Old and New
Scripture Reading: Numbers 6:22-27
The Priestly Blessing was to be spoken upon the dismissal of the people from the daily services. While spoken by the priests the true source of blessing is the Lord Himself, as verse 27 makes evident by concluding with, “I will bless them.” And who is this God who blesses His people?
There is a shadow of Trinitarian theology that hangs over this Aaronic blessing. We see it in the threefold repetition of the name of Jehovah. But it is not only there in the number of times The Name is spoken. It is hinted at in the nature of the threefold blessing:
· The Father blesses us by keeping us
· The Son makes his face to shine upon us by being gracious to us
· The Spirit lifts up his countenance upon us by giving us peace
Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to suggest that the Old Testament priests would have recognized this as an acknowledgment of God’s Triune nature. But God sees the end as well as the beginning. He anticipated the New Testament era and His intention to progressively reveal Himself and His nature to His people. Thus, God is fully capable of putting truth forth in ways that might have been shrouded in mystery to the Old Testament saints but is obvious to us.
The revelation of the Trinity is there for those with eyes to see. It is in Elohim, the plural name of
God. It is in the “Let us make” of Creation. It is in the “Holy, Holy, Holy” of Isaiah’s vision.
As Augustine said, “The new is in the old concealed, the old is in the new revealed.” It is there if you have eyes to see.