1.In Genesis 49:26 we see the Hebrew word for bless used twice. When we read both 25 and 26 the word appears six times What does the word bless say to us about how we are to live our lives. Is it important for us to bless others? What are we actually doing when we bless someone? Is there an example in Torah on how to bless or in the Messianic scripture where blessings were spoken?
Today the word bless has lost some of its meaning. It often is just a way to end a conversation. I’m sure, living in the south, we have all heard, “Bless your little heart.”
But blessing someone is much more than that.
In Numbers 6:23-27 G-d gave Aaron a pattern for blessing the people of Israel.
Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The L-rd bless you and keep you; the L-rd make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the L-rd turn his face toward youand give you peace. So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
These verses give us a great pattern of how to bless and what it means to bless. A blessing is a request for G-d to intervene in the life of a person. It shows those things that are to be called down when we are blessing. It is not just a light way of ending a visit or to be used without thought. It is a powerful intercession that is made for the favor of G-d to be brought to bear on a person.
The last verse says, “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel and I will bless them.” G-d is telling Aaron how to bless their children. They would be putting G-d’s name on them. They would belong to G-d.
It is important for us to be a person who speaks words of blessing into the lives of people.
To bless another person carries strong spiritual power. When we bless our children, verbally where they hear our words it is an opportunity to voice how G-d sees them. We are encouraging them to rise to that calling.
In the Messianic scriptures we see how Yeshua and His disciples blessed. Yeshua blessed when sharing food with the five thousand. Matthew 14:19, “Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Yeshua took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.”
He spoke blessings at the Last Supper in Matthew 26:26, “And as they were eating, Yeshua took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, take eat; this is my body.”
What blessing did Yeshua say over the bread? Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ.
In Luke 6:28 He told His disciples this: “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Shaul followed Yeshua’s example in Romans 12:14, “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not” There are many more verses showing us the spiritual effect of blessing. Use blessings to touch people, to bring the power of G-d into the lives of friends, family and others.
2.How can we be obedient to Psalms 103:1, “Bless the L-rd, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” How can man bless G-d when He lacks nothing?
The word blessing In Hebrew is bracha. It can mean to strengthen, to kneel and to bless.
How can man bless G-d who lacks nothing?
Baruch ata Adonai or bless G-d is a statement of recognition that G-d is our source of all blessings. In a way bracha serve as a humbling reminder that what we accomplish or what we have is not from our own strength.
It reminds us we may sometimes falsely believe Deut 8:17, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me'”.
We express our dependence on G-d when we bless Him. The word bracha shares a root with the word bereck which means knee, We bend our knees to G-d bowing in recognition of our need for Him. When we bless G-d we are praising Him completely and with the whole heart.
3.In Genesis 50:15-20 we read where the brothers were asking themselves, and then Joseph, to again forgive them for what had happened earlier in their lives when they sold Joseph into slavery. As you read these verses they even resort to lying to Joseph about what their father had said to them. Why do you think they did this? What is our lesson here?
There may have been several reasons the brothers were asking for forgiveness again.
One issue might have been the brothers own doubt. How could Joseph forgive them for such a terrible deed? Surely he was just waiting until their father died to take revenge on them.
We have seen this before. Esau swore to kill Jacob as soon as their father died. This was the way the world worked at this time.
Sometimes we relate to our Heavenly Father the same way. Often we judge ourselves and think G-d could never forgive us for what we have done. It was just too terrible. So, we don’t ask for His forgiveness. Even when we do ask sometimes we don’t forgive ourselves. Thank G-d He does not look at us as we look at ourselves. G-d stands ready to forgive our sins. We must only repent and come to Him and ask for His forgiveness. He gives it freely to His children.
However, forgiveness is not a get out of jail free card. Repentance involves a change of heart. Repentance requires a new way of living – a new and different person.
In last week’s reading, we saw this in Judah’s life. He offered to take Benjamin’s place and let Benjamin return to his father. Joseph saw Judah was a different person. Judah was not the same man Joseph knew earlier when he suggested to his brothers to sell Joseph as a slave.
When we come to G-d and repent He expects to see that play out in our actions in life.
We have become a new creation. II Cor. 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Yeshua, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.
We no longer do the things we used to do, we are a different person and are expected to not return to our prior sins. This is something we all need to hear again and again. Judah changed. Joseph saw that change and was able to forgive him.
4 In Genesis 49:2 as Jacob was about to bless his sons he said, “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.” Why do you think he used both names, Jacob and Israel when talking about himself?
I think Jacob realized an important thing about himself, he was both Jacob and Israel, and his sons were sons of each. This was a place of spiritual maturity. He realized he was both Jacob and Israel. Israel was the spiritual person G-d had molded him into. Jacob was the fleshly part of him that he battled against.
Each of us, who are believers, have that same battle within us. We are redeemed by the blood of the Messiah but we also continue to battle against the desires of our old life we have left behind.
Hazak, Hazak, v’nit’chazek!
Be strong, be strong, and let us be stengthened!