What a sight it must have been when the people of Israel brought their gifts to Moses for the building of the tabernacle. The people generously brought the expensive materials that were needed for the tabernacle and its furnishings—gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; woven linen, leather, and precious stones (Exod. 35:4-9). In fact, the people brought so much that eventually they had to tell the Israelites to stop bringing their contributions (Exod. 36:3-7)! 

Now, you know how children are. They like to be involved in things, even if they are not really in a position to be especially helpful. What do you think the children were thinking—and doing—when the Israelites were taking their contributions to Moses? Did they watch as their mothers carefully spun fine yarn on a spindle and their fathers carried the family’s gold and best animal hides to Moses’ tent? When they understood what it was all for—God’s special tent—did any little girls or boys decide that they too wanted to contribute something? Was there a child who saw the generosity of his father and mother and decided to give his or her most treasured possession to the contribution? Maybe it was just a well-worn leather satchel that her father gave her back in Egypt. Or maybe it was just a beautiful rock he picked up when he was walking through the Red Sea on dry land. To an onlooker, such a gift would seem insignificant compared to the other gifts, but it is exactly the type of gift that pleases God.

Hundreds of years later, someone else was watching people bring their gifts to the temple. He watched as many rich people put in large amounts of money. When Jesus saw a poor widow put in two small coins (worth just a few dollars in today’s terms), he told his disciples, “…this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all that she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44). To an onlooker, her gift might have seemed insignificant, but it was exactly the type of gift that pleases God.

Sometimes children pick up something in the house, wrap it or put it in a bag, and ‘give’ it to their parents as if it’s the best gift in the world. In reality, everything we give to God is like this—it’s already his. Everything we ‘give’ him has already been given to us by God. We cannot impress him with the size of our gift. Ultimately, it is not the value of the gift that matters. What matters is the attitude of the heart. To an onlooker, our gift may look insignificant, but if it is sacrificially given with the joy and faith of a child and love for God, it is exactly the type of gift that pleases him. 

One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament is found in Numbers 6:22–27, the passage that is commonly referred to as Aaron’s blessing. Although our contemporary western culture makes it difficult to have the same appreciation for spoken blessings that many people have had throughout history, these words that were a comfort to the Israelites so long ago are nonetheless still a source of comfort to God’s people today. This blessing should be in our heart and in our mind; we should read, pray, sing, and meditate on the words of this blessing. (If you are not familiar with the song based on this blessing, you should look it up and listen to it—it’s beautiful!) “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them’” (Num. 6:22–27). This blessing was oft repeated by the Israelites and is well loved by Christians today. Its elegance, simplicity, and comfort cannot be surpassed. It speaks to our great need for God and answers our deepest desires for protection, forgiveness, acceptance, and peace.

The LORD bless you and keep you. Although we are frequently tempted to look to things of this world for our meaning and security, these words remind us that it is the LORD who blesses us. Nothing else in the world can bless us the way God can. Furthermore, he will keep us—that is he will watch over us and guard us. 

The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Bible often speaks of God’s face as a metaphor for his acceptance and favor. God smiles on his people and shows us the grace that we all need.

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. To lift up the countenance means that God will pay attention to us. He will not forget about us, nor is he inattentive to our needs. The gift of peace is a summary of all God’s good gifts, the greatest gift of all being salvation and peace with God himself. Peace refers to the feast of all the good things God will give us, a feast that we have only just begun to nibble on in this lifetime. Imagine how comforting these words would have been to the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness towards the promised land. As we journey toward our promised land, these same words bring us comfort and point us to our gracious God who gives us his blessing. We serve an amazing God!