Bless You Aaron

Not always, but on occasion when I put my children to bed, before then slip off to sleep, I'll place my hand upon their soft forehead, and pray with them something like this...

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,

May the Lord show you favor and give you peace - through His Son Jesus, Amen.

Sound familiar? It should, it's Aaron's blessing, given by God, through his brother Moses to pronounce on God's children. It's found in Numbers 6:22-27:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Should I be praying this OT prayer for my children? 
Is it vain repetition? 
Why do I put Jesus' name at the end of it...that's not in the Numbers passage? 

Don Whitney has written a short and helpful article about this prayer, answering some of these very questions. He's formatted his commentary into a bulletin insert, which you may download for free and distribute at your church - perhaps this coming Father's Day.

May the Lord bless you...