The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace.
Most of us know that in this blessing the word keep means that we are asking God to guard and protect us. But let us meditate more deeply on what the word keep means.
To keep is not only to hold on to, but is to hold on to as precious. To guard. The keep of a castle is its inner defense. Where you keep the women. Where you keep the treasure. When we keep something, there is a tone of zealousness, of jealousy, of guarding. We keep what is ours, what is most definitely ours, and not somebody else's.
That is the sense in which God keeps us. God guards us. God guards us for himself. He keeps us close at hand. He keeps us under his wing and in his bosom, where he loves us zealously.
The Lord keep you, sirs and mesdames.
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