Title: A Father’s Blessing
Memorize: 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. Genesis 49:26 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: Genesis 27:27-40 (Nkjv)
27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the Lord has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”
30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”
32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”
34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”
35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”
36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”
38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
Message:
A father has tremendous power over the lives and destinies of his children.
Any wise child will always seek his or her father’s (biological or spiritual) blessings.
This is why you must always think of ways to provoke your father to bless you.
One day, I had just returned from a journey, and two of my spiritual children came to welcome me.
The one who got to me first merely greeted me. However, the other followed suit and then proceeded to collect my bags.
Immediately he did that, I said to him, “God bless you.” The first son said, “Daddy, you did not say, ‘God bless you’ to me.”I replied him, “What did you do for me? You saw me carrying bags but didn’t help me.”
My dear child, if you want your father to bless you, you must be ready to do something that will provoke him to do so.
One very important thing about a father’s blessing is that it is irreversible.
Even though Isaac realized that he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau, he could not reverse it (Genesis 27:33).
This is why you must seek your father’s blessing in every way you can.
Rather than provoking him to anger, provoke him to bless you.
Action Point:
Today is Father’s Day. Do something that would make your father bless you from his heart today.
Bible Quiz:
Who stole whose blessings from their father?
HYMN 63 – O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES TO SING
1 O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread thro’ all the earth abroad
The honours of your name.
3 Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorroWs cease,
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
‘Tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me.
5 Hear Him, ye dear, His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ
Ye blind behold your Saviour Come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
Bible In One Year 1 Kings 14:1-15:24, Acts 10:1-23
Authors: Pastor E. A. Adeboye and Pastor Folu Adeboye