“May the Lord bless and protect you. May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

At the start of the New Year, many people choose to share blessings from Numbers 6:22-27 with one another. The Scriptures recount how God instructed Moses to tell the priest Aron and his sons to bless the Israelites, because of His desire to bless His people. As the new year begins, may God’s blessings reach each and every one of you.

The First Wish: May God Bless and Protect You

The God of blessings is the source of all good things and desires to be our Protector. During the New Year, it is a tradition in Chinese households to place the character “福” (Fu) on their doors or windows. This character represents good fortune and good luck, symbolizing people’s hopes for a prosperous life. Similarly, Christians look forward to receiving more blessings from God in the new year. In the Chinese Union Version (CUV) of the Bible, the word “福” appears more than six hundreds times, underscoring the central message of the Gospel, the good news of blessings from both heaven and earth for those who turn to Jesus.

Indeed, God is the source of blessings! When creating the universe, “God bless them” (Genesis 1:22). “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’ when they were created” (Genesis 5:1-2). This shows that the first act of God after Creation was to bless humanity.

The story of Abraham tells us that God blessed him when he was chosen: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) Abraham was in awe of God, so blessings came to him. The story of Abraham illustrates that God blessed him when he was chosen: “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) Abraham’s reverence for God brought abundant blessings into his life.

And his obedience enabled himself to overcome the trial of God. The angel declared, “Now I know you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:12) God blessed Abraham, saying “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seahorse. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:17-18) Because Abraham feared God and followed His commands, “the Lord blessed him in every way.” (Genesis 24:1) Today, those who fear and obey God are blessed in the same way.

God is both the giver of blessings and the source of protection. As the Scriptures say, “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22) Every step the people of Israel took, and every battle they fought were under God’s protection, as He was their commander. (Joshua 5:13-15)

Today, our Protector sanctifies us, enabling us to resist all forms of temptations, overcome our weakness, triumph over Satan, and turn away “from the evil one”. (John 17:15)

Our God sent His only Son Jesus into the world. Through incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and eventual return, the Lord will fulfill the great mission of salvation for us. Jesus is called Immanuel, meaning “God is with us”. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13) “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

The Second Wish: May God Make His face Shine on You and Be Gracious to You

God is the source of light, and through our Lord Jesus we behold the glory (Luke 9:28-32). When God smiles upon us, His grace flows into our lives. The salvation offered by Jesus Christ is a free gift of God’s grace. “The people who walked in darkness have seen great light. They lived in the land of shadows, but now light is shining on them.” (Isaiah 9:2) Jesus is the light of the world, saying “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46) Thanks be to Our Lord for delivering us from darkness into light and making us children of light.

May God make His face shine upon us and be gracious to us. As the Apostle John proclaimed, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Jesus “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrew 1:3).

The Lord’s graciousness refers to the salvation brought by Jesus and His redeeming grace. When God makes His face shine upon us, we are immersed in His boundless grace.

Dear fellow Christians, though we are all sinners, it is the light of the Lord that leads us out of darkness. As the light of life and salvation shines upon us, let us receive it with gratitude and respond to God’s grace. “Let your light shine before people, so that they may see our good works and glorify God” (Matthew 5:14-16).

The Third Wish: May God Turn His Face Toward You and Give You Peace

When God turns His face towards His people, it signifies His watchful care and attention to every detail of their lives and needs. As David prayed, “Let your light of face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:6-8)

The phrase “May God turn His face toward you”, reveals that, at this moment, God is not sitting high in the heavens beyond our reach, His presence is like that of a close companion who walks alongside us, offering protection and guidance. God is also like a merciful parent, watching over His children. How blessed we are to receive such blessings from God who loves us like parents love their children!

In this New Year, may our God turn His face toward us, and give us blessings and care. But if we behave disobediently, God may turn His face away from us. The Scriptures warn, “The face of God is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.” (Psalm 34:16) Let us remain alert and obedient, as this truth reminds us that choosing to live in sin and defy God can cause Him to turn away, leaving us in peril.

Conversely, if we remain steadfast in our reverence for God and seek Jesus Christ alone, God will turn His face toward us and shine His light upon us. Our sins will be forgiven, and blessings will overflow. Hence, we must be prudent and conform to God’s will.

“Peace be with you!” (John 20:19) The resurrected Lord bestows peace upon us. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you.” (John 14:27) The peace that the Lord offers allow our mind to find spiritually rest in heavenly peace. Just like Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33)

The words of our Lord Jesus are true and trustworthy. Those who are blessed in Him experience a peace that no one can take away. Though hardships are inevitable, we must learn to cast our burdens on God and rest peacefully in Him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) In the Lord, Our bodies, hearts and souls find true rest, and we can overcome the challenges around us and receive spiritual blessings and peace.

Dear fellow Christians, these three blessings from God are what we long for. Seeking them draws us closer to God and allows us to come to share in God’s grace and peace. How wonderful this is! May God bless and protect us, and make His face shine on us. “Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance!” (Jude:2) Until the end of the world, Amen.

Author: Liu Liquan

Translator: Bei Feng