Torah Portion Nasso – He Places His Name on His People

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Reading – Numbers 6:22-27

 

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

As this Torah portion begins, the children of Israel are still getting ready to leave Mt. Sinai and head for the Promised Land. God gives final instructions to His people about the sanctity of the camp. Only those who are ritually pure can draw near to God. Anything that disrupts that peace of the camp needs to be dealt with. This includes making restitution for wrongs committed against each other and dealing with jealously within a marriage. Provisions for the Nazirite vow are instituted for those who seek to spend a period of time closer to God. God demands that His people be a people set apart from the practices of the world. God claims His people as His own and places His name on them. What does it mean for God to place His name on someone?

God told Moses to tell Aaron to say a specific blessing on the children of Israel. This spoken blessing is the means by which God places His name on His people.

Numbers 6:22-27 NKJV 22 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: 24 "The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."' 27 "So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

These words accomplish two things; they bless the children of Israel and they place God’s name on them. Let’s look at each of these actions separately starting with the blessing. What image comes to mind when we think of God blessing us? Most of us think of receiving a good job, a wonderful spouse, a home, or other gift. That is, in fact, the meaning of the Hebrew word “ber-aw-kaw,” number 1293 which is translated as our English word “blessing.” It is a benediction or present given freely. The verb “to bless” comes from the rood word “baw-rak,” number 1288, meaning to kneel as an act of adoration or perhaps as an act of presenting a gift. When we say “God bless you,” we are asking that God kneel and give you a gift. Even more, in our culture, the tradition of a man asking a woman to marry him is that he kneels and offers her an engagement ring as a token of his promise to marry him. In a similar way, God says that He will bless His people and place His name on them. Although a job, spouse, or home are all wonderful gifts, what is the blessing that God truly desires to give His children? Let’s look at the blessing.

The blessing is written in the Torah scroll as three lines of poetry. Each line begins with a declaration of God’s name, Yehovah, written in English as “LORD” with all capital letters. Yehovah is God’s covenant name that is first used at the creation of Adam. From the ASV version.

Genesis 2:7 ASV 7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Yehovah introduces Himself with this name when He speaks the Ten Words from Mt. Sinai.

Exodus 20:1-2 ASV 1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

It is Yehovah who instructs Aaron to use His covenant name to bless His people. This is not an impersonal God, this is Yehovah who brought them out of Egypt that is blessing them, that is kneeling and giving them a gift! To further emphasize this intimacy, In the blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, the pronoun “you” used throughout the blessing, is in the singular. That Yehovah is blessing each and every person individually.

So let’s take a closer look at this blessing. It begins with a promise to bless and keep.

Numbers 6:24 NKJV 24 "The LORD bless you and keep you;

The word “keep” is the Hebrew word “shamar,” number 8104 meaning to hedge about as with thorns, to guard, protect, and attend to. The LORD brings a gift and surrounds us with a hedge of protection. Some of those gifts include freedom from slavery, possession of the Promised Land, water for their crops, food for their livestock, and children to inherit the land. Every time the children of Israel bring their firstfruits offerings to God, they are to declare the blessings He has given them.

Deuteronomy 26:8-10 NKJV 8 'So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 'He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, "a land flowing with milk and honey"; 10 'and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me.' Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.

If they continue to follow God and His commands, Yehovah will protect them from their enemies.

Deuteronomy 28:7 NKJV 7 "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

The greatest gift that God gives us is eternal life through His son Yeshua.

Romans 6:22-23 NKJV 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Through Yeshua, God protects us and keeps us safe from anything that would seek to separate us from God and His love.

Romans 8:37-39 NKJV 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We now turn to the second line of the blessing.

Numbers 6:25 NKJV 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;

The word “shine” is the Hebrew word “ore,” number 215, meaning to be or make luminous or to light. God uses a form of this word on the first day of creation as He proclaims, “Let there be light.” This phrase could be translated as “Yehovah make His face illuminate you,” or “Yehovah illuminate His countenance for you.” God gives the gift of the light of Torah to His people. King David wrote about the light of Torah.

Psalms 119:105-106 NKJV 105 NUN. Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments.

David also wrote those who have clean hands and pure heart are those who seek to see God’s face.

Psalms 24:4-6 NKJV 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah

God’s face illuminates us when He looks on us with approval. A way to understand this is to look at what it means for God to hide His face so that His light doesn’t shine on us. This happens when God is angry with His people.

Deuteronomy 31:17-18 NKJV 17 "Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' 18 "And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.

When we turn in disobedience away from God doing evil instead of good, He hides His face from us.

The second part of this line of the blessing is that Yehovah be gracious to His people. The word gracious is “khaw-nan,” number 2603, meaning to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior, to extend favor. When a child falls and skins his knees, he cries out in pain. His father hears him and turns his face toward him. He stoops down in kindness, wraps his arms around him and comforts him. David asks for God’s kindness when he is surrounded by his enemies.

Psalms 27:7-9 NAS95 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. 8 When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek." 9 Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!

In the final line of the blessing, we encounter another aspect of God’s face.

Numbers 6:26 NKJV 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."'

The word “countenance” is the Hebrew word “paw-neem,” number 6440 meaning face. What does it mean for God to lift His face upon you? We can better understand this phrase by looking at its opposite, a fallen countenance. When God rejected Cain’s offering, Cain was angry, and his countenance fell.

Genesis 4:5 NKJV 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Cain was angry, disappointed, and perhaps ashamed. He was probably frowning or scowling and maybe even looking down or away from God; his countenance fell. When God lifts His countenance upon us, He smiles and looks on us with approval and acceptance. Yeshua told a parable about a master who goes on a long journey. He entrusts his property to his servants. When he returns, he rewards his servants who have been faithful and diligent on his behalf.

Matthew 25:21 NKJV 21 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

The blessing concludes with the promise of peace. The word “peace” does not mean an absence of conflict. The Hebrew word translated as peace is “shalowm,” number 7965, meaning safe, well, happy, prosperity, and peace. There can be no peace without safety, wellness, happiness, and prosperity. This is the peace that Yeshua promised to His followers. In His absence, they were not to be fearful, but were to trust in Yeshua’s promises.

John 14:26-27 NKJV 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We’ve examined the content of the blessing, now let’s look at the poetic structure. Certain poetic types have specific structures. When we read this blessing in the original Hebrew, it has a structure that reveals more about the strength of this blessing. The number of words on each line form an arithmetic progression. There are three words on the first line, then five words on the second, and finally, seven words on the third line. This is a total of fifteen words. The letters form a progression as well with fifteen letters on the first line, then twenty on the second, and twenty-five on the third for a total of sixty letters. In Hebrew, the letters have meaning and are also numbers. The fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the samach. It has a numerical value of sixty. The meaning of samach, number 5564, means to prop up or support. Reflexively it means to lean upon for support. Isaiah writes about the person who leans on God for support.  

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed (samach) on You, Because he trusts in You.

When our minds lean on God and His word, trusting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we have perfect peace; the peace that Yeshua leaves with us.

Finally, each of these totals is a multiple of five. Five represents the perfection of divine order or God’s grace. There are five books of the Torah with the fifth book, Deuteronomy, a declaration of God’s covenant and grace. The fifth book of the New Testament is a declaration of the spreading of the covenant throughout the world. The sages say there are five dimensions consisting of the four physical dimensions plus the spiritual dimension. The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the “hey” representing a window of revelation.

It is said to be the sound of God’s breath. When Yeshua appeared to His disciples the evening of His resurrection, He breathed on them.

John 20:21-22 NKJV 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

The promise of peace is written into the framework of the blessing!

Now that we have examined the blessing, what does it mean that through this blessing, God’s name would be placed on them?  The high priest wore a miter on his forehead that declared that he was Holy to the LORD.

Exodus 28:36 NKJV 36 "You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

When destruction was about to fall on Jerusalem, God sent His angels throughout the city to place a mark on the foreheads of all the people who had remained faithful to Him.

Ezekiel 9:4 NKJV 4 and the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it."

We receive a mark of our trust in Yeshua and our redemption in the form of a seal given by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Yeshua declares that the those who overcome all the trials they face and remain faithful to God, will receive a new name. They will have Yeshua and God’s name written on them in addition to the name of Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place on Earth!

Revelation 3:12 NKJV 12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

As we conclude, this blessing is known as the Aaronic benediction because it was to be spoken over the people by the priests of the line of Aaron. In the second temple era, this blessing was spoken twice a day. The priests would extend both arms and hands over the people. He spreads his fingers in the shape of the letter “shin” which stands for God’s name, the Almighty One. In the extension of the hands and arms, we find another instance of the number sixty. The total number of bones in both arms and hands is sixty! Once again, we see the support of the letter samech!

Yeshua, as He ascended to the Father to begin His work as High Priest in the heavenly temple. He lifted hands and blessed His disciples. The phrase “lifted his hands and blessed” is a euphemism for speaking this blessing.

Luke 24:50-51 NKJV 50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

Imagine the scene. As Yeshua lifted His hands in the traditional blessing, they saw the nail scars in His hands. When a priest raises His hands in the blessing, the people lower their eyes. Just like when someone says to us, “Let us pray,” we automatically bow our heads. And so, as Yeshua lifted His hand, they saw His scarred hands, but automatically lowered their heads. As Yeshua begins to speak, He rises into heaven. With their eyes lowered, the disciples see His nail-scarred feet slowly rise. Yeshua ascends into heaven to begin His priestly ministry.

What does it mean for God to place His name on someone? It means that they belong to God. They receive physical blessings and protection. They receive the light of His Word and the light of Messiah Yeshua. They receive God’s commendation and reward. They receive His perfect and complete peace.

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      How does the biblical word “be-raw-kah” for blessing change our understanding of the concept of God’s relationship and interaction with His people?

 

2.       How do the numbers associated with the blessing add to the depth of meaning of the blessing?

 

3.      As the blessing progresses, each line has more words and more letters increasing the intensity of each section of the blessing. How does each line increase the intensity and intimacy of the blessing?

 

General Portion Questions

 

4.      Instructions for testing a suspected adulterous wife are followed by the instructions for a Nazirite vow. Contrast these two situations. What does grouping them together tell us?

 

5.      The book of Acts and other early church writings indicate that taking a Nazirite vow was popular among the early disciples. What does this tell us about their views about the importance of drawing near to God?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

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