Blessing through Laying on of Hands

Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."

(Genesis 48:14-19)

There is another area where the saints are taught to lay hands on fellow believers, specifically in the context of imparting a blessing to them. This is another aspect of the laying on of hands practiced under the Old Covenant, which is also practiced under the New Covenant. It should be noted that quite often this form of ministry can also be combined with the gift of prophecy.

The above-quoted passage of scripture reveals several key truths about the blessing aspect of the Laying on of Hands. In this account, Israel laid his hands on Joseph’s sons and pronounced the following blessing on them: The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 

It is important to note that, as with all aspects of Laying on of Hands, blessing will only work if it is done by faith. The following scriptural account confirms that Israel blessed his grandsons by faith: By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff (Hebrews 11:21). The result of Israel laying hands on Joseph’s sons in faith impacted whole people groups that were descended from them.

On this occasion, however, there was also an element of prophecy in Israel’s blessing. For Israel was led by the Spirit to place his right hand on Joseph’s second born instead of Joseph’s first born, thus imparting the greater blessing to Ephraim instead of Manasseh; He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.

From this moment on, Ephraim is often referred to in scripture on a par with Israel. For example, the Lord refers to Ephraim as His firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9) just as He refers to Israel as His firstborn (Exodus 4:22). Manasseh, on the other hand, is never elevated to this level in scripture. Ephraim’s descendants becoming a multitude of nations refers not only to Israel after the flesh but also to the Israel of God, which is made up of a multitude of nations.

The last point we need to mention is that although administering the gifts of the Spirit through the Laying on of Hands is not influenced by which hand is used, nevertheless, in the area of blessing, the hand that is used becomes important, for this passage clearly reveals that the greater blessing comes through the right hand rather than the left.

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

(Mark 10:13-16)

The New Testament only gives us two accounts of the practice of imparting blessing through the laying on of hands, and both were done by the Lord Jesus. The above-quoted passage is a record of the first account. In this account, Jesus blessed these little children by laying His hands on each of them and pronouncing a blessing on them.

 I have no doubt that our Lord prophesied blessings over these young lives and that each one of His prophetic utterances came to pass in their lives. In other words, the Lord would have done exactly what Israel did, i.e., by faith, He would have spoken a blessing over each one of them as He laid hands on them.

As an aside, from these examples, we can see that it is scriptural for both parents and grandparents to lay hands on their children and grandchildren and by faith pronounce blessings upon them. The blessings spoken in faith, God will honour and bring to pass in their lives.

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

(Luke 24:50-51)

The above-quoted passage is a record of the second account of Jesus imparting a blessing through the laying on of hands. However, in this account, the Lord raised His hands and blessed the disciples without physically touching them. From this example, it is evident that it is not always necessary to physically lay hands on people to impart a blessing to them. Therefore, it is scriptural for people to be brought before the congregation for prayer and for the saints to stretch out their hands to bless those in need.

Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.

(Hebrews 7:7)

The ministry of blessing through the laying on of hands is subject to the spiritual law revealed in the above-quoted passage. When this passage speaks of the lesser being blessed by the better, it simply means that the one who is walking in the Lord’s blessing can impart that blessing to another who is not yet walking in the same degree of blessing.

We have discussed two such examples earlier; only saints filled with the Spirit can lay hands on others who have not yet been filled, and only saints walking in divine health can lay hands on others to impart healing to them.

Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?" And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

(Genesis 47:7-10)

The above-quoted passage of scripture is another example of God’s perspective of who the better and lesser are. At the time of this incident, Jacob was the head of a nation of just seventy-five people, and because of an ongoing famine, he was reliant on the generosity of Pharaoh to sustain him and his family in Egypt.

Pharaoh, on the other hand, was the leader of the most powerful nation on earth at that time, with all the wealth and prestige that went with his position. And yet the scripture tells us that when Israel stood before Pharaoh, Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And so we see that in God’s eyes, Jacob was the better and Pharaoh was the lesser. Why is that? God looks at the eternal perspective, and there can be no doubt that in eternity, Israel is far greater than Pharaoh could ever be.

As an aside, it was mentioned earlier that certain aspects of the ministry of Laying on of Hands are applicable only for believers and children, i.e., raising the dead, for example. All the accounts in scripture of ministering blessing through laying on of Hands involved either children or believers, for even Pharaoh, whom Israel blessed, became a believer. Therefore, the ministry of blessing is also only applicable for believers and children, and it is unscriptural for believers to attempt to use this ministry for unbelievers.

Michael E.B. Maher

Laying on of Hands

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