Seeing Your Children Blessed

    Blessings are more than a nice thought or a good life.  They are an enhancement on life that brings responsibility to the one whom receives it.  You can use your blessings in life for just yourself, but the blessing looses it's luster.  God blesses people because He loves them, but also so you can show His love to other people.  A blessing is peace brought into life that comes with the good fortune of having a personal relationship with God.  

    From the beginning God's chosen people were blessed.  Especially since Abraham you can see the blessings being given as an inheritance from the father to one of the sons.  It makes it easy to see the line of blessings.  I wonder if the people that received the blessing realized what they were getting.  I know that the siblings definitely saw it.  Now all the children, since Abraham to this point, had received blessings from their father.  The fathers always wanted good for their sons, but there is only one that would get that special inherited communication with God.   

    Joseph got to have the honor of seeing his father bless his two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim.  In the future you will see that the nation of Israel has 12 tribes in the name of his sons, but not Joseph.  His name was carried out in both his sons.  He got two tribes instead of one.  Granted he never saw that, but such a legacy is a blessing.  

    When Israel met with his grandsons he gave them the family history.  I think he wanted them to understand where they came from to give them focus and inspiration on how to go forward in life.  Giving your children and grandchildren a little direction is life is a blessing.  We should never watch passively as they live.  Structure is an act of love.  When Israel gave them this act of love, they were still young children.  It is never too soon or too late to begin showing your love.

    This family went against culture.  The culture was to bless the oldest the most, but they tended to bless the younger the most.  It was favoritism in some cases, but not always.  I don't in particular believe that Israel loved Ephraim (younger) more than Manasseh (older).  I think he saw something there or God told him to bless Ephraim over Manasseh.  Maybe the younger children were more humble because they did not expect much.  

Genesis 48