The Priestly Prayer of the Blessing

REMEMBER, THIS JOURNEY began when my friend Rick Amato told me about the discovery of an artifact containing the ancient Priestly Prayer of the Blessing and the powerful experience he had when this prayer was prayed over him. In chapter 1 we investigated several questions that were troubling me concerning why Rick had been so affected by the prayer and found that they were not a factor. It wasn’t because he was so near the place of discovery. Nor was there a special portal to the heavens. Neither was it in the power of the amulet itself.

In my continuing search for why Rick had been so affected by the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing, the following questions remained.

• Why was the high priest Aaron the one to proclaim it daily over the children of Israel instead of Moses?

• What does it mean that the one true G-D of Israel placed His name on the children of Israel?

• What about the fact that the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing was said in Hebrew and not English?

This prayer is amazing in light of the fact that it is the only prayer in the entire Bible that was written by the one true G-D of Israel. The words to this blessing are a beautiful expression of G-D’s love toward us. Yet we must understand that there are various degrees of benefit we receive from anything written in the Bible. In Judaism there are several different levels of understanding G-D’s Word: peshat, remez, derash, and sod.

Peshat is understanding the surface or literal meaning. Remez deals with a deeper truth that the text is hinting at or pointing to. Derash is an elucidation of the text. Sod is the secret or hidden meaning buried in the nuances of the Hebrew letters and words.¹

In a similar way, I believe there are deeper levels of blessing and understanding available to us, and I’ve identified seven of them. One level of benefit comes from just reading the Word of G-D. A second level by meditating on the Word. Still a greater portion of blessing comes when we begin studying its deeper meaning and connection on how the verses relate to other passages in the Bible. An even deeper level occurs when we study the Hebrew or Greek meaning of the words themselves. Often the English translators had to decide what definition each word conveys in order to include the essence of what they concurred was the correct meaning.

The fifth level is transformation as it manifests as the Word of G-D affecting our very thinking. A sixth and even deeper impact comes from G-D Himself as His Holy Spirit writes the meaning upon our hearts. But the seventh and greatest impartation comes when G-D manifests Himself—His very person—to us, dwells within us and upon us, and flows out from us to others. The result is a tangible change in our minds, hearts, souls, and circumstances. As a consequence we obtain supernatural breakthroughs!

Most believers are either not cognizant that deeper levels exist or they have never been challenged to pursue such. They are unaware of the great blessings that ensue. When we receive the fullness of impartation, which G-D Himself intended to be experienced, there is no limit to what is possible!

As you continue reading this book you will be taken through each of the seven levels until you begin to receive the fullness of blessings that G-D has in store for you just as the children of Israel and those in the early church experienced.

There is something important to remember. The verse immediately following the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing gives us an important key as to why Israel received the outpouring of the supernatural that G-D intended.

As I mulled over the questions that still remained about Rick Amato’s experience, it became apparent that the hidden key in verse 27 was of a greater significance than I had comprehended. Why did G-D want the high priest to be the only one to proclaim this prayer of blessing every day over the children of Israel instead of Moses?

Initially it was Moses himself who acted as an intercessor on behalf of the children of Israel and the Most High G-D. He would meet with the one true G-D of Israel who came in the form of the Shekinah glory first on Mount Sinai and then within the temporary dwelling place called the “tent of the meeting.” When Moses spent time in the presence of the Shekinah glory, his face would begin to display that glory. When he came back to the people to share what G-D had told him, the children of Israel begged Moses to put a veil on his face because they were frightened of the reflection of G-D’s glory that shone on Moses’s face.

Once the tabernacle in the wilderness was constructed, G-D descended into the innermost tent called the “holy of holies” in the form of the Shekinah glory. Moses could not enter in to meet with G-D as he had done before. No one could enter into the holy of holies except the high priest of Israel once a year on the Hebrew feast of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) to bring a sacrifice for the atonement of the nation of Israel.

One of the main reasons that only the high priest could administer the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing is that he was the agent who could dispense a supernatural impartation of a portion of the Shekinah glory onto the children of Israel—a portion that he received through being the only one able to enter into the holy of holies. I am proposing that just as Moses was powerfully affected by being in the Shekinah glory of the Most High G-D, so too was the high priest Aaron.

The high priest was an intermediary between the children of Israel and the one true G-D of Israel. Why was an intermediary needed? Under the old covenant the high priest was the only one allowed to go into the holy of holies to meet with YHWH once a year on the Day of Atonement.

Every morning the high priest (and the priests who served under him) had to be set apart (made holy) before they could administer their priestly functions and service unto G-D as prescribed in the Torah. Each had to offer up for themselves blood sacrifices (such as sin and trespass offerings) in order to deal with their personal sins and obtain forgiveness. Then they had to wash themselves with the water from the bronze laver. Both blood and holy water were applied to them. Not only must this blood and holy water be applied to them, but also these two elements had to be applied to all the vessels of the tabernacle to make them holy for service unto G-D. The priests had to wear certain vestments (clothing) designed by G-D Himself.

Every day all of the priests, including Aaron the high priest, would have set themselves apart to be holy. In Exodus 29 we read what was required by G-D.

• The sacrifice of an unblemished bullock and two unblemished rams—the shedding of blood to atone for their own sins—representing inward cleansing

• Unleavened bread from the altar of showbread—representing communion with G-D

• Washing of holy water from the bronze laver—representing outward cleansing

• Wearing special priestly garments designed by G-D Himself—visually displaying their authority to represent G-D

• A consecration offering, the application of the blood to the tip of the right ear, right thumb, and big toe of right foot

Only the Levitical priests could enter the tabernacle; the people of Israel had to stay far away from the outer walls. Before the full tabernacle was erected, G-D Himself wanted the children of Israel to see that Moses truly met with Him. G-D wanted them to know He was there for them, to watch over, protect, and bless them.

Before G-D established the tabernacle and the old covenant priesthood after the order of Aaron, the children of Israel were told by Moses according to G-D’s instructions to prepare themselves by washing their clothing and abstaining from sexual relations for three days. On that day they stood far off from the temporary “tent of meeting” pitched by Moses. G-D’s Shekinah glory descended inside this temporary dwelling place. Moses would enter to meet with G-D on behalf of the children of Israel as their intermediary. The people witnessed the supernatural cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, which appeared from heaven over the place where the Shekinah glory would reside.

The point I am making is that there was always an intercessor needed in the old covenant. At first it was Moses who would meet with the one true G-D on behalf of the children of Israel. Then once the tabernacle in the wilderness was constructed as commanded by G-D Himself, and then the holy temple, only the high priest could meet directly with G-D in the holy of holies once a year as a representative of the people.

Most of my brethren today, the Jewish people, don’t understand that no one in Israel could directly access the presence of the one true G-D apart from an intercessor. There was a priest, but not just any priest, that could pronounce the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing over the children of Israel. It was only the high priest who would come out of the tabernacle (and later the holy temple in Jerusalem) and meet with the people each day standing before them. In the Tanakh (Old Testament) other less significant functions were often administered by Levitical priests, such as the administration of sacrifices, anointing with oil, and carrying out the daily priestly duties of the sacrificial system.

In other instances the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel would stand in the gap and administer certain ministry functions on behalf of the people within each tribe. There were many layers between the people of G-D and access to the awesome presence of G-D who made Himself manifest in the form of the Shekinah glory.

Following the practices of the patriarchs of Israel, the father of each Jewish family was encouraged by the rabbis to administer blessings by laying his hand on the heads of his children. The foundation of laying on of hands in the new covenant is based on that same foundation laid out in the old covenant. In the church today it is the “elders of the church” who are encouraged to lay hands upon the sick and anoint them with oil when they pray for their healing. (See 1 Timothy 4:14; James 5:14.)

As I already stated, the high priest was the only one who could administer the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing. Not even Moses, who had met with G-D in the glory cloud and talked directly with Him as if face-to-face (Exod. 33:11), could pronounce this blessing over the people.

In modern times, during Passover there will be events in Israel by the Western Wall (the Kotel) where rabbis with the name Cohen will pronounce the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing over the Jewish people who gather there. The rabbinical authorities believe that those with the name Cohen could be descendants of the Levitical priests, which in Hebrew are called kohen or plural kohanim. But honestly the bloodline ancestry of those with the name Cohen cannot truly be established.

As beautiful as this ceremony is, the fullness of the supernatural power of this blessing is not anything like it was when the high priest Aaron administered it over the children of Israel every day. Again, one of the main reasons is that the high priest was the only person able to enter into the holy of holies to meet directly with the one true G-D of Israel.

Please understand, as with any portion of the Word of G-D, this divine prayer of blessing is unique and will bless you in proportion to whatever level you engage with it. Here are the seven levels again:

3. Studying its deeper meaning and making a connection on how the verses relate to other passages throughout the Bible.

5. Allowing the Word of G-D to affect your very thinking. In Scripture, this is referred to as “the washing with water through the word [of G-D]” (Eph. 5:26, NIV).

6. Reaching a deeper impact as a result of an impartation from G-D Himself as His Holy Spirit writes the meaning upon your heart.

7. The greatest impartation comes when G-D manifests Himself—His very person—to us and dwells within us and upon us and flows out from us to others! The result is a tangible change in our circumstances, and as a consequence we obtain supernatural breakthroughs to fulfill our calling, destiny, and purpose while on planet Earth.

I believe G-D has revealed to me the way in which you and I can receive the same supernatural fullness that the children of Israel received as the high priest Aaron administered the divine prayer over them in the wilderness every day for forty years!

Only after the high priest of Israel completed the cleansing and anointing process would he exit the tabernacle and come before the children of Israel who were assembled outside every morning. No hands of the high priest were ever laid upon them.

While pronouncing this blessing, Aaron extended his hands toward the people, spreading his fingers apart and placing his thumbs together to represent the Hebrew letter shin, an emblem for El Shaddai. This represented G-D Almighty. (The Hebrew word dai means “to shed forth, to pour out, or to heap benefits.”)

Through the high priest of Israel, a little portion of the actual Shekinah glory (the manifest presence of the one true G-D of Israel) was “shed forth or poured out” upon the children of Israel in a supernatural way!

The children of Israel did not have the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) residing within them. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit within only occurred as a result of Yeshua’s promise that it would be far better when He was gone because they would receive the indwelt Holy Spirit.

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it does not see Him, neither does it know Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you, and will be in you.

—JOHN 14:16–17

The first promise as a result of the new covenant is that all believers who accept by faith Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah would have the Holy Spirit within them.

Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean. From all your filthiness and from all your idols, I will cleanse you. Also, I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit [a new nature] I will put within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit [Holy Spirit] within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

—EZEKIEL 36:25–27

The children of Israel also didn’t have the Holy Spirit upon them. Under the old covenant the Holy Spirit was only placed upon certain men such as prophets, kings, and priests. On one occasion, the Holy Spirit came upon a donkey ridden by the prophet Balaam, causing the donkey to speak and forbid the madness of the prophet (Num. 22:28).

But the second promise as a result of the new covenant was that all believers—not just some special appointed people such as prophets, kings, and priests—would one day also have the Holy Spirit placed upon them, so they too could be witnesses and demonstrate G-D’s kingdom on earth.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

—JOEL 2:28–29, KJV

G-D gave to Moses the Torah (G-D’s written precepts, commandments, and instruction) to guide the children of Israel in the covenant that He had forged with them. The rabbis have deduced to the best of their corporate ability that there are 613 different commandments. These were to be followed in “blind obedience”—no questions asked! If a person sinned against G-D, His grace was available for forgiveness through the sacrificial system of atonement and trespass offerings, which included the shedding of the blood of kosher (clean, unblemished) animals.

Truthfully none of us could ever live up to such a high calling, especially without the Holy Spirit upon us or within us, except for the provision of grace, which in the old covenant was given through the shedding of the blood of unblemished animals. This foundational truth that a sacrifice was needed to atone for our sins is also the main foundational truth contained in the new covenant.

My point is that G-D did give the children of Israel something special, and He did not leave them without supernatural help. Through this Priestly Prayer of the Blessing pronounced by the high priest over them every day, G-D would be placing His very person (in the form of a portion of the Shekinah glory) upon them in a supernatural way. My contention is that this was a different manifestation than what occurs when one receives Yeshua as Messiah and Lord and when Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) comes to reside within (Ezek. 11:19; 36:26–27) and the manifestation that occurs when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Joel 2:28–29).

What does occur through the impartation of this divine prayer is what happened to the children of Israel for forty years while they were in the wilderness—supernatural provision, supernatural health, angelic protection, and prosperity! Even their shoes and clothes never wore out.

These miracles happened to them as a result of the proclamation of the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing over them by the high priest every day. Through the pronouncement of this divine prayer in the manner prescribed through G-D Himself, a portion of the Shekinah glory (the very person of G-D the Father) was placed upon them.

What if this is possible for us to have today? I believe as you read this book, you will discover that G-D wants us to experience this today. What I am about to share with you is how you can begin to walk in divine intimacy with the one true G-D of Israel, your heavenly Father, and it begins with an understanding of the Shekinah glory.

KEYS TO THE BLESSING

Only the high priest could pronounce the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing over the children of Israel by lifting his hands and placing his fingers in a way to represent the name of G-D.

STUDY QUESTIONS

Why was it that the high priest was the only one who could pronounce the divine prayer over the children of Israel?

What did the high priest, after the order of Aaron, have to do before he could minister in the holy of holies and later in the holy temple in Jerusalem?

When the high priest of Israel held both hands up with his fingers in the form of the Hebrew letter shin, what did this signify and what did the children of Israel receive upon them?

What different manifestation can we as believers in Yeshua receive that is different than that of receiving the Holy Spirit within and then upon us?

PRAYER

Father G-D, I come before You and ask that You continue to help me grasp this teaching and let the truth of this revelation affect not only my intellect—my mind—but I pray You write it upon my heart so I will receive all You have intended for me to experience! I pray this in the name of Yeshua (Jesus).