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I have several pairs of shoes, including black dress shoes. Over time, they are scuffed or become dirty. So I polish them.

By polishing them, not only do I preserve the leather, but I also make myself more presentable when wear a suit. I take time to make sure the shoes look smart and make sure they shine. Isn't that the purpose of polishing shoes?

In the Old Testament, in Numbers 6:24-26, we read:

The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, this is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’"

It's a blessing Aaron and all the priests in the Old Testament are to place upon the people of God. It's a bit like polishing shoes. This blessing polishes them; the Lord says he makes his face shine on them. They will reflect his glory.

But there's a verse that comes immediately after, the very last verse of Numbers 6. And this explains why Aaron and his sons, the priesthood, give this blessing. It says, "So they," that's Aaron and the priests, "will put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them."

This blessing, where the Lord promises to make his face shine on you, where he promises to polish you with his glory, is so you will have God's name placed on you. You are his people, called to reflect his glory because his light, his face, and his glory have polished you.

I polish my shoes because they become scuffed and they need care so I can be presentable in public when I wear a suit. May the Lord shine his face upon you. May you know the polish of his glory so that you bear his name, so that you live for him, and so that you can display him to others. It's a great blessing and it's a blessing that God wants to place on you today.

Let's pray.

O Lord, we thank you. You are good and gracious. You polish us. You set us apart. You make us presentable, in your sight, but also so we can display you to those around. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

And so, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Amen.

視頻大意翻譯 (video Chinese translation):

 嗨，歡迎收看今天的線上靈修。

我有很多鞋子，包括黑色皮鞋。一段時間後，它們會磨損或變髒。所以我要擦亮他們。

通過擦亮，我不僅可以保護皮革，還可以讓自己在穿西裝和皮鞋時更得體。我花時間確保他們看起來很聰明，並閃閃發亮。這不就是擦鞋子的目的嗎？

在舊約民數記6章:22-27我們讀到；

“耶和華曉諭摩西說、你告訴亞倫和他兒子說、你們要這樣為以色列人祝福、說、願耶和華賜福給你、保護你。願耶和華使他的臉光照你、賜恩給你。願耶和華向你仰臉、賜你平安。他們要如此奉我的名、為以色列人祝福．我也要賜福給他們。”

這是亞倫和舊約中所有的祭司對神子民的祝福。這有點像擦鞋。這祝福擦亮了他們;主說他讓他的臉光照他們。他們將反映出他的榮耀。

但緊接著有一節經文，民數記 6 的最後一節。解釋了為什麼亞倫和他的兒子們，也就是祭司，要賜下這個祝福。它說，“這樣，他們”，即亞倫和祭司，“他們要如此奉我的名、為以色列人祝福．我也要賜福給他們。”

主應許讓他的臉光照你，他應許以他的榮耀來照亮你，這樣，那些接受這祝福的人就會將神的名放在他們身上。他們是他的子民，蒙召來反映他的榮耀，因為他的光、他的臉、他的榮耀已經擦亮了他們。

我擦亮我的鞋子，因為它們會磨損，需要照顧，這樣在公共場合我穿西裝時才能顯得體面。

願主將他的臉光照你們;願你知道他榮耀的光輝，使你能承受他的名，讓你為他而活，使你能夠向他人展示他。這是一個很大的祝福，也是神今天想加在你身上的祝福。

讓我們禱告。

喔，主阿，我們謝謝你。你的美善和恩典。你擦亮了我們。你將我們分別出來，讓我們在你面前得體，但你也讓我們能向周圍的人展示你。奉耶穌的名，我們禱告。阿們。

Grace and peace
Pastor Callum