The nature and character of this blessing we may gather from the close of Num. 6.
They were to announce to His people Israel the delight of God to bless, to tell of the grace of His heart, the peace He delights to impart, the shining of His face, the power of His hand to keep those He blessed, and other precious attributes bound up with His name,
It is suggestive that the place and "time" of this separation of the Levites is connected with Jotbath. They had traveled from Beeroth, which means "wells," to Jotbath, which means "rivers." They were to be "rivers of waters," streams of refreshing, now.
This surely is what we are to be in this world- out of our belly " rivers " are to flow to the parched and weary hearts all round us. We start at the wells, we drink of the fountain-Jesus; and coming to Him, He so fills and satisfies us, that there is an overflow. A river is the outcome and overflow of the spring:so, as the Spirit of God is ungrieved in us, He makes us channels of refreshment and blessing to others.
The gospel is not only "I will bless thee," but I will bless thee so fully that thou shalt "be a blessing." We are to show forth the virtues of Him who has called us out of darkness into His "marvelous light," to make known among men the unsearchable riches of Christ, to proclaim the love of God, the glories of the person and work of Christ, to declare there is blessing for man bound up with the name of Jesus-blessing for "whosoever will."
To bless "in His name" is our happy service.
To " bear the ark" our daily responsibility.
To "stand before the Lord and minister to Him" our abiding privilege.
It is well also to notice that these "Levites" had no resources here, no inheritance. The Lord was their inheritance; all their portion was to be found in Him; apart from what they possessed in Him, they were poor indeed.
Paul was a true Levite, "having nothing, yet possessing all things":he found an unfailing treasure-house in God for all his needs for time and eternity.
The more simply and truly we learn that all our blessings are in the Lord, outside the world, the more God becomes our everlasting portion, we shall be in a spiritual condition to worship God in the Spirit, become witnesses for Christ, and exponents of the heart of God to men, blessing in His name. H. N.