The Sorrow of Lost Blessing
Genesis 27:37–40 (NASB95)
37But Isaac replied to Esau, “Behold, I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. Now as for you then, what can I do, my son?” 38Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept. 39Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. 40“By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.”
Isaac faced Esau with sorrow and finality. He told Esau that he had made Jacob lord over him and given all his relatives to him as servants. Isaac had also sustained Jacob with grain and new wine. Isaac could not undo what he had spoken. The blessing carried legal and spiritual authority. Once given, it shaped the future. Isaac’s words revealed the seriousness of the patriarchal blessing. He could not offer Esau the same inheritance.
Esau pleaded for a blessing of his own. His cry was bitter and desperate. Isaac responded with what many call an anti-blessing. He said Esau would live away from the earth’s richness and the dew of heaven. Esau would live by the sword and serve his brother. Yet Isaac also said that when Esau grew restless, he would throw Jacob’s yoke from his neck. Isaac did not curse Esau. He spoke a prophetic word about Esau’s future. Esau would face struggle and subordination, but he would also find moments of freedom.
These verses show God's sovereignty and the consequences of human choices. God’s purposes move forward. But the decisions of Jacob and Esau do not come without cost. Esau’s anti-blessing reflects his earlier disregard for his birthright. Decisions have consequences. The story fits the broader Genesis pattern. God’s promises are sure, but He calls His people to walk in truth. Deception and manipulation bring pain and division, even when God’s plan is fulfilled.
Pay attention to how Esau’s choices not only affected him, but generations of his descendants to come. A powerful lesson for us. Do you appreciate the birthright we have been given through Christ? How we steward that birthright will have either a positive or negative effect, not just for us, but for our future generations as well.