01(Gen 27,01-29) The Blessing (Fathers Day)

"To get his good-night kiss he stood beside my chair one night,

And raised an eager face to me, a face with love alight.

As I gathered in my arms the son God gave to me,

I thanked the lad for being good, & hoped he’d always be.

His little arms crept around my neck, & then I heard him say,

Four simple words I shant forget, four words that made me pray.

They turned a mirror on my soul, on secrets no one knew.

They startled me. I hear them yet. He said, `I’ll be like you.’"

Fatherhood may have changed a bit in our society, but I don’t think God’s perception of what the father is to be & do has changed.

Genesis 27, the story of Isaac bestowing his blessing to Jacob.

Now the blessing that was given is found in verses 27-29. (Read.)

After he received the blessing from his father, Jacob left. Shortly after, Esau came in with the game that he had killed & prepared, & was ready to receive his father’s blessing. (Read verses 33-34.)

ILL. Dr. Gary Smalley wrote a book entitled, "The Blessing." In it he examines the blessing that Isaac bestowed upon Jacob & he says, "The blessing contains 4 ingredients that ought to be present in every home today. And when those 4 ingredients are present, & practiced consistently, then our children grow up solid, secure & confident of themselves, able to go out into the world & function normally."

But if those ingredients are absent in the home, then too often the child ends up like Esau, steeped in bitterness & anger.

So let me share with you the 4 ingredients of Isaac’s blessing.

I.       THE FIRST INGREDIENT WAS A MEANINGFUL TOUCH (22,26)

Now this is not an isolated incident in scripture. Almost every time a blessing is bestowed in Hebrew culture, it involves touching - the laying on of hands, a kiss, an embrace - something that conveys acceptance & love.

ILL. The 10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark says that people brought children to Jesus so that He could touch them. Jesus took them & placed them on his knee, & laid His hands upon them, & the scripture says, "He blessed them."

Jesus knew exactly what children need to feel loved & accepted. So He touched them & blessed them.

It’s important to do that in our homes, too. When children are very small you can’t communicate love with words because they don’t understand words yet. But the best way to communicate love to a very small child is to demonstrate it by touching them, cuddling them, & holding them close.

Jacob was 40 years old when Isaac touched him & kissed him to convey the blessing to him. And no matter the age, I think it is important to continue to communicate love & acceptance & affection in some meaningful way.

II.    A SPOKEN MESSAGE OF AFFECTION & LOVE (27)

Now I suppose that today’s child would not consider it a compliment to be told, "You smell like a field. I just wanted you to know that."

But to an old outdoorsman like Isaac, who thought he was speaking to Esau, the smell of a field about ready for harvest was a great smell. It was a compliment, a positive message that communicated his love & affection.

You see, too often parents are quick to criticize & remind children of their mistakes. "You dummy, why did you spill the milk?" "You’re lazy." "You’re too fat." Words of criticism that really don’t accomplish much. All they do is cause a child to withdraw.

I think there is room for constructive criticism. But it’s more important to communicate love through words that say, "You’re worth something. You’re such a good little boy or girl. I’m glad that God gave you to us. You’re better than any Christmas present I could ever receive. Father’s Day is special just because you’re here."

Those are words that communicate acceptance & love. And they need to be spoken over & over again, even when our children stumble & fall. Don’t wait until the last minute to do it.

III. THE ATTRIBUTING OF A HIGH VALUE (28)

He’s saying, "You’re special, so God will give you the best He has to give."

We’re constantly being told that we should teach our children to have a good, positive self-image, to build up their self-esteem. So it is important to teach the child, "You’re so valuable that God even came into our world & died on the cross for you."

ILL. But it’s not just by words. We teach high value in a number of ways. A lot of times when a child comes, we’re so busy. We have one eye on the TV & one eye on them, & we can’t concentrate on what they’re saying.

So when a child comes to talk to you, turn off the radio or TV set. Lay aside the newspaper, & look them in the eye. You’ll see wonder after wonder when you look into a child’s eyes, sparkling with excitement. They have so many things they’re anxious to tell you. So look at them, & listen to what they have to say!

That communicates value. "You’re worth something. You’re more important to me than the ballgame or newspaper. You’re an extremely valuable part of our family. I’m glad God gave you to us. And whenever you have something you need to talk about, I’m here to listen to you."

IV.  THE PICTURING OF A GLORIOUS FUTURE (29)

Isaac is helping him to raise his sights & see that his future is bright.

That is an important responsibility of parents, isn’t it? We all know that passage in Proverbs that says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, & when he is old he will not depart from it."

We’ve always made a spiritual application there, "Teach them the things of God & when they’re old they will not forsake them."

But there is another application. We’re to help our children find their niche, discover who they are, & why they’ve been made. God made them special. So as they’re growing up, help them understand their gifts & talents, & what they’re best suited to do in life. Counsel & guide them to become the kind of person God wants, & made them to be.

The mistake most of us make as parents is we try to get our children to become what we want them to be, other than what God made them to be.

ILL. Maybe you heard the story about a little girl named Sandra who was raised in an adobe house in a rural area of New Mexico, without electricity & running water.

In fact, her mother & father had to drive to El Paso, 200 miles away, so that her mother could be in the hospital when Sandra was born.

Because they were so far away from any school, Sandra’s parents home-schooled her. They ordered a variety of magazines to expose her to the outside world. She grew up in a very wholesome environment.

Her fondest memories of her family are of the times when mom & dad took the whole family on vacation to visit state capitols. They went into every capitol building & climbed their domes, west of the Mississippi.

When Sandra graduated from high school, she went to Stanford University & graduated with honors. Today, Sandra Day O’Connor is the first woman to be seated in the Supreme Court of the United States of America. All because mom & dad cared enough to help her see herself in the image in which God created her. And then to encourage her to be all that she could be.

Now maybe our children aren’t that intelligent or gifted. But our responsibility as parents is to help them see themselves for who they really are, & to help them prepare for a glorious future.

SUM. I think this is the mortar that holds a family together - A meaningful touch, a spoken message, attributing a high value, & picturing a glorious future.

CONCL. This morning, God is the perfect parent who has conveyed to us all the ingredients of His blessing in just one verse of scripture. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

This morning we offer God’s invitation. A loving Father reaches down to touch us, speak to us, tell us how valuable we are, & help us see the glorious future that we have in Him.