Sermon Tone Analysis

Me

Years ago, long before we had kids, Danielle and I visited the Florida State Caverns near Marianna, FL.

It was a really cool experience.

We took a guided tour of the Caverns and got to see all the cool geological formations and the guide explained all the science and history behind everything… None of which do I actually remember today…

But as you walk further into the cavern system you go deeper and deeper underground.

There’s one point in the tour where the guide stops us and tells our group we are now a little over a mile below ground.

This by itself was pretty cool, just the thought of being that deep in the earth was pretty interesting.

But then he says he’s going to turn off the lights in the cavern so that we can experience the reality of absolutely no light.

Being that far underground there is absolutely zero light getting in from the surface, and the only lights in the cavern were what he was about to turn off.

He then turns the lights off and you can feel the darkness… I mean physically feel the darkness… It is thick and seemingly tangible… I couldn’t see Danielle, I couldn’t see my own hands in front of my face… There was absolutely no visibility at all.

After a brief moment or two he turns the lights and we wait for our eyes to readjust, and suddenly you find yourself more thankful than you’ve ever been for lights and electricity.

We

Have you ever felt a similar experience before?

Being completely consumed by darkness—thick, tangible, awful darkness?

The world around us is consumed by darkness daily… And of course, I’m not talking about physical darkness in the sense of the lights going out in a cave, but rather spiritual darkness.

The world is void of the Light of Messiah, void of the Name of God upon their hearts, void of the hope of the Olam Habah before them.

And by the Blood of Messiah you and I are called out of the darkness into the marvelous light of the Lord and we are redeemed as Kadosh L’Adonai so that we can carry the Name of God and the Light of Messiah to the world around us.

Helping others find their way out of the darkness and into experiencing the blessings of the Kingdom.

God

This week we read Parasha Naso, Numbers 4:21-7:89, which begins with a continuation of the discussion of the duties of the Levites with regards to the maintenance and transport of the Mishkan, particularly the roles and functions of the Gershonites and Merarites.

The first part of chapter 5 deals with purity in the camps of Israel.

Specifically as it relates to the need for quarantining those with various issues such as Tzara’at outside the camps until they are better and declared clean by the Kohanim.

The rest of the chapter deals with the jealousy ritual if a husband suspects his wife of being unfaithful.

The majority of Numbers 6 deals with the Nazirite vow which when one takes the vow they are to abstain from anything grown on a vine, any fermented drink, they are not to use a razor on their head the whole time they are consecrated, they must also not go near the dead.

One who takes a Nazirite vow is especially holy to Adonai while under the vow.

The chapter closes out with the Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing.

Chapter 7 details the gifts that each of the tribes of Israel brought to the Mishkan after its consecration.

For twelve straight days one by one a different tribe would bring their gifts for offering to the Kohanim.

What’s most interesting is that no matter the ranking, birth order, or size of the tribe, they all brought exactly the same offerings, revealing that each of the tribes had equal weight and importance before the Lord.

But today we’re going to focus on specific part of Parasah Bamidbar and as we do let’s keep this principle in mind…

As followers of Messiah, the Name of God should constantly be on full display in our lives so that the world may experience His Kingdom.

(Repeat)

Let’s dig into the text together…

This is one of the most recognizable passages in all of Numbers… The Birkat Kohanim, or the Priestly Blessing, is spoken over our congregation here at CMC at the end of virtually every service we have.

It is also still proclaimed within traditional Judaism and is typically still preferred to be proclaimed by a descendant of the Kohanim.

In fact, Sephardic synagogues end all their services with the Birkat Kohanim as we do here, but in Ashkenazi synagogues it is typically only recited on the Moedim of Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.

Tradition tells us that in ancient Israel when the Birkat Kohanim was proclaimed if it was being proclaimed over Israel in the Tabernacle/Temple that the Kohanim (descendants of Aaron) would pronounce the Tetragrammaton (which is a part of the Hebrew in all three lines of the blessing) and if it was being proclaimed outside of the Tabernacle/Temple in the various communities of Israel then the Tetragrammaton would not be pronounced.

And if it was being pronounced outside the Tabernacle/Temple the Levites were also allowed to proclaim the blessing, however they would never pronounce the Tetragrammaton as tradition tells us only the Kohanim would pass down how to pronounce it and it was only used in the Tabernacle/Temple.

Now, it is important to note here that Numbers is not a chronologically ordered account of Israel’s journey and as such, it is commonly believed that, especially since the Birkat Kohanim is right before the detailing of the consecration offerings brought by the tribes of Israel to the Tabernacle, that this blessing commanded to be spoken over B’nei Yisrael is the same exact blessing we read about Aaron speaking over Israel in Leviticus 9…

Tradition also tells us that when the Kohanim would proclaim the Birkat Kohanim over the people of Israel that they would hold their hands up and in such a way that their hands sort of formed the Hebrew letter Shin which represents the word Shaddai, which means Almighty.

It is a letter commonly used in Judaism to evoke the Name of God to the mind… For instance, you will commonly see the Hebrew letter Shin on Mezuzot so that we come in and out of our homes and are reminded of the V’ahavta we will even more so be reminded of El Shaddai who we love, serve, and represent in the world around us.

With the Birkat Kohanim the priests would hold their hands in the air and make the Hebrew letter Shin with their hands in order to symbolically place the Name of God over the Nation of Israel.

The sages say that when this was done at the Tabernacle that the radiant Glory of God would shine through the fingers of Aaron as he would proclaim the blessing as a reminder of the Presence of God with Israel.

Now we already no that the Levites (which includes the Kohanim) were not counted in the inheritance of the Land of Israel because their inheritance was the direct service of God.

We know that the priests were responsible for the ministry within the Tabernacle, and later the Temple.

They would perform the sacrifices and offerings, they entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, they encountered the Presence of God, they maintained the Table of Showbread and the Menorah, but we also know that one of the most important roles the priests of Israel had was to bless Israel in the Name of God.

This is what we see in Deuteronomy 10:8

And again in Deuteronomy 21:5

So reminding Israel of their relationship with HaShem by speaking blessing in His Name over the Nation is a significant part of their ministry as well.

So, as we think about the Birkat Kohanim let’s look a little deeper at the blessing itself for a moment.

As we do I want to point out one significant thing about how we translate this passage.

I often hear people saying this blessing by saying “May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord make make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord turn His face toward you and grant you Peace.”

But nowhere in the Hebrew is there anything would suggest the use of the word “may”… This blessing is a definitive promise to Israel… It isn’t a maybe, God will bless Israel...

Yivarech’cha Adonai v’yishm’recha— As we see throughout the Torah God speaks of providing blessing for Israel over and over and over again, and these blessings are typically tangible blessings such as posterity, possessions and wealth, land, fertility, health, victory, strength, and peace.

But in this first line of the Priestly Blessing we see not just the physical, tangible blessing, but also the spiritual as well.

“Adonai bless you AND keep you!”

The root word translated as keep is the word Shamar meaning to keep, guard, protect.

Adonai will not just guard and protect His people, He physically is the protection over Israel… And this isn’t just protection from our physical, earthly enemies, this is spiritual protection from all forms of evil and attacks of the adversary.

Yaeir Adonai panav eilecha vichunecha— This is the first of two times in the Birkat Kohanim that we see the Hebrew word Panav appear.

Panav, from the root word Panim, literally means face… Part of this blessing spoken over B’nei Yisrael is that the Lord would make His face, His countenance shine upon you.

Another way of looking at this is that the Presence of the Lord would shine upon you, or through you… That Israel will continue to experience the Shechinah of HaShem in their midst and upon the Nation.

The root of vichunecha is the word Chanan which is exclusively used in connection to God’s mercy and grace, or that God will temper His justice because of His mercy.

That He would not judge Israel according to their sins but deal kindly with Israel as His free gift…

Yisa Adonai panav eilecha v’yaseim l’cha shalom— This is the second time we see the Hebrew root word Panim or face mentioned, the the Lord will lift up His face toward you… The idea here is that God will not hide His face or His countenance from Israel, but instead will lift up His face and look at them favorably and smile upon them.

Targum Jonathan suggests that this phrase means that God will answer the prayers of Israel.

Lastly here we see v’yaseim l’cha shalom— V’yaseim is from the root word Sum meaning to put upon, place upon/within, or to grant.

And grant you shalom… Shalom means peace, but it is also so much more… It means completeness, soundness, welfare, and here it is used in the sense of freedom from all disasters.

But, it encompasses so much more with the sense of blessings of prosperity, good health general well-being.

Aaron is told to pronounce this blessing over B’nei Yisrael and...

So the Kohanim are proclaim blessing over B’nei Yisrael by invoking the Name of God over them, and the Lord will be the one blessing Israel.

But what is the blessing?

Is it just the physical materialization of these promises found in the Birkat Kohanim?

Is the blessing really something as simple as peace from our enemies and provision?

Or is there something much deeper being revealed in the Birkat Kohanim?

I believe the blessing isn’t so much specifically the individual statements found in the Birkat Kohanim, but rather in the placing of the Name of God, or more specifically the Presence of God in our midst.

As followers of Messiah, the Name of God should constantly be on full display in our lives so that the world may experience His Kingdom.

The Birkat Kohanim and the idea of the Name of God being placed upon Israel immediately makes me think back to the priestly garments that Aaron and his sons would wear in service before the Lord.

Specifically the head covering the priest would wear…

Attached to the turban on the priest’s head was a gold plate engraved with the words Kadosh L’Adonai, Holy to Adonai.

Upon the head of the Kohanim was a gold plate with the words Kadosh L’Adonai, Holy to Adonai, as a reminder of holiness even in the midst of iniquity.

And this was realistically the primary function of the priest, to remind Israel of their holiness to Adonai even in the midst of their sins.

To turn Israel from their iniquities through the Grace and Mercy of HaShem and to usher them into the holiness they were called to be.

In the Birkat Kohanim the priests would place the Name of God upon B’nei Yisrael while wearing a head covering with the very Name of God on it, easily visible to all who would be receiving this blessing.

Now it is important to remember that just as the priest would perform the atonement sacrifice for Israel it was only God who could provide atonement for our sins.

In the same sense, though it is the priest making the proclamation of the Birkat Kohanim it isn’t actually the priest that blessing Israel, but rather it is God alone who would bless Israel by maintaining the promises contained within the Birkat Kohanim.

To this end, we read in Luke 24:50-53

It is believed by many that it is highly likely that the Birkat Kohanim is exactly what Yeshua was proclaiming over the Talmidim just before His ascension.

A big part of this is attributed to the physical formula of Yeshua lifting his hands up toward His audience and then blessing them, very similar to the formula of the priestly actions as they proclaimed the Birkat Kohanim over B’nei Yisrael.

And as Yeshua is our High Priest in the order of Melchi-Tzedek, it would make perfect sense for Yeshua our Kohen Gadol to proclaim the Birkat Kohanim as He prepared to ascend and place His blood, the true atonement, upon the mercy seat in the Tabernacle in Heaven.

More so, this is God Himself robed in flesh placing the Name of Adonai upon His people… And again, Numbers 6:27 says:

Yeshua, our High Priest in the heavenlies, likely proclaimed the Birkat Kohanim over His followers, placing the Name of God over them, and then what happens ten days later on Shavuot in Acts 2? The Ruach HaKodesh is poured out upon the Body of Messiah in the beginning of a now 2000 year revival.

The very Presence of God promised in the Birkat Kohanim was now placed literally upon and within the Body of Messiah.

In the ascension of Yeshua and the outpouring of the Ruach HaKodesh we see a literal earthly fulfillment of Numbers 6:22-27.

We are empowered with the Ruach HaKodesh and the countenance of God is visible and tangible upon us here and now because of it.

And much as Israel was given the Shechinah of HaShem in their midst and called to be a light to the Nations, you and I are given the Ruach HaKodesh not for our own benefit and good but to make His Light shine upon all who are around us.

And just as I believe we see a physical, earthly fulfillment of Numbers 6:22-27 in the Ascension and outpouring of the Ruach, there is also a Olam Habah fulfillment awaiting us as well.

When we are in the literal Kingdom of Messiah for all eternity.

We read in Revelation 22:1-5