The Lord bless you, and keep you: the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-25
The Hebrew idiom of shining a face towards someone means to grant grace and favor. This is a continuation or a confirmation of the previous statements of blessing but it has some nuances of its own.
God doesn’t have a physical face but it can represent His Presence. Turning the face away (an opposite idiom) represents anger or disapproval. King Xerxes turned away from Haman and it was a death sentence for Haman. Having the face turned towards you shows favor and possibly even relationship.
And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. Deuteronomy 31:18
Owr (or) used in this passage means light or to give light. We translate it here as shine. But this light also represents spiritual light or truth. Having His face shine on us reveals truth to what was in darkness before, order where there had been chaos in the dark. There may also be hints of saving or rescuing from darkness.
Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for Your own sake, O Lord, make Your face to shine upon Your sanctuary, which is desolate. Daniel 9:17
What a wonderful blessing to bestow on someone. “Lord, look upon this person and grant your light, favor and truth – Lord, Your very Presence.”
May His face shine upon you today, my brothers and sisters.
