May the LORD bless you and keep you;
may the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
may the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Bless. Keep.
Face Shines. Be Gracious.
Lift up. Give Peace.
These are the words that power this passage, and that give it impact. When I read this passage, it helps me to internalize it by thinking of God as my Heavenly Father, and I as His dearly loved child, as you will see below.
Bless (barak/baruch)
This word is used in the Scripture as from God to us, from one of us to another, and from us to God. In the Passover service, the prayers of thanks always begin with "Baruch attah Adonai, Melech haOlam [...]" which means "Blessed are You, O Lord, King of the Universe [...]"
So how is the same word used for us to bless God and for God to bless us? We bless God in thanksgiving, praise and worship. God blesses us with His favor and kindness, giving us good things according to His will for us. We bless others by speaking God's blessing on them, and doing what is in our power to ensure that they see and understand it. When our children were growing up, we gave them small tangible "blessings" when it occurred to us to do so. How much more does our Heavenly Father desire to show us His kindness?
In verses 22-23, God actually tells Moses to instruct Aaron, the High Priest, to bless Israel using these very words. God wants to bless His people, and told Moses and Aaron how to do that on His behalf. As my Heavenly Father, God wants to give me His blessing - to care for me in all respects. In return I trust, thank and praise Him, which is a blessing to Him.
Keep (shamar)
The connotation here is to protect, preserve, guard, to nurture and care for. Any parent understands this desire to do well by their children, to keep them in safety and in health and under their watchful eye, to provide for them and ensure that they have every opportunity to grow and blossom. My Heavenly Father wants to watch over me, to hold me and help me feel safe and cared for. I acknowledge that and delight in His love for me.
Face (panah) Shine (shamar) Upon (eleka)
These words together have a sense of one's face brightening, with that brightness being directed toward something or someone. I have a photo of Diane that I took while she was working at a booth at some event. I came by and noticed her, wanting to take a picture of her working there. Instead, just as I was taking the photo, she noticed me coming to see her, and the photo captured the look on her face: she smiled at me and her face brightened with a look of delightful surprise. That look warmed my heart; it's one of my favorite pictures of her.
I think of this when I read this passage and I can picture God's face brightening as He sees me coming to Him, with that same joy and delight on His face as He sees His dearly loved child coming to see Him. And when God's face brightens toward me, I can feel the light of it warming me, and brightening all my surroundings as well.
Be Gracious (chanan)
Grace is usually defined as unmerited favor, and that is certainly true, but I think that to get a fuller sense of it we need to add that grace is a favorable inclination toward someone as well. The phrase "benefit of the doubt" comes to mind, as does to "think favorably of" someone - in other words, a predisposition for someone to overlook a fault or shortcoming because of love for that person. The Scripture says that "love covers a multitude of sins", and grace has that attitude bundled with it. My Heavenly Father loves me, and so He is favorably inclined toward me and is willing to show me favor that goes well beyond what I deserve, because I am His dearly loved child.
Lift Up (nasal) Countenance (panah)
Lift here also includes the meaning of carry, and countenance is the same word as for face - His face that brightens and turns toward us. "Panah" can also mean turn, as in "turn to face someone", to turn towards. You could think of "lifting up the countenance" as standing up to greet someone, or turning your body in their direction to interact with them. I can picture my Heavenly Father seeing me coming toward Him, His face brightening toward me, and saying as it were "Come here, child, and let me see you!" then turning toward me, picking me up in His arms and looking at me lovingly and intently as if I were His only focus. I have a picture of my Dad holding me in his arms when I was little, and I think of this image when I think of God my Heavenly Father regarding me and engaging with me with kindness and love.
Give (sim/sum) Peace (shalom)
The word translated here as give is often translated as put or place or set, as in God will place you or plant you or set you securely in a place. I tend to think of that place as in His lap, on His knee, on His shoulders or in His arms, or as Psalm 23 might put it "make me lie down in green pastures, lead me beside still waters, restore my soul".
And what better place to feel at peace, to feel the wholeness and soundness that comes with Shalom than safely being held by my Heavenly Father, being "kept" by Him in a place of tenderness and companionship and intimacy, with He who loves me with an everlasting love?
Not only does this passage assure me that God wants to bless me, but it also helps me picture how He longs to do that, to engage me with grace and favor and lovingkindness, assuring me of His love and bringing to my heart peace and wholeness.
With all this in mind, here is how I understand this passage to communicate to me:
The LORD blesses me with loving-kindness and keeps me in His care;
the LORD's face brightens when I come to Him, and I feel His delight; He is favorably inclined toward me and graciously shows it;
the LORD lifts me up to Him to look lovingly at me, holding me close; in His arms I am at peace.
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