Isaac desired to give Esau, his first born,
his blessing. However, Jacob seemingly stole Esau’s blessing through intrigue. The
transfer of the blessing was real: Jacob got the blessing. Esau cried with an
exceedingly great and bitter cry for a blessing from his father, but Isaac said
Jacob had already taken it away and Jacob would indeed be blessed. The
blessing’s transfer to Jacob was real and it was literal, yet, was given
without Isaac’s ability to rescind or annul.
From the account in Genesis it seems like
Isaac has authority to command the blessings. However, the OT is always to be
viewed from NT illumination. Romans 9 sheds light on this account from Genesis:
And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by
one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor
having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her,
"The older shall serve the younger." 13 As it is written, "Jacob
I have loved, but Esau I have hated." 14 What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, "I will
have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on
whomever I will have compassion." 16 So then it is not of him who wills,
nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Romans 9:10-16
In Romans we see God was behind the scenes
working His purposes. God ordained the older (Esau) to serve the younger
(Jacob). The power to give the blessing didn’t reside within Isaac. If it had,
Isaac would have given the blessing to Esau. If Isaac had the power to give the
blessing, would he not have had the power to rescind it? The power to root and propel
the blessing rested in God alone. Romans 9 further discusses Moses, Pharaoh,
and all mankind, Gentiles and Jews alike, in this same light.
Hebrews 11 illuminates Genesis 27 further: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau
concerning things to come (Hebrews 11:20). “…concerning things
to come” is a prophetic statement. Only God knows and
can declare the future¹. Isaiah 46 marries the prophetic with the nature of
God—only God:
“Remember the former things of old, For I am
God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring
the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet
done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 11
Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a
far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have
purposed it; I will also do it.”
Isaiah
46:9-11
When
something is truly prophetic it is of necessity, then, also, truly from God. Additionally,
the word “faith” always carries with it an object, meaning it always carries
the assumed [in] with it. Faith is always pointing to an object of the faith.
Faith means “faith in…” Faith is always attached to someone or something. For
example, if I say “I have faith my house will sell today,” I mean I have faith
in either my own intuition, my realtor, news I’ve received, or that God told me
it would sell today. We cannot have faith in nothing. Faith is, by nature,
attached to someone or something. “I have faith my chair will hold me.” My
faith is [in] the structure of my chair. Many people say, “I have faith it will
all end well.” That phrase, even by an unbeliever, is stating a belief in God,
though they don’t realize it. It is stating that someone is in control of creation
and is orchestrating events. (Great tool for evangelism.) So, when we see the
words “by faith” in the Bible relating to God’s people, we must add “in God” to
“by faith,” rendering, “by faith in God…” Hence Hebrews 11:20 would read: By faith [in God] Isaac blessed Jacob and
Esau concerning things to come.
Following through in this line of thinking,
when the Bible says “by faith…” we must also acknowledge that God was directly
involved. Therefore: By faith Isaac
blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come means: By faith [in God] Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, concerning things to come [for he spoke,
prophesying, as directed by God.] Furthermore, we must acknowledge that God
is not in the business of being subservient to our words. (Mark 11:23 will be
discussed in the next section on the NT.) God is interested in man hearing His
words, believing Him, and speaking according to what He has said or is saying.
That is the true nature of the power of man’s words: words that originate with
God and are in agreement with what He has said or is saying. Our faith must be
[in God] lest we step over a threshold, which many others have crossed, into a doctrine
of demons: a little-gods theology.
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