The Gift that Keeps Giving
The story of the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau, is one of the more familiar stories in Scripture. Jacob, the younger of the two, tricked his father into giving him the blessing that rightfully belonged to his older brother. When Esau learned that Jacob had stolen his blessing, he cried out to his father, “Bless me—bless me too, my father” (Gen. 27:34). The enmity between the two resulted in a broken family relationship that lasted for years.
When we read how Jacob contrived with his mother to steal the blessing that should have gone to his brother, we may wonder what was so important about the blessing. To make such a big deal over what may seem like a minor affair strikes people in the modern world as strange, yet the conferring of a blessing on children in biblical times was extremely important.
Blessing was a concrete expression of a parent’s affection and love. It was the parent’s endorsement of their child, a sort of stamp of approval and value, and gave the coming-of-age young person the privilege to bear his parent’s name. When a parent blessed his offspring, it was thought that some tangible quality or power was passed on to the child.
The power of the blessing goes back to the Garden of Eden when God blessed the first couple. In Genesis, God gave a blessing to Adam and Eve and told them to be fruitful and increase in number. God’s blessing was connected to the power of life, without which, life could not continue or prosper or be fulfilled.
Scripture repeatedly shows the importance of God’s blessing to his children. Numbers 6:24 is one of the best known blessings in Scripture that reveals the significance of God’s blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” For the Lord to turn his face toward someone implied God’s attentiveness and involvement in a person’s life. It further signified that God’s mercy would outweigh his judgement.
In today’s culture we have coined other words to express the concept of blessing—words like self-esteem, healthy ego, feeling comfortable in one’s own skin, and well-adjusted. We may not use the specific word “blessing,” but today’s parents, just as in biblical times, recognize that children need to be verbally affirmed and valued. Children need unequivocal affirmation that their mother and father accept and love them. A parent’s blessing insures that children grow up with a sense of self-worth and value.
In other words, parents are responsible to pass on the power of God’s blessing to their children. When we spend quality time with our children, we are passing on God’s blessing. When we listen to our children’s concerns and frustrations, we are affirming their value and are passing on God’s blessing. Even when we discipline our children, if the discipline fosters love and not fear, we are passing on God’s blessing.
When parents bless children, the children may not even realize they are being blessed, but as they grow older, the blessing will provide a foundation for successful living. Blessing is an invisible shield that protects children from a culture that insists that a person’s value is found only in social or professional achievement or the accumulation of material possessions. Certainly, these accomplishments are not wrong in themselves, but a person’s inherent value is not dependent on status or things. All human beings have incomprehensible value as beings created in the image of God.
Not too many years ago, my wife and I attended a baseball game where several kids from our church were involved. It was a nail-biter of a game, and since kids from our church were on both teams, we cheered for all the players. In the last inning the home team came to bat, behind by two runs. A couple of batters managed to reach base but were left stranded when two batters in a row struck out. With two outs, one of the kids from church came to the plate with a chance to win the game or at least tie it.
My wife and I stood and encouraged the little guy as he stepped into the batter’s box. The boy’s dad was sitting a few rows down from us in the bleachers and he, too, clapped his hands and offered his son support.
Well, the boy struck out on three straight pitches. As the winning team began to celebrate, the dejected son dropped his bat and walked slowly away from the plate. I watched as the father left the stands and ran around the backstop to his son. I could not hear all the words the father said to his distraught son, but what I could make out has stayed with me. The father put his arms around his son and blessed him, “Wow, you really took three great swings at those pitches. I’m so proud of you! You gave it your best shot and that’s what counts. And that catch you made earlier in the game was fantastic! Without that catch, we would have gotten killed.”
That dad knew the power of blessing! The boy who struck out is now an adult, probably with his own children. He may or may not remember the day he struck out with a chance to win the game, but I bet he remembers his dad’s love and support. And because his father gave him a blessing, I’m sure that he is passing on the blessing to his children as well. The blessing is much more important than winning a ball game. The blessing is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children.
