WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
NOVEMBER 30, 2022
TOPIC: BLESS YOUR FAMILY
BY T. O. BANSO
“Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” (2 Samuel 6:20 New King James Version).
Yesterday, I said that you should bless your children and not curse them, no matter the provocation. God wants you to bless and not curse them. We looked at the example of how Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27:27-29, 39-40).
We also saw in Genesis 48, how Jacob blessed his grandchildren, Manasseh and Ephraim, thus indirectly blessing his son, Joseph (verses 15-16, 19). But you should not bless only your children; bless your entire family also. God is interested in the family. Everyone is born into a family. God sets even the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6a).
God has plans for families. He told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3 New King James Version).
Also, He told Jacob in a dream, “Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 28:14 New King James Version). And Jeremiah 31:1 says, “‘At the same time,’ says the LORD, ‘I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people’” (New King James Version).
The word “household” is a synonym for family. God is concerned about households. Genesis 7:1 says, “Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation’” (New King James Version). He also said about Abraham, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him” (Genesis 18:19 New King James Version).
There are so many references to family/families, household/households, and descendants in the Bible. God is interested in the family/household/descendants. You should too and bless your family comprising your spouse, children, everyone living under your roof, and relations. Bless them; don’t curse them, no matter what. When you bless them, you bless yourself.
In 2 Samuel 6, after David had successfully brought the ark of God to Jerusalem, the Bible says, “Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, ‘How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’” (Verse 20 New King James Version).
Note that Michal was the wife of David, but this scripture refers to her as Michal the daughter of Saul. Don’t overlook this. Maybe she is referred to that way because she didn’t walk in the spirit of her husband who was a worshipper of God but in the spirit of her father who disobeyed the commands of God.
The ark of the LORD had remained in the house of Obed-Edom for three months after the tragedy of the death of Uzzah during the first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The Bible says the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household (2 Samuel 6:11; 1 Chronicles 13:4). This again underscores the point that God is interested in the family. He wants to bless the family. Therefore, you should pronounce the blessing of God on your family.
David, who was wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might as those carrying the ark from the house of Obed-Edom advanced. David and all the house of Israel brought the ark to Jerusalem with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. But as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul, who was looking through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD, despised him in her heart.
In Jerusalem, the ark was set in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD after which he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. Note that David blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts as the Bible says in verse 18. He also gave to every Israelite, man and woman, in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins after which everybody went home.
It was in this joyous mood of a mission accomplished and gratitude to God that, as someone conscious of the spiritual significance of what had happened, David went home to also bless his household after he had blessed the people.
It was like coming home from a powerful meeting where the power of God moved mightily, and you want to pronounce some blessing on your family. You expect everybody to key into it and respond with spiritual sensitivity. But Michal wouldn’t do such a thing. She despised her husband for worshipping God. Don’t be like Michal. Don’t become so familiar with your spouse, pastor, or any servant of God that you position yourself against God. Don’t reject being blessed because of a wrong attitude.
David had a good intention to bless his household. But one of the people he wanted to bless proved undeserving of it. Instead of blessing Michal, David said to her, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor” (2 Samuel 6:21-22 New King James Version). The story didn’t end well for Michal. Verse 23 says Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
Don’t be a spiritual leader who blesses the congregation but not his family. Don’t be someone who blesses outsiders but curses his family. Bless others but don’t neglect to bless your family. Return from church, retreat, special prayer programme, church service, and so on, and bless your family.
Also, when the Holy Spirit moves you, bless your family members far and near in the name of the Lord. 2 Samuel 6:20a in the New English Translation Bible says, “When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house.” Pronounce God’s blessing on your spouse, children, everyone living with you, and your relations wherever they are.
Paul wrote concerning Onesiphorus, an Ephesian Christian who showed him great kindness at Rome, and his family, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus” (2 Timothy 1:16-18 New King James Version).
God wants to bless your family. He blessed the household of Potiphar in Egypt because of Joseph. Genesis 39:5 says, “From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field” (New International Version).
Use the scripture to bless your family. Among other things, bless them that the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened to know the hope to which God has called them, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for those who believe (Ephesians 1:18). Decree thus: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26 New International Version). Declare that the beauty of the LORD our God shall be upon them and establish the work of their hands (Psalm 90:17). Bless them that the will of God shall be done in their lives. Pronounce the blessing of God upon every aspect of their lives.
Bless your family.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to be faithful in blessing my family. My family is blessed in Jesus’ name. No curse will work against my family. We are blessed beyond any curse in Jesus’ name. My descendants will be mighty on the earth. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Our path is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. We shall move from glory to glory.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
