Title: Parents are the Pathway of Blessing
Contents Pathway of Blessing (Genesis 48:1-9)
Today is Father's Day. I pray that God's grace and blessings overflow on Mother's Day, which is the month of the family. When we honor our parents, we receive a commandment from God that promises to be blessed on this earth. The Bible says (Ephesians 6:1-3).
1. The Power of Blessing Prayer
(1) There are many scenes in the Bible where parents give blessings (refer to Genesis 49).
In the age of the patriarchs of the Old Testament, fathers pray for blessings to their children. Although he prayed a special blessing to the eldest son, Jacob deceived his father and took away not only his brother's birthright, but also the blessing. I wouldn't recommend it because it's a cunning method, but you should learn the importance of praying for blessings.
Even on his deathbed, his father's blessing prayer was like a prophecy. Before Jacob died, he prayed a blessing to his twelve sons and to Joseph's two sons. However, such a blessing came true. Among them, the blessing given to Joseph was a great blessing that we should long for (Genesis 49:22-26). It is said that the basis of the blessing is “because it is through the hand of the Almighty of Jacob.” Blessings from our ancestors continued. “The God of your father will help you.”
(2) When parents bless, those blessings will come as they are (Genesis 49:28, Numbers 6:27).
Blessing prayers from parents have a prophecy. Parents are heavenly agents with prophetic responsibility for their children. Parents should speak prophetic words that give their children courage and hope and bless the future. You have to keep prophesying while calling your name and prophesy with good words. A prophecy is any word or action that affects an outcome.
Because children often do what their parents say. In Genesis 49, we see the fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy for his 12 children.
2. Parents are channels of blessing (Genesis 48:1-9).
(1) The text is the scene where Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons.
When Joseph heard that Jacob was ill, he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to his father Jacob (verse 1). When he heard that his son and grandchildren had arrived, Jacob, who was lying on the bed, gathered strength and managed to get up from the bed and sit down (verse 2). Jacob is so weak that he cannot stand up. Jacob gets up from his bed and tells Joseph the blessing God has given him. Jacob says that he met God in Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed him (verses 3 and 4). And Jacob takes the sons of Joseph as his sons (vv. 5-6).
Isn't it really strange? Jacob called Joseph's sons his sons. Ephraim and Manasseh are the sons of Joseph. But Jacob said these words that he would treat him like a son like Reuben and Simeon. He wants to see his grandson as his son. And only the descendants who will be born after that will be the descendants of Joseph, and the inheritance will be acquired in the name of the older brothers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Instead of Joseph, he wanted to raise two sons in the ranks of the 12 tribes of Israel. Because the tribe of Levi was not counted, one more person had to be added to the 12 tribes. Jacob blessed Joseph, but instead of Joseph, he blessed Iphraim and Manasseh, giving him twice as much blessing as the other children. They also gave me twice as much land.
(2) God fulfills the providence of God through his parents.
Those who do not know the sovereignty of God will be puzzled by rationally judging the blessings that God will bring. But God wants to bless you abundantly.
Jabez's prayer was answered, and in fact, it is thought that it was a prayer that led to the inheritance of faith, just as his mother gave birth to him and named him Jabez. I pray that Jabez's prayer will be answered (1 Chronicles 4:10).
⑶ Parents, you must lead your children to the Lord, the source of blessing.
Just as Joseph led the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim and led them to his grandfather Jacob, parents should bring their children to the Lord. How busy was Joseph's official schedule as Egypt's prime minister? However, they led their sons to their grandfather, believing that their parents were the channel of blessing (verse 9b).
Jacob brought Joseph's two sons and blessed them. Think about your father's blessing. Blessings are passed on. A father's blessing goes to his son. As the grandfather's blessing goes to the father and the father's blessing to the son, it reaches a thousand generations. Where are these promises? It is recorded in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 (Exodus 20:3-6, 12). In this way, God's blessings are passed on to their descendants through their parents. A grandfather or father is a delegate who transmits God's spiritual blessings to his children. Because God is a God of order, He blesses through order. A child's respect for the father shows the reverence for the God hidden behind the father. The fear of God is the foundation of knowledge.
3. How should children be filial to their parents?
⑴Children should immediately think about their parents.
Our parents must first think that it is like having a bad year in life. If we use a metaphor for the period of life, the age of old age is the age of famine. The age of youth is like the age of abundance. In the year of abundance, everything is abundant. In their youthful days, their energy is abundant, their appearance is beautiful, they are oily, and their income is abundant. However, as they age, their appearance becomes pale. The honor, talent, energy, and beauty of youth disappear. My hands are shaking due to tremor. Nagging a lot. I'm sick and it's hard to lie down and get up. This is life's famine. At this time, you must share what is abundant. In everyone's life, times of famine come back easily. Therefore, filial piety is to repay kindness.
(2) Then, how should children be filial to their parents?
First, you must obey your parents. We must listen carefully to our parents and receive instruction. Parents' worth lies in their God-given authority (Romans 13:1). No matter how bad your parents are, you should not ignore them, even if they did not learn. It is your parents who taught you love on behalf of God. That is why the blessing that makes those who are filial to their parents prosper is the most important commandment in the world (Ephesians 6:1-3). The reason that Joseph, who is mentioned in today's text, also received blessings from his children was the result of thorough obedience to the words of his parents from an early age.
Second, children must please their parents and their mothers who gave birth to them (Proverbs 23:22-26).
The basic concept of filial piety among Koreans is to serve their parents for a long life. So, Korean filial piety is to take care of elderly parents comfortably. When you get old, you realize that you are old when you experience physical weakness. Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 realistically describes the physical disability that comes with old age, but you just need to eat, drink, wear, and where you live, especially in peace, especially your heart, your heart. From an economic point of view, many older people retire from their jobs, so they lose their income and fall into a position of economic weakness. With fewer and fewer opportunities to work and fewer opportunities to earn money, if you have saved a lot of money while you are young, or if you do not receive the benefits of an appropriate pension, you will have to experience economic difficulties as you get older. Parents are not eligible for relief. Feeling pity or pity is not filial piety. Parents are respectful. Love without respect can never be filial (Proverbs 23:22).
Third, parents must lead a life of faith.
The prevailing idea is that people become more religious as they age, and inevitably become religious in their later years. The religious enthusiasm of the elderly is due to their concern for the afterlife and the matter of the coming death. Of course, because older people have more time to meditate, they also think more about religion. The Bible teaches that true filial piety is in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1). Filial piety is to have hope in old age. It is true filial piety to instill hope for the afterlife in parents who are afraid of death. Filial filial piety is to believe in Jesus, to hope for heaven, and to evangelize so that we can live. The way to be filial is to be filial if your children are righteous (Proverbs 23:24).
Ministry: Let children be filial to their parents and receive blessing prayers to receive blessings from the earth.