LifeFellowship - Lijo

Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing)

The priesting blessing verse is the verse spoken over us for the new year. The blessing is threefold. See explanation in the verse below (underlined within the verse)

Verse: Numbers 6:24-26

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;

That is the reassure, protect and support. "If you need help, come to me. I won't hold it against you"

25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

God's Word promises you in his blessing, as the Son smiles at you with forgiveness and delight

26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

The peace of God in the priestly blessing embraces even more aspects of life. It includes good health, security, inner harmony, wellness

Additional information

The priest puts his hand together in a formation. This formation is similar to the letter 'shin' in Hebrew. The appearance of the alphabet is similar to the English alphabet 'w'. The letter shin stands for Shaddai which is the Hebrew name for God. The may also point to the triune nature of God.

The lifting of the hands signifies
  • Sign of Surrender
  • Seeking Help
  • Jewish tradition states that the Divine Presence would shine through the fingers of the priests as they blessed the people. The people were not allowed to look at this out of respect for God
    • Exodus 17:11 - Moses
    • Leviticus 9:22 - Aaron
    • 1 Kings 8:22 - King Solomon
    • Nehemiah 8:6 - Ezra
    • Revelations 10:5 - Angels

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