Even a casual reader of the Old Testament will notice that people took spoken words—blessings and curses—more seriously back then. Genesis is filled with powerful blessings spoken over people. Each patriarch blesses his sons: Abraham blesses Isaac, Isaac blesses Jacob and Esau, Jacob blesses his twelve sons, and more. Some of Jacob’s blessings are poetic:
“Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the kill. He crouches, he lies down like a lion—who dares to rouse him?… Asher’s food will be rich, and he will produce royal delicacies. Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine beside a spring; its branches climb over the wall….” Genesis 49:9-22.
As parents, God gave us blessings for our children. For our daughter, He gave the name “Twila,” meaning “woven of two threads,” indicating she will be strongly tied to God because her spiritual heritage is strong in both her father and her mother’s lines. For our son, God gave a Bible verse indicating he will be a blessing to our family and others.
But a keyword search of Genesis reveals that the word “bless” is preceded far more often by “God” (as in “God blessed Joseph”) than by the name of anyone else. God does much more blessing than even the best parents. The patriarchs understood this: IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE GOING TO BE BLESSED, GOD MUST BE BEHIND IT. When the pagan Potiphar prospered, he knew God was blessing Joseph, 39:3. The jailer too saw that God was with Joseph, 39:23. Later Pharaoh recognized the Spirit of God in Joseph, 41:38. Certainly God’s children (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) would have understood this too: blessings come from God, not merely the words of your parents.
Nevertheless, the words of parents have overwhelming power. Encouragement can change the direction of a child’s life—but so can criticism. In no other relationship can your words do more harm—or more good. Choose words wisely and bless your children!
Dear God, bless us as only you can! Bless our work and our time the way you blessed the work of Joseph. Make us honorable, filled with integrity as he was—and BLESS the work of our hands, because we know blessings come from you. And bless our words, so we can be a blessing to our children.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 