Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. 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!’”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, September 23, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
One wonders whether Isaac really has this much power. If a blessing such as this is so powerful that it can’t be transferred to Esau when he comes in later, or another, similar blessing drawn together for the wronged son, it is clear that these aren’t just well-meaning words spoken to Jacob. This blessing is far removed from the simple, overused idea of “I’m blessed” or #blessed or “have a blessed day” that so many people bandy about as though blessings were nothing more than banal well-wishes. It is life-changing, world-changing, reality-changing. Can Isaac really confer this kind of blessing?
Obviously he does. And it’s entirely irrevocable and binding. By saying these words to Jacob, he speaks into reality a future in which Esau will bow down to Jacob and, even further into the future, a reality in which Jacob will become Israel and entire nations—not just the nation of Edom, which Esau founds—will pay homage to Israel, God’s chosen people in all the earth.
Whether we are to believe that any human being has the power to speak such things into reality the way God spoke creation into existence, the fact remains that words are incredibly powerful and self-fulfilling prophecies are a genuine phenomenon. God does invite us into the creative process every day, and that creative process always entails some kind of communication, spoken or otherwise. We ought always be mindful of the words of our mouths, that we speak only blessing upon those around us, and then act to bring those blessings to fruition for the flourishing of all creation.
What are my feelings about giving “blessings?” Do they have power? How so?
