The Thread: Part IISample

Spoken Blessing

God places enormous importance on the spoken word throughout the Bible, especially spoken blessings. In Jacob's day, it was common practice to pronounce a blessing on one's children. The Hebrew word used to describe the type of blessing Jacob pronounced over his sons is baruch. This word means "to kneel, bend freely, and extend an irrevocable gift." The opposite of baruch is arar, which means "to bind."

In today's passage, Jacob spiritually "unties" his sons before his death to release them into their destinies with God. Jacob blesses Judah and prophetically declares that rulership will come in his family line, pointing to the woman's seed (Jesus) mentioned earlier in Genesis. Judah was the third-born son in Jacob's family. Typically, first-born sons were the most favored, and the younger ones often seemed overlooked. Interestingly, God often chose someone other than who the "world" would naturally choose: Jacob was younger than his brother, David was the youngest in his family, and Judah was the third in line. Remember that God does not look at the exterior like we do; he looks at the heart.

Question: Do you ever stop to think about the creative power you possess in your words? Does what you say bless or curse others? Do your words encourage or tear down your friends, family, and neighbors?

Prayer: We all struggle to control our words. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you see opportunities to bless others with what you say when you naturally want to "curse" them with negativity.