not disappoint them but will be first and last and best to them and a present help in every need. It is therefore prayed and spoken over others, over families and households and aged believers, asking Him to bless and keep them safely to the end, shelter them beneath His wings, and let His converting power rest daily upon heart and character.
Setting and Meaning of Blessing
The verse belongs to the blessing Aaron and his sons were commanded to pronounce over Israel. The shining of God's face in that blessing expresses His gracious favor and grace toward those who receive it. That same shining signifies His favor and gracious care turned in love upon the oppressed and suffering.
The shining means giving the precious sunlight of His countenance and the health of His countenance. Christ as the Sun of Righteousness gives life and light, so that turning toward Jesus and looking to Him brings the health and light of His countenance. The verse is therefore used as a plea for God to turn His face toward His people in love and let His light shine upon them.
As the heavenly Watcher who observes all things, He turns His face toward them in love and blesses them when they walk in accordance with the light given them, so that those who walk in the light do not walk alone. The promise that He will bless and let light shine is given as assurance that prayer is heard and answered. The favor and grace of the shining face rest on those who keep holy the day He set apart.
That gracious shining gives cheerful and happy assurance of His blessing to loyal subjects of His kingdom who acknowledge Him as Creator of heaven and earth. Those who obey the fourth commandment take His name upon themselves and receive the blessings associated with that name. The blessing publicly marks God's people who honor Him by keeping His commandments, putting His name upon them and making holiness to the Lord their badge. In this way it draws a plain line of demarcation between him that serves God and him that serves Him not.
Receiving His Favor and Grace
The shining of the face is given when ministers and people humble themselves and walk humbly with Him, and He lifts them up and lets His countenance shine upon them in clear, distinct rays. That humbling requires putting away pride and self-love and complying with His word, and then He can clothe them with salvation. Such compliance means being transformed by the renewing of the mind rather than being conformed to the world.
The blessing rests on those who put their trust in Him, and He will not disappoint them but will be first and last and best in everything to them and a present help in every time of need. In the last days of service they receive special grace and the peace Christ desires them to enjoy. To be blessed and kept is to place the hand in the hand of Christ and be held, led, and protected by His power. It is to be blessed and strengthened so that the last days are the best days, fragrant with the softening, subduing influence of His love and full of repose in His love.
The Lord causes His countenance to shine on a feeble, afflicted believer who does not complain, giving light and peace. He sustains with arms that never tire and comforts with unchangeable love, bringing the soul into fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. The one thus blessed grows daily in knowledge of the divine will and partakes of the divine nature with increasing reverence, childlike holy trust, and confiding love. As the hold on the world loosens, the pardoning blood of Christ seems most precious and priceless.
An oppressed, suffering servant is vindicated when God turns the light of His countenance upon him in favor and gracious care. The Saviour likewise reflects the light of His countenance upon self-sacrificing women who serve under the influence of God's Spirit, giving them power for their work. His light is also let to shine into the hearts of relatives who do not yet know Him, so that they shall know the Lord, whose going forth is prepared as the morning.
Praying the Blessing for Others
The blessing is to be prayed and spoken over others, asking the Lord to bless and keep them unto the end. It asks Him to keep them safely, sheltering them beneath the shadow of His wings in protective care through earthly trials. It asks Him to keep them in hope and courage as they do their appointed work in faith and hope. So prayed, it keeps them from giving way to discouragement under any circumstance, that they continue as consecrated channels through which heavenly life flows to others. It is fittingly spoken when parting, with thankfulness for meeting in good health and gratitude for His blessing on the work.
It is prayed for a family and household that God will help, guide, strengthen and bless them. It asks Him to keep Willie, the dear children, and every member of the household as in the hollow of His hand, with continual assurance that it is well with the soul while looking to the resurrection morning. It asks Him to take the whole household under His guardianship for the day and to stay in the home with His abiding presence. Then every person in the family receives the converting power of God daily upon heart and character. The shining of His face in this prayer is the giving of the precious sunlight of His countenance.
It is applied to aged believers who have given years to the service of God and still help with their means, affirming that the Lord is their stay and blesses them. It asks Him to bless and keep and sanctify them to Himself. It asks Him to give good courage in old age while waiting to rest in the grave and to meet again when warfare is accomplished.
It is prayed personally that the blessing of the Lord may rest richly upon the one blessed. It asks that the health of His countenance may be lifted upon him. It asks the Lord to bless and be gracious, to let His Spirit rest upon him, and to preserve him in health.