The Priestly Prayer of the Blessing

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the LORD lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

—NUMBERS 6:24–26

This final word in G-D’s divine prayer of the blessing is abstract in both English and Greek. We tend to think of the word peace as meaning “the absence of strife and war,” but it is so much more! The root word is shalam, which means “to make amends.” This is emphasized in Scripture:

The owner of the pit must make restitution. He must give money to their owner, and the dead animal will be his.

—EXODUS 21:34

One of the meanings of shalom is “to make restitution.” Its main meaning is also “to restore something and make it even better than its former or original state.”

When we have shalom, promises and blessings that were robbed from us by the enemy of our souls are restored when our heavenly Father imparts His restorative powers to us. He restores us to a right relationship with Him through the gift of forgiveness and justification. He is able to restore our earthly relationships. And He can even restore days and years that have been lost to the effects of sin. (See Joel 2:25.) That has to be greatest evidence of the extravagant nature of G-D’s mercy. Not only can He renew your life and redeem your future, but YHWH can also redeem your past.

The heavenly Father restores sight to the blind, the ability to walk to the crippled, hearing to the deaf, and new, clean skin to the diseased. (See Mark 8:22–26; Matthew 9:2–8; Mark 7:31–37; Luke 5:12–25.) G-D doesn’t just heal a condition; He restores life, security, and hope to the brokenhearted!

Shalom also includes the idea of “vigor and vitality” in all dimensions of life. In short, shalom speaks of holistic (“holy”) health for our souls and spirits.

When the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing is pronounced over us, shalom causes us to be able to make up for lost time, bestows new identities, and creates new life! YHWH (our heavenly Father) promises good plans for His people, plans that include a hopeful future!

For I know the plans that I have for you, says [YHWH], plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

—JEREMIAH 29:11

The ultimate peace (shalom) will be when YHWH ushers in His kingdom of heaven onto the earth.

And [G-D] will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

—REVELATION 21:4, NKJV

There will be no sickness, pain, sorrow, or crying, because the joy of the Lord will fill the earth as the perfect peace of YHWH (the heavenly Father) will abide on Planet Earth.

Yeshua was teaching us how to pray for shalom (perfect peace as it is in heaven). The prayer is often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer.

Yeshua is referring to the sacred name of the G-D of Israel, YHWH (YeHoVaH, YaHWeH).

In heaven there is perfect shalom. Through the divine prayer of the Priestly Prayer of the Blessing you can begin to tap into a portion of heaven coming into your life now! In the very presence of the Father you receive what the Father has! He brings with Him heaven’s atmosphere. In heaven there is . . .

There is perfect shalom fulfillment, and wellness of being, prosperity, provision, love, joy, and perfection! True shalom is to have every part of your life brought back to completeness and to wholeness! G-D wants to restore Eden to us.

Now may the [G-D] of hope [YHWH] fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit [Ruach HaKodesh].

—ROMANS 15:13

To pray for Jerusalem’s peace (shalom) is more than asking for the absence of war. It is praying that the Messiah King would return, that the holy temple will be rebuilt, the exiles will be regathered, and righteousness and holiness will prevail. It is asking that Jerusalem be restored to its original significance and importance to YHWH and His kingdom.

When a Jewish person says, “Shabbat shalom,” he is saying after a long week of working and feeling drained and tired, “May the G-D of Israel restore you this Sabbath and bring about wholeness and completeness for you.”

True peace (shalom) exists in the dwelling place of YHWH in heaven, which includes completeness and wholeness.

Yeshua was prophesied to be the Sar Shalom—in English, the Prince of Peace, which perfectly describes the ministry and personality of our Messiah.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty [G-D], Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

—ISAIAH 9:6

When Yeshua was born as the Sar Shalom—the Prince of Peace—YHWH (the heavenly Father) appeared along with the angel of the Lord in the form of the Shekinah glory!

And in the same area [Bethlehem-Ephrata] there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

—LUKE 2:8

Some biblical scholars today believe that these weren’t average shepherds, but instead, they were Israelites who belonged to the tribe of the Levites (the priests) and were tending the sheep who were the sacrificial animals for the holy temple observances.

And then an angel of the Lord [messenger of G-D] appeared to them, and the [Shekinah] glory of [YHWH] shone around them, and they were very afraid.

—LUKE 2:9

Many theologians believe that the angel of the Lord here was part of a theophany—an appearance of G-D the Father Himself. The angel of the Lord was accompanied by the Shekinah glory of YHWH. In the same way that the priests were overcome and couldn’t minister in the tabernacle and the holy temple when the glory came, so too the shepherds in the field were overcome by the Shekinah glory of YHWH (the heavenly Father)!

But the angel [messenger] said to them, “Listen! Do not fear. For I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people.”

—LUKE 2:10

This was the same thing the heavenly Father said to me in my childhood dream when I beheld G-D in the form of the Shekinah glory in heaven. He said to me, “Do not be afraid, I am your friend, I will never hurt you.”

For unto you is born this day in the City of David [Bethlehem-Ephrata, which is part of greater Jerusalem] a Savior, who is Christ the Lord [Messiah Adonai].

—LUKE 2:11

And this will be a sign to you: You will find the Baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.

—LUKE 2:12

A recent archaeological discovery in Bethlehem-Ephrata, which is part of greater Jerusalem, revealed a stable used by the Levitical priests to raise the sacrificial sheep and goats for the holy temple. Could it be that Yeshua (Jesus) was born in the very place where the Passover lamb and the twin male goats for the atonement offering were raised?

Suddenly there was with the angel [messenger] a company of the heavenly host [angels] praising [YHWH] and saying, “Glory to [YHWH] in the highest and on earth peace [shalom], and good will toward men.”

—LUKE 2:13–14

The Sar Shalom, the promised Prince of Peace, Yeshua the Messiah was born. It will be He who, in His second coming, ushers in the “Messianic Millennial Age” when New Jerusalem descends from heaven and the glory of YHWH (our heavenly Father) fills the earth, bringing the atmosphere of heaven on the earth.

Shalom is an all-encompassing word for the good that comes from YHWH when He and Yeshua come to earth as New Jerusalem descends from heaven ushering in the “Messianic Age.”¹

Ultimate shalom will become tangible when the very atmosphere of heaven itself invades the earth. The Scriptures declare that all of creation groans for the resurrection and physical transformation of the spiritual sons and daughters of G-D.

We know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. Not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

—ROMANS 8:22–23

During the Messianic Millennial Age the atmosphere on the earth and the very nature of mankind will be docile.

Then [YHWH] will judge between many peoples and mediate for mighty nations far and wide; they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, and they will no longer train for war.

—MICAH 4:3

During the Messianic Millennial Age there will be such an atmosphere of shalom on the earth that animals that were once predators will become tame, and will no longer eat flesh, but rather, graze on the grass of the field.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse [Messiah], who shall stand as a banner to the peoples. For him shall the nations seek. And his rest shall be glorious.

—ISAIAH 11:6–10

In the Garden of Eden it was heaven on the earth. I believe that through G-D’s divine prayer we can begin to experience a return to Eden. In the Strong’s Concordance we see that shalom encompasses many different areas of our life:

Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means “to pay for,” and Shulam means “to be fully paid.”²

May YHWH (YeHoVaH, YaHWeH, your heavenly Father) set in place all you need to be whole and complete so you can walk in victory, moment by moment, by the power of the Holy Spirit. May He give you supernatural health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfection, fullness, rest, and harmony, as well as the absence of agitation and discord.

KEYS TO THE BLESSING

When you are in the presence of YHWH (your heavenly Father) and His name (shem) has been placed upon you and you receive G-D’s very person, His holy character, and His authority and power, you also obtain completeness and wholeness!

STUDY QUESTIONS

In English peace mainly means “the absence of war,” but what does the Hebrew word shalom mean?

When Yeshua taught the disciples how to pray in what is referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, what did He mean when He said, “Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven?”

What does it mean that Yeshua is referred to as the Sar Shalom?

What is a theophany?