“And God blessed them, and said unto them…” –Genesis 1:28. This is the first biblical account of God speaking to man. Why is this important? Because it represents the importance of what is “first mentioned”. In other words, it was the first thing God spoke to mankind, so it must have significance. The primary thing we can learn from this verse is that God wants to and will bless His people! The second thing we can conclude is that God not only blessed them but He was also declaring a blessing upon their household or future family when He said: be fruitful, multiply and replenish the Earth.
The Hebrew word for “blessed” in Genesis 1:28 is the word barak. It means to endue or furnish with a gift, and to furnish someone with special power. One of the main elements in giving a blessing is through words. We literally furnish our loved ones with confidence to succeed and we set the tone of blessing upon their lives by what we say. Part of the way God blessed Adam and Eve was to speak good things over them when He spoke to them. However, this was not a one-time event that ended in the book of Genesis. The Lord continues to speak good things over us as we seek Him.
In keeping with this practice that originated with God in the Garden of Eden, we often see the patriarchs of the Bible gather their children and lay their hands upon them to bestow a blessing by declaring something over them. Today, we sometimes call it a charge, or commission, which is a type of instruction designed to provide future benefits. Imagine the destinies and future gifts and talents that are set in motion when we do the same. We are literally releasing the hand of God to come over our children and households through what we say!
We can ultimately dispel the power of the enemy by speaking blessing over our lives and our families, rather than verbalizing complaints and frustrations when members of our household don’t seem to do what they should. Declaring blessing instead, breaks the power of the enemy and releases God’s intervention concerning our loved ones. No wonder Joshua said, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. He was declaring a household blessing and setting the course for the future of his family!
We also see how Abraham declared the household blessing over his family. The Bible says in Genesis 18, that Abraham would command his children and household after the ways of the Lord. This includes not only a commitment to God, but speaking the same over his family. He brought his entire family into divine blessing by making the Lord the number one priority and through verbal communication he taught this to his household. What was he doing? He was speaking household blessings!
It is never too late to raise the standard of God in your home, ask Him for His blessings in prayer over your children and family. It begins with your decree and declaration of household blessing. When we keep God’s ways and demonstrate that to our children then, like Joshua declared, “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord,” we are drawing household blessing to us. If you are hungry to draw the household blessing over your family, then begin by raising the standard of keeping God’s ways in your home and by speaking blessings instead of the curse. Speak blessing to and about your family members! When possible, lay hands on one another in prayer. As you declare the household blessing, expect what you have declared to manifest. Eventually, one day you will look about your home and at your family and be able to confidently say, just as it is recorded in Genesis, “…and God blessed them!”