The Blessing

The Blessing

There is an obvious difference between physical blessings and spiritual blessings.

Back in Genesis we read about the blessings that Jacob passed on to his descendants.

It is the classic story ending of the old adage, “What goes around comes around.”

First Jacob desired to see Joseph and his children Ephraim and Manasseh so he could bless them before he passed on to the Lord. Jacob continued the tradition that defied tradition that was handed down from Abraham through Isaac, and then through the deception Jacob and Rachel had pulled off on Isaac in disguising Jacob like Esau.

Evidently it had now become so ingrained in his mind, he now gave the greater blessing to the younger Ephraim.

Even when Joseph tries to correct his father Jacob insists that he has done as the Lord has directed him.

Physical Blessings:

In chapter 49 Joseph has called the rest of the family to his bed side and he passes on his blessing.

As I read this portion of Scripture, couldn’t help but sense Jacob’s obvious irritation with some of his children.

Genesis 49

Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons

1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

2 “ Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,
And listen to Israel your father.

3 “ Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—
He went up to my couch.

5 “ Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.

6 Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel.

8 “ Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s children shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “ Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea;
He shall become a haven for ships,
And his border shall adjoin Sidon.

14 “ Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;

15 He saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,
And became a band of slaves.

16 “Dan shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse’s heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.

18 I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!

19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,
But he shall triumph at last.

20 “Bread from Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties.

21 “ Naphtali is a deer let loose;
He uses beautiful words.

22 “ Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.

23 The archers have bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.

24 But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

25 By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

26 The blessings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

27 “ Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at night he shall divide the spoil.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Physical blessings are passed in regards to:

1. How you impress the blesser (Yes! I do know there is no such word as blesser.)

2. How you behave

3. How blessed the blesser has been

Spiritual Blessings:

Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

I Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Spiritual blessings are passed on in regards to:

1. Our relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ

2. Treasures the world cannot understand or see

3. How much we desire to share the blessings of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ

Henry Nowuen tells of a time when one of the residents at his home for mentally and physically challenged people came to him and requested he bless her.

He reached out his hand and began to place it on her head. When she avoided his touch he was puzzled.

She insisted that she wanted a real blessing and he was to do it at the service that evening.

He struggled to understand what this emotionally and mentally challenged woman was asking him to do for her.

As the service that evening was drawing to a close he mentioned (with great caution) the ladies name and told the other thirty some attendants about her desire to receive a blessing. As he called her to come forward, he again extended his hand as if he would place it on her forehead. This time however, she not only avoided his hand but walked directly into him and grasped him in her embrace.

He finally figured out what she wanted, and he put his arms around her and gave here a blessing that was specific to her and her spiritual gift of making people of the home and visitors feel welcomed.

I want to pass on a spiritual blessing to you.

May you grow in the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ our LORD.

May you learn to share the blessings of your relationship with Him so others might know Him too.

May you all inherit all that God wants you to have in Christ Jesus.