Two chapters of assorted laws, and at the end of them the most famous blessing in the Bible. In between: how to make restitution for a wrong, and how an ordinary Israelite — man or woman — could take a vow of priest-like separation for a season. It closes with God handing the priests three lines to say over the people, and telling them plainly who does the actual blessing.
A study in Numbers 5-6 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 8 min read
They Shall Confess Their Sin
“When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the LORD, and that person be guilty; Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof.”
Numbers 5:6-7
The pattern from Leviticus is repeated: name the sin out loud, pay back what was taken, and add a fifth on top. And note the phrasing — a wrong done to a neighbour is “a trespass against the LORD.” There is no such thing as a purely horizontal sin. Restitution to the person and confession to God belong together.
The Vow Of A Nazarite
“When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink… there shall no razor come upon his head… because the consecration of his God is upon his head.”
Numbers 6:2-3, 5, 7
The Nazarite vow let a layperson — not a priest, not a Levite, and explicitly including women — take on a season of intense devotion: no wine or grapes in any form, no cutting of the hair, no going near a dead body, even a parent’s. It was usually temporary. Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist were Nazarites for life. The point is that the door to wholehearted consecration was open to anyone who wanted to walk through it.
The LORD Bless Thee, And Keep Thee
“On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:23-26
Three lines, and each one longer than the last, so the blessing seems to open outward as it is spoken. It moves from God’s protection (“keep thee”), to God’s favour (“his face shine upon thee”), to God’s full attention and the peace it brings (“lift up his countenance”). To have God turn His face toward you and not away is the whole of the gospel in a sentence. This is the blessing spoken over Israel for a thousand years, and it is the one Jesus acted out when He “lifted up his hands, and blessed them” at the ascension (Luke 24:50).
They Shall Put My Name Upon The Children Of Israel
“And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
Numbers 6:27
The priest is only the voice. The blessing is not magic words he controls; it works because God attaches His own name to His people through it, and then does the blessing Himself — “I will bless them.” To be a people who bear God’s name is to be a people He has undertaken to bless. The next studies leave the laws behind and follow the camp out onto the road: the cloud lifts, and Israel marches.
