Numbers 6:1-27 NKJV
6 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.
5 ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.
9 ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting; 11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day. 12 He shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.
13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 14 And he shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings.
16 ‘Then the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering; 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
19 ‘And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them upon the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair, 20 and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; they are holy for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.’
21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord the offering for his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to provide; according to the vow which he takes, so he must do according to the law of his separation.”
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.”
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (24-26).
In the midst of the laws and commands given to Israel, the Lord provided a special blessing to be spoken over His people. These words were not mere formality. They were a declaration of God’s care, His favor, and His peace. To be blessed by the Lord was to be kept in His protection. To have His face shine upon you was to receive His grace. To have His countenance lifted toward you was to know His peace.
Before this blessing, the chapter outlines the Nazirite vow—an act of devotion in which a person set himself apart for the Lord. This vow involved abstaining from wine, avoiding contact with the dead, and letting one’s hair grow. It was an outward sign of inward dedication. Yet even in this, the focus was not on human effort but on the Lord who sanctifies His people.
Israel’s history shows that human faithfulness wavers, but God’s blessing does not. The same nation that received these words would later turn away, yet the Lord remained steadfast. He continued to keep His people, to shine His face upon them, and to call them back to Himself. His blessing was not dependent on their worthiness but on His own faithfulness.
This blessing is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Him, we see the face of God shining upon us. He is the One who keeps us, the One through whom we receive grace and peace. By His death and resurrection, we are set apart—not by a vow we make, but by the work He has done. His name is placed upon us in Baptism, marking us as His own.
The Lord still speaks this blessing over His people today. In a world of uncertainty, He remains our keeper. When guilt weighs heavy, His grace is sure. When turmoil surrounds us, His peace is real. His Word does not return void. He blesses, and His blessing stands forever.
Let us pray: O Lord, bless and keep us in Your care. Shine Your face upon us, and grant us Your peace, that we may walk in the assurance of Your steadfast love. Amen.