A Father's Words
Scripture Reading — Genesis 27:1-29
"May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness--an abundance of grain and new wine." Genesis 27:28
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A mother's deception leads to a father's blessing. Rebekah schemes to have Isaac bless Jacob rather than Esau. A whispered conversation between Rebekah and Jacob leads to a special dinner being cooked and goatskins being used to cover a smooth son. Jacob sneaks under the cover of Isaac's blindness and steals away with his father's blessings.
Words are important. Conversations are made up of words, and the importance of this moment is clear. Though Jacob is deceitful, God's plan of blessing will go on as planned. God's grace is seen most clearly against the backdrop of human guilt and greed. A father's blessing is sought, and a father's blessing is given.
As Isaac marks this moment, he directs our attention not to the goodness of a son but to the provision of God. "May God give" tells us not only the source of this blessing, but also who the "Father" in this blessing is.
God, the heavenly Father, is the One who will give what Jacob seeks to steal. God is the One who sees all, takes Jacob's twisted plan, and still provides. God will not be frustrated by blindness, schemes, and whispers in the kitchen. The Father's words will make a way. Eventually this Father will say, "This is my Son, in whom I am pleased" (see Mark 1:11). Though it's another time and another Son--it's the same plan.
God our Father, thank you for straightening our twisted plans and providing for us. May your word of blessing find us faithful. Through your Son, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
About the author — Jul Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the church-planting pastor of a congregation in New Lenox, Illinois. Since 2011 he has served as the seventh president of Calvin Theological Seminary, which, together with Calvin University, is celebrating 150 years of God’s faithfulness in their history as the educational institutions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (see calvinseminary.edu/150th). Jul and his wife, Jackie, have been married for over 40 years and are blessed with two adult children and a son-in-law.
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