God's Radiance

May Yahweh make his face shine upon you.

Numbers 6:25 CSV

God spoke to Moses in Numbers 6:23, saying, Tell Aaron and his sons how you are to bless the Israelites. The benediction God communicated to Moses included an intriguing phrase. Aaron and his sons were to ask Yahweh to make his face shine upon them. I often hear the phrase, “God smiled upon us” and interpret it to mean that things had gone well. The Israelites held a much deeper meaning for “God shining his face upon them.” It included blessing and protection through his presence with them.

Psalm 67:1 alludes to this, May God be gracious to us and bless us and look on us with favor…. Many years ago, I marveled at an elderly Russian woman’s testimony. She’d grown up isolated in Communist Siberia spending most of her dark wintry days in bed under blankets in an attempt to stay warm. Her first childhood thoughts of God were on rare days when she sat on the steps with the sun shining on her upturned face. She’d close her eyes, feel the warmth and think, “This must be God shining on me.” John tells us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

As Christians, we have access to God’s radiance through His son, Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews tells us, The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being… (Heb. 1:3). This radiance shines through our lives as we consistently yield our lives to Him and make ourselves available to share this gracious, loving God with others. 

Father, thank you for the privilege of carrying Your radiance within me through the presence of Your indwelling son. Any darkness in my life comes from my own sinful nature. Point out to me any darkness that might block Your radiance. I pray this for your glory. Amen

Linda Les-