God never asks us to do anything without purpose. Worship of the living God knows no dead forms. Even in the old Testament, when many of the specific acts required of Israel pictured fuller realities to come in Christ, nothing was without real significance. In the Scripture we just read, Deuteronomy 34:9, Joshua was changed because Moses laid his hands upon him. He had something he did not have before-the spirit of wisdom. Laying on of hands was not merely ceremonial; as ordained of God it became the channel for impartation of life and blessing.
Israel (Jacob) guided his hands specifically to bless Joseph’s children.
The right hand always contained the greater blessing. Usually this was placed upon the first born child’s head since he inherited both the tribal blessing and the birthright.
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph [through his sons], and said. God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day. The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth (Genesis 48:14-16).
Joseph was distressed because he thought Jacob was mistaken in the placing of his hands. But Jacob insisted that he had done this purposefully because God was making an exception in blessing the younger with the right hand.
Jacob himself had schemed to obtain both the birthright and the blessing.
Jacob had finally learned after a lifetime of scheming and running that God is perfectly able to reverse custom to get His will done. He had taken advantage of his brother Esau’s hunger and weakness to make him sell his birthright. He had gone to considerable lengths to deceive his aging and blind father, Isaac, in order to receive the blessing of the firstborn. Had he believed the prophecy concerning himself at birth, he would have trusted God to guide his father’s hands instead of resorting to wearing a sheep’s skin and herb-seasoned kid. He knew by experience the reality of a blessing communicated through the laying on of hands. (Read the entire chapter, Genesis 27).
(1) The blessing for each child was specific.
(2) Once the blessing was given to Jacob, it could not be taken away.
(3) Esau could only receive a minor blessing, since Jacob had taken his portion.
In none of this are we dealing with mere form. Something real had transpired.
Laying on of hands to transmit blessing required faith in God.
Empty hands communicate nothing but good will. If a patriarch wanted to give something to his descendants, he had to believe God to flow through this human means. Spiritual blessing is not within us to give; God has to give His own blessing through our hands.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff (Hebrews 11:20, 21).