What is in a Benediction?
June 8, 2023 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
This week we are hosting Joyplosion at Oak Hills. It is our annual program for kids where we teach about the goodness of God’s grace and share with the kids fun and unique activities. It is one of my most favorite events we host at Oak Hills for multiple reasons. First, I love when the church serves and loves our covenant children. Second, I love that families from the community participate by entrusting their kids to our care. Third, I love watching our volunteers share their gifts, talents, and passions with the kids. It is only three nights, but it is jammed packed with all kinds of goodness. And I know that both kids and volunteers are worn out by the end of the third night.
This year our theme verse has been Numbers 6:24-26. These verses contain what is known as the Aaronic blessing. Perhaps you recognize them as one of the benedictions we use to close our worship service. Let me quote these words here, including the verses before and after the benediction:
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
What do we learn about benedictions from these verses?
- God commands his ministers to bless his people. No human makes up the benedictions. God directs Aaron and the priests in the Old Testament, which is carried on in the New Testament by the ministers of the Word, to speak these words of blessing. Therefore, we should receive the benediction as coming from God himself.
- The benediction is God’s means to stamp his ownership on his people. After the words of the benediction, God says, “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel.” We can think of this like a branding mark, “These are God’s people, entitled to all the rights and privileges of being property of God.” This includes God’s protection and favor.
- The benediction contains promises from God. God promises to bless his people… and to protect them and be gracious with them and give them peace. We know all of these promises are confirmed and affirmed in Jesus Christ. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ}.” Therefore, when we hear the benediction, we not only are being reminded about the promises of God, but we also are being encouraged to rest in the promises of God.
- The face of God shining upon us represents God’s presence and favor. God has no face. He has no body. The Aaronic blessing is speaking about God’s attention and favor on his people. It affirms the promise that God will never leave nor forsake his people. A New Testament equivalent to God lifting up his countenance upon his people is found in Romans 8, where Paul says, “for those who love God all things work together for good,” and “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 28 & 31).
God wants his people to hear benedictions. That’s why we close every worship service with one of his benedictions from Scripture. The next time you hear God’s benediction, receive it as God’s affirmation of rich promises on your behalf.
