Most of us grew up reciting clever sayings like, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” “A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.” And “A stitch in time saves nine.” But unlike all these words of wisdom, one saying we memorized is an absolute lie.
Do you remember the lines, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” All too quickly we learn that words do hurt. They can cut a person deeply, destroy a friendship, or rip apart a home or marriage.
Words have incredible power to build us up or tear us down emotionally. This is particularly true when it comes to giving or gaining family approval. Many people can clearly remember words of praise their parents spoke years ago. Others can remember negative words they heard and what their parents were wearing when they spoke them!
We should not be surprised, then, that the family blessing hinges on being a spoken message. Abraham spoke a blessing to Isaac. Isaac spoke it to his son Jacob. Jacob spoke it to each of his twelve sons and to two of his grandchildren. Esau was so excited when he was called in to receive his blessings because, after years of waiting, he would finally hear the blessing. In the Scriptures, a blessing is not a blessing unless it is spoken.
