Word of Encouragement (03/08/2022)
So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed! 28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!” (Gen. 27:27-29)
This is Isaac’s benediction on Jacob, which was intended for Esau. This raises an interesting question: Does it matter what we mean by our prayer? Isaac obviously meant this blessing for Esau. Esau was his firstborn and he loved Esau more than Jacob. Maybe, Isaac also knew Jacob to be a man of jealousy and feared that he might try to steal Esau’s blessing. Jacob did not just one day decide to deceive his father and get Esau’s blessing. Remember how he took advantage of Esau’s hunger and bought his birthright with a bowl of lentil stew (Gen. 25:31)? And do you remember the birth scene of Esau and Jacob, who were twins? Jacob came out holding Esau’s heel (Gen. 25:26)! It was as if Jacob didn’t want Esau to be the firstborn! This could not have gone unnoticed by Isaac. So, he tried to make sure that the one he was about to bless was Esau and not Jacob by calling him near and smelling him.
Do we detect here a superstitious belief that this kind of patriarchal blessing worked like a magical chant? Everyone involved—not only Jacob and Rebekah but also Isaac and Esau—all seem to believe that whoever received this benediction would receive the blessing no matter whom Isaac intended it for. That is why Jacob and Rebekah came up with this elaborate scheme to deceive Isaac. That is why both Isaac and Esau got so upset when they found out what happened. But shouldn’t it matter what Isaac’s intention was in pronouncing this benediction? Should it go to Jacob when Isaac intended it for Esau as if this benediction were like a magic lamp?
On one hand, we must affirm that what we say in our prayer matters. Words are not just sounds we make; they have meaning. Therefore, we should say what we mean because what we say matters. On the other hand, that is not what the issue is here. We are not talking about what Isaac meant: he meant every blessing he pronounced. What we are talking about is Isaac’s intention to give this blessing to Esau. Does it invalidate his benediction on Jacob because he did not intend it? What happens when there is a gap between our intention and our words, as in this case?
Think about our wedding vow. What should matter more—our intention or the words of promise? Hopefully, the words we say in our wedding vow are exactly what we intend to do. But we can think of a situation where, for whatever reason, the person may not be sincere and is lying. Should he not be held accountable for his promise because he did not mean it? Regardless of what he intended, his promise is legally (and ecclesiastically, for Christians) binding.
In the case of Isaac’s patriarchal blessing, we must also consider what happened previously: Esau did sell his birthright to Jacob. There is a sense in which Jacob was getting what was due. Of course, there is that element of deception on the part of Jacob (and Rebekah) to get this blessing. Shouldn’t that be brought into consideration, too, somehow?
What we see here is obviously a dysfunctional family. But what we also see is God using all their flaws to accomplish His purpose without fail. The LORD had already told Rebekah during her pregnancy, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23).
I don’t think this incident tells us that God will do exactly what we say in our prayer and ignore our true intentions. Isaac’s benediction was prophetic, inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, his intention was secondary. But we should be glad to know that God knows what we truly desire even when we pray for other things according to our selfish desires and ignorance. Christ purifies and sanctifies our prayers when He presents them to the Father so that God might grant what is truly good for us, not what we want. But God desires that we would desire what God desires more and more and the words of our prayer would reflect that more and more. In the meantime, let us not be afraid to offer up to God our honest desires, knowing that Christ intercedes for us to give us what is best as we pray in His wonderful name!