The Blessing of the Generations

UV 528/10,000 Genesis 48 v 15 The Blessing of Offspring He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day..” The day our older daughter left our home to pursue her legal studies in the UK, the Lord revealed that we as parents should bless both children in this manner. In the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, we blessed them. Joseph was the blessed one among the 12 sons of Jacob. He was the one whom the Lord raised up through a series of reverses and upturns to vindicate the promise of God Almighty to Abraham to make his descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore or the stars in the universe. Abraham is the father of faith and by faith,we who believe in the promise of God are his descendants. We too should bless our offspring when they come of age in this manner. It becomes their spiritual inheritance even as the blessing of Jacob was the legacy he left to his children and to their descendants. The blessing had three parts to it: that they would be protected from all evil, that they would carry on the family line or name and that they would grow and multiply: angelic or divine protection, spiritual legacy and growth. Abraham was the first person in world history to enjoy a personal relationship with God. His ability to believe the unseen, to live a righteous life and to obey the difficult and even impossible instructions of Almighty God made him stand out from the rest of humanity. The gift of faith and the blessings of such faith continued to Isaac, his son and thereafter, to Jacob the son of Isaac. The word “ walked before” in this uni-verse implied that every step they took every day, every hour, every moment they were in communion with the Lord. They walked in truth, righteousness and uprightness of heart. The word “ walked” also implies the following nuances of a living and practicing faith: seek,love, serve, worship. There was a progression in their faith and the consequent real-life experiences they encountered. Jacob herein testified that the Lord was faithful to them as shepherd to his sheep in providing, in protecting and guiding them to their dying day. We must desire that our children and theirs will continue the personal relationship with Almighty God that we enjoy. He will feed them according to their spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical need. As long as they, too walked with Him as sheep walk with their shepherd, He will provide for them, protect them, guide and bless them. The corollary is also true that if they stray away like goats do according to their wont, He will not be able to provide, guide and lead them. The difference between the blessing of Jacob and the contemporary blessing in the name of Jesus Christ is that we and our offspring are more blessed than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph who as their names and lives symbolized blessing of faith,blessing of fulfilled promises or laughter, blessing of victory in struggles in life and addition ( Joseph means “let him add.”) Jesus Christ is the capstone, the ultimate touchstone of blessing. Whoever is blessed by His touch has all these blessings in this life and in addition, salvation or eternal life as well as access to all the riches of the blessings of heaven and earth. Prateep V Philip