Chasing After Blessings

Isaac was growing old, and his failing eyesight could scarcely distinguish the faces before him, though he recognised Esau more clearly than anyone else. Esau, the rugged hunter, the favoured son, the one who supplied his father with the meals he loved. Yet, while Esau’s wives were a continual source of grief to Rebekah, Isaac chose to overlook his son’s decisions, intent on bestowing the family blessing upon him. Rebekah might have reminded Isaac of what God had revealed to her, but often we press forward with our own stubborn will.

“When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith… and Basemath… They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.”
Genesis 26:34-35

Our Stubborn Hearts

It was time—the old patriarch felt the weight of tradition and urgency. Isaac called Esau and requested his favorite game, planning a sacred meal and the blessing that would seal Esau as his rightful heir. Did Isaac forget the prophecy spoken to Rebekah decades ago? Or did he not believe it could overturn custom, his own inclination, and the logic of birthright?

Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”
Genesis 27:4 (NIV)

Rebekah, who remembered God’s word—“the older will serve the younger”—overheard and immediately began crafting a plan. For nearly ninety years, Isaac and Rebekah lived together; how could she not have told him what God had revealed? Was it possible that even after so many decades together, the most important messages were not truly spoken, or were drowned in the noise of routine and personal preferences?

The Deception

Rebekah overheard Isaac instructing Esau to hunt and prepare food so he could bless him before death. She then told Jacob to follow her plan—fetch two young goats so she could prepare a meal Isaac loved, enabling Jacob to receive the blessing instead of Esau. Jacob, uncertain but compliant, became a tool for his mother’s will. His first question was not about right and wrong, but about getting caught:

“What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” – Genesis 27:12

Rebekah was ready for this, quick to absorb any curse:

“My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say…” – Genesis 27:13

Jacob followed Rebekah’s plan, bringing her the goats so she could prepare Isaac’s meal. She dressed him in Esau’s clothes and covered his hands and neck with goatskins to mimic Esau’s hairiness. Jacob then approached Isaac, offered the food, and falsely claimed to be Esau. Isaac—blind, hungry, and wavering—asked for confirmation. Jacob lied three times (“I am Esau,” “Your God gave me success,” “Feel my hands”), and Isaac, persuaded by touch and smell, gave him the blessing.

Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The LORD your God gave me success, ” he replied.
Genesis 27:20 (NIV)

Rebekah and Jacob sought to deceive Isaac, showing no hesitation even in invoking God’s name to make their scheme more convincing. Jacob served Isaac food and wine, and when Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes on him, he was convinced and bestowed the blessing. Isaac prayed for abundance, prosperity, authority over nations and brothers, and declared that those who cursed Jacob would be cursed and those who blessed him would be blessed.

Esau Plots His Revenge

When Esau returned and discovered what had happened, grief, anger, and despair filled the tent as he realised everything had been lost in a single moment. He resolved to take revenge but would wait until after his father’s death. The family, already strained, grew more divided—none of the four trusted God’s timing, each instead taking matters into their own hands. How familiar does that sound? Our walk with Jesus often mirrors this chapter—knowing God’s ability, but preferring our own wisdom, our own knowledge, our own timing.

“When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry… ‘Bless me—me too, my father!’” – Genesis 27:34

Esau’s bitter plea did not shake his father’s resolve. Isaac declared the blessing would stand—there was no going back, not even to console his elder son:

“I have blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed.” – Genesis 27:33

Isaac’s words, powerful as prophecy, were not to be undone. Instead, he pronounced a future over Esau:

“Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” – Genesis 27:39-40

Esau’s earlier hunger had led him to despise his birthright, but now the loss became real, and it could not be undone. This raises a question: did Isaac’s blessing and curse hold supernatural force, or had tradition itself hardened into destiny? Why did words spoken in blindness seem irreversible? Even today, many recognise the weight—and at times the mystery—of spoken blessings and curses. Yet these are not self-fulfilling prophecies; rather, they reveal the path that choices will bring. Judas did not betray Christ because prophecy forced his hand; the prophecy exposed what his hardened heart and sinful desires would inevitably lead him to do. In the same way, blessings and curses in Scripture reflect God’s unveiling of outcomes tied to obedience or rebellion.

Intervention or Faith

None of Isaac’s family waited on God. Each, in their way, attempted to fulfill or circumvent God’s plan—not in conversation with Him, but through tricks, favoritism, and reaction. Rebekah, remembering God’s promise, feared it would be lost and intervened. Isaac, perhaps more stubborn than doubtful, ignored what God had said and followed personal preference. Jacob, concerned about consequences but not conviction, obeyed his mother’s scheme. Esau, blinded by hunger and later rage, regretted what was done but could not alter the past.

Does this mean that God’s will is carried out despite us—or because of our interventions? Are curses and blessings transferable, prophetic, or only symbolic? And what can we learn about trusting God’s promises, especially when waiting seems unbearable?

Isaac’s blessing, once given, was fixed—shaping destinies and stirring centuries of rivalry and reunion. But our Heavenly Father’s blessing surpasses custom and spoken word. It is given freely, restored often, and never held back by blindness, deception, or family failure. Where Isaac’s blessing divided, God’s blessing unites. Where tradition fixed outcomes, grace gives second chances. Where human will falters, God’s faithfulness endures. In the end, God remains the only one whose faithfulness outlasts our failures.

We live in a world of spoken words and inherited hopes, but the blessing of God is always available, waiting to restore all that is broken. Let us not chase after worldly blessings, but instead come before God and seek what is eternal. From this fractured family we must learn the danger of letting our hearts be corrupted by the desire for earthly gain. Rather, let us turn to God and be filled with His everlasting blessings.

Discussion Questions

1. Why are inter marriages a problem in the Bible?
2. Did Rebekah lack faith for God’s promise, or was her intervention a step in God’s plan?
3. In what ways do spoken blessings and curses affect us, and how does this relate to God’s sovereignty today?
4. Why did Isaac not (or perhaps could not) reverse his blessing for Jacob? How is prophetic speech different from mere tradition?
5. How does the difference between parental blessing and God’s blessing speak to our lives and choices?