Daddy Issues 14: The Father’s Blessing

There was a man named Pablo. He found out that his parents were about to get a divorce. Pablo recently attended an event where he learned about the power of a father’s blessing. While praying for his parent’s marriage, the lord told him that his father, Luis, never received a blessing from his father and that was why his emotional and spiritual growth was hindered.

Pablo called his grandfather and explained the situation. They all met up one day and Pablo’s grandfather said to Luis, “Son, I love you, and I bless you” They both began to sob. Then the grandfather said do you remember when you were 15 years old?” “Yes” said Luis. Luis’s father had become enraged at him that day, and had screamed horrible things at him, told him that he was worthless, and physically threw him out of the house. He told him he hated him and hoped he would never see this worthless son again. “I’m sorry son, I should have never said those things. I love you. Please forgive me.” They both apologized and wept. Their relationship was healed.

The healing brought a change in Luis. His wife called off the divorce, their marriage flourished their business prospered, and they began to be very active in ministry. The blessing of his father was the key to unlock growth, confidence, and prosperity.
Blessings are extremely important.

Blessing (Hebrew – barak): To kneel

When the time came for the father to bless his sons, they would kneel before him as an act of humility, reverence, and posture to receive.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time

The father’s blessing is meant to help you to fulfill your purpose.

“The father’s blessing is divine favor moving forward” – Dr. Tony Evans

May God bless… Not just what I want for you. But what God wants for you. It is a prophetic invitation of the Holy Spirit of God in your life and a prophetic declaration and battle cry to push back the darkness and to enforce the brokenness of the healing restoration of the blessing

The blessing includes: Divine favor, protection, provision, dominion & authority, purpose & identity.

Butterfly - blessing is the cocoon. without it you are immature and crawl when you should fly.

Fathers blessing isn’t earned – not a reward – but a transference and transmitting of identity and purpose. To continue the family business of blessing. This is why Esau lamented, “Father bless me.” Because that's what a father supposed to do to past on the blessing and to transmit the blessing generationally

It looks beyond who you are today, toward your, call, and where you are supposed to fit in the line of generational blessing.

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (30x) - Generational continuity of the covenant.

Before the 1st command there was a blessing.

Genesis 1:27-28 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth…

The blessing made the command possible, fulfilling, and joyful.

The curse came about because of sin. It was the removal of the blessing. Now you still have to fulfill the command, be fruitful and multiply, without the blessing. Like bricks without straw. Our sin and the enemy would have us believe that God is a cruel and harsh taskmaster, demanding what we could never provide – but the task master is the curse that resulted from our sin. God is good, we are the ones who messed it up. Adam’s work became hard labor. His fruitfulness then turned into scraps. His Heavenly Father blessed him, but Adam rejected the blessing through his rebellion.

There is an account in the Bible where an issue over the father’s blessing shaped the destiny of two men. They were the sons of Isaac, the grandsons of Abraham. Jacob lied, cheated, and deceived his brother out of his father’s blessing, and the effects are still being felt to this day.

God, then called a man out to make a covenant with Him. Abraham, which means father of many, was blessed by God Himself.

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said to Abram… “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

That blessing was passed to Isaac. Isaac had two sons: Esau and his younger brother Jacob. Isaac favored Esau. He was the firstborn, the athlete, the outdoorsman. As Isaac knew his death was drawing near, he was preparing to bless Esau with the family blessing.

Genesis 27:1-4 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

Jacob, however was a momma’s boy.

Genesis 27:6-10 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother… Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”

Jacob conspired with his mother to steal the blessing from Esau. This is the blessing that was given.

Genesis 27:28-29 Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. 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!”

Esau came in for his blessing, and then Isaac realized what had happened. He told Esau

Genesis 27:35-40 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing. 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?” 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?” 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. 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. 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.”

Esau was heartbroken. He married foreign women out of spite because he knew his parents would disapprove. It wasn’t an issue of race but of culture and worship.
Esau’s children would have a worldly idolatrous upbringing. They became the spiritual relativists of their day.

Esau’s grandson would be Amalek, head of the Amalekes, the people that were so wicked, that God ordered King Saul to destroy them. Another of his grandsons would become Rameses the first who was Pharoah over Egypt. His children would enslave and oppress the children of Israel. Egypt did serve Israel and gave them the best of the land, until he did eventually break the yoke.

Exodus 1:8, 11 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph… Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Esau was angry and bitter, and we see this resentment play out through the generations. There was strife and family discord which created many social and cultural problems. It all stemmed from the stealing of the blessing. Daddy Issues. But the tension between Jacob and Esau didn’t start there.

Genesis 25:29-34 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau despised his birthright. It was not worth anything to him which is why he traded it for a $10 bowl of stew. Gave no thought to inheritance or blessing the next generation. He did not make the connection between birthright and blessing.

Birthright: Inheritance from natural father.
Blessing: Prophetic declaration of God’s will, favor, and supernatural intervention.

Birthright is what your father puts in your hand, the blessing is what God puts in your mind, heart, soul, and spirit.

This is why God says in Malachi 1:2-3 Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated

The word picture is of a thorn and a seed. Combined these mean “thorn seed.” The thorn, (the seed of a plant with small sharp points) cause one to turn directions to avoid them.”

Hate – Avoiding of Pain

Draw near to Jacob, grieved by Esau.

Hebrews 12:14-17 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up (thorn seed) cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Philippians 3:18-19 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

Immediate sensory gratification. I want it now, I'll deal with later, later - economy

God’s remedy for the curse of sin and the pain of Esau’s selfishness, is His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Malachi 4:6-7 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

Matthew 11:14 John himself is Elijah who was to come.

Matthew 3:1-2 John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus said,

John the Baptist came preaching repentance, which means a change of mind that results in a change of behavior. He was preparing people for God’s kingdom that Jesus brought.

The message is this, if you want God’s will and order in your life, you must repent of your old ways and allow the Holy Spirit to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers.

We must repent of being Esau – temporary minded, led by our appetites, and we must become generationally minded like Israel – who bless what comes after us.