Book Review: The Lord Bless You and Keep You by Michael J. Glodo

The Lord Bless You and Keep You: The Promise of the Gospel in the Aaronic Blessing takes on the famous passage from Numbers 6. It is a new release from Crossway, and I received a free copy from the publisher, but offer my own opinion and I receive no compensation.

The blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 is often called the Aaronic Blessing, ‘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.’ Glodo approaches these verses as a blessing and what that blessing means, including reference to Christ.

The book is six chapters, discussing the context of the verses, the content and meaning, the connection to the New Testament, what it means for us as individuals, and what it means in the context of relationship. The writing style is rather academic, for the most part engaging, though occasionally dry.

What worked

The discussion of the ‘face’ in particular was thorough and provided insight into the context of the Old Testament and the intimacy of face-to-face meetings. The discussion of the face as God’s glory and that glory manifest in Jesus through John’s gospel is particularly deep, especially the focus on the comparison of the glory in the Old Testament and the New eclipsing it. The fifth section addressed about seeing others is powerful. The understanding that as his creation, each of us reflect his glory and is called to see that glory all around us in quite a challenge. The author makes it clear that the outcast is also one who reflects that glory of God and therefore deserves respect and dignity. We should actually see others, those different from ourselves, and care for our neighbor, truly understanding who that is. The understanding of community and the importance that God places on community, working together as Christ’s body, is also a strong point and second challenge.

What didn’t work as well

The final section of the book was dedicated to worship and the Aaronic Blessing. While doing a good job of defining worship in church context, I found that the call to dedicate ourselves to worship through the whole day was never addressed (Rom. 12:1). The section focused on the balance of worship in gatherings. Though criticism of some worship services in churches may be warranted, it hardly seemed to fit. The verses from Numbers do not seem to easily lend themselves to the format or ‘libretto’ of a service, though Glodo presents them that way. There is also a part of this section that addresses the minister and their role in administering a benediction, like Numbers 6:24-26, then it returns to the ‘libretto’ and general flow a service. There is also an appendix which is a suggested liturgy. This focus on worship at the end seems out of place as it seems stretched and not at all directly related, especially given the Aaronic Blessing does not directly tie to the parts of a service that the author suggests.

Conclusion

Overall, this book is an excellent resource, full of Bible references to support the view of the author regarding the Aaronic Blessing. It offers insight into the blessing’s historical context, how Christ fulfills it, and how we should then respond. The challenges that I sensed as reading were certainly biblical. Given that it is a bit dry at parts and has a large focus on worship that isn’t as well documented, the book earns 3/5 stars.