A beautiful verse on a medallion.

In the Old Testament, the book of Numbers presents an account of the 38-year period of Israel’s wandering in the desert following the establishment of the covenant of Sinai. The covenant of Sinai is detailed in the book of Exodus. It was God’s agreement with the Israelites, after Moses delivered them from captivity in Egypt. It promises the Israelites to be God’s chosen people, IF they obey him fully and keep His covenant.

Numbers 6 mostly talks about the Vow of a Nazarite. This is a special separation of the person from the world, including family, and dedicate themselves only to God during the period of the vow (30 days, or longer). It is like a priestly vow, although in some ways stricter. The vow was completed with a ritual offering and sacrifice. This ritual was superseded when Jesus conquered death. Arguably periods of meditation, service and prayer are still valuable, although it need not be a public affair. Indeed, Jesus denounced prayer and sacrifice in public for the purpose of being seen to do it.

Following the description of the Nazarite vow, the Lord passes on to Moses how the priest should bless the people. All of the people, not only those who have taken the Nazarite vow. The blessing is written on the medallion, in the King James wording: “May the Lord bless thee and keep thee. May the Lord let His face shine unto thee and show thee favor. May the Lord lift up his countenance unto thee and give thee peace.”.

A more modern wording from the New International Version of the Bible reads:

“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.”

The Cambridge Singers sing a beautiful rendition of this verse, as composed by John Rutter:

The medallion is very Jewish in appearance. The hands in the center of the Numbers verse as the Jewish Shin Blessing. This is the blessing the priest gives at the end of service at the Synagogue, when this verse is recited as a benediction.

The other side features Two Lions of Judah rampant with the tablets of the Ten Commandments between them. The Lion of Judah was the symbol of the Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The text at the bottom, “Mazel” is a Hebrew word meaning “luck” or “congratulations”

So, one side has a reminder of the Ten Commandments on one side, and congratulations. The other side has a most uplifting blessing. So, like the covenant of Sinai, and indeed most of the bible, this medallion is a reminder of what wondrous gifts the Lord has for you, with a reminder to act in a way deserving of such bounty. Although not the most visually striking medallion I have, I really like this one!