And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above;
Esau comes in with his own dish and his own hopes, only to find that the blessing he wanted has already gone to his brother. What Isaac says next is still called a blessing, yet it names only earth and sky — the portion, commentators say, of a man who let go of the promise.
A note on wording. The older translations these writers used say Esau's home would be of the fatness of the earth and of the dew of heaven. The ESV says away from both. The comments below follow the older reading.
Esau's tears did move his father to speak. But what came out was a different kind of gift — and, one writer says, a prophecy.
Esau was now a pitiful sight. He wept. His tears could not undo the past or recover the birthright, but they did draw out a blessing from Isaac, though not the blessing. And in saying what he did in verses 39 and 40, he doubtless spoke as a prophet.
Esau's blessing was generous. What it lacked was not size but kind.
Jacob is now openly his heir, and Isaac confirms the choice God had made. But God is full of pity as well as holy. He would not go back on His own election. Yet He strengthens Isaac to pronounce a second blessing on Esau. By faith Isaac blessed him too, concerning things to come. A rich and ample promise was the portion of the firstborn. But it was a material blessing only.
The same two gifts appear in both blessings, but not in the same order. For Esau the earth comes first.
Poor Esau was promised these blessings in reverse order. Earthly things would be first for him. Look at his descendants and relatives today. The fatness of the earth has generally been their lot. Where are all the oil wells being fought over today? Esau's descendants have been blessed with the fatness of the earth. But their life has been miserable, full of wars and fighting. The dew of heaven has also fallen on them, but they have hardly noticed.
Esau was not cheated. He got the kind of thing he had always wanted.
Still there was a blessing for Esau, and one far better suited to his nature than the one reserved for Jacob. What did Esau care for the promises or the covenant? What taste had he for Messiah's kingdom? What reverence or readiness to submit to Messiah Himself? The fatness of the earth was more to his taste, and the dew of heaven from above. Heaven itself was only a sentiment that he gladly left for others to enjoy. He was, he flattered himself, a practical man; and the present world was to him a scene of enjoyable pleasures.
Isaac's words reached past Esau to a whole nation. One writer finds Edom's later character in them.
The outstanding trait of Edom was envious dislike of the people of God... There can be no question that the character of Edom matches what the Lord lets us know through Isaac. It would be hard to imagine a prediction of this kind where every word was more truly verified in the whole history of man than in the life and changes of Edom and Israel.
The blessing came true in Esau's line, and it came true early.
The chapter shows us that Esau was prospered in earthly things, so that his father's blessing was fulfilled to him (27:39-40). He occupied his own territory and became quite independent of Jacob. His descendants multiplied, and they became chiefs and notorious. They became not only "dukes" but even "kings," and that before any king appeared in Israel's line. In earthly greatness and power the children of this world have always come ahead of the children of God.
It can seem strange that Isaac blessed Esau at all. One writer sees in it how God deals with those who refused His terms. He then points to a very different yoke.
I do not doubt that it represents God allowing the blessings of this world to come to those who refused blessing in God's way. Esau had to live by his sword. It was all his own energy... This is totally different from a Christian; his blessing lies in taking Christ's yoke. Esau's blessing would have lain in being subject to Jacob, the heir of promise.
- Cause. Esau's tears could not undo what he had already let go; they drew out a blessing, but not the blessing.
- Gift. What he received was rich and ample — and material only, with no promise or covenant in it.
- Order. Isaac promised dew and fatness to both sons. Esau got them in reverse order, and earthly things have stayed first with his line.
- Fit. Esau got what suited him. He had no taste for Messiah's kingdom, and gladly left heaven to others.
- Result. The words came true. Edom had chiefs and kings before Israel had any. The world can outrun God's people in present greatness — but the real blessing lay in the yoke Esau would not take.
And by thy sword shalt thou live; And thou shalt serve thy brother; And it shall come to pass when thou rovest about, That thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Isaac has already given the covenant blessing to Jacob. What is left for Esau is half gift and half sentence: the sword, service under his brother, and a day when the yoke comes off.
The portion Isaac names is no mere leftover. It fits what Esau wanted. Older translations read the last clause as "when you shall have the dominion"; the picture is of Esau shaking loose.
There was still a blessing for Esau, and one that suited his nature far better than the one kept for Jacob. What did Esau care for the promises or the covenant? What taste did he have for Messiah's kingdom? The richness of the earth suited him better, and the dew of heaven above. Heaven itself was only a nice idea, and he was happy to leave it to others... And what a fine thing to live by the sword when men stood against him! It was true that the word said he, Esau, would serve his brother. That was an unwelcome sentence, one that still had to prove true, and he would do all he could to stop it. Meanwhile the same sentence said that one day he would get loose, roam free, and break the yoke off his neck. Well, this would be a joy indeed: let his brother have the rest.
Isaac had meant the covenant blessing for Esau all along. These words come from a man who has just discovered that God overruled him.
When it broke on him that God had overruled him, he did not turn on his wife and his younger son. He bowed in self-judgment and trembled violently. In faith he sealed what his lips had said without knowing it, yet under God: "Yes, and he shall be blessed." He felt that, whoever else was to blame, the error was his own. God was only securing now what He had said before the sons were born.
Both halves of the verse came true, and in that order.
All this comes true. David, who came from Jacob, puts troops in Edom, and the Edomites become his servants and bring gifts. Jehoram, who also came from Jacob, later loses the Edomites as servants who paid him tribute. They revolt, and remain in revolt to this day. 2 Sam. 8:14; 2 Chr. 21:8.
Every word held. One writer also sets a limit on what "by your sword" predicts.
In all of human history it would be hard to find a prediction of this kind more exactly fulfilled. Every word came true in the life and changes of Edom and of Israel. Yet nothing in it hints at Edom's spite and vengeful hate. Living by the sword does not have to mean hatred. Ambitious drive often leads to a career of conquest where no particular hatred is at work.
God had already said the elder would serve the younger. One writer weighs what Jacob's impatience cost.
Had Jacob waited patiently, no conditions would have burdened the promise. (Chap. 27:40.)
Another writer counts the cost in centuries of delay.
But ever since the days of Jehoram — son of Jehoshaphat, of the house of David, of the line of Jacob — Esau, or Edom, has been in revolt. So the promise is delayed, complicated and burdened in ways God's grace and the gift by grace never designed. Jacob would never have gone through any of this, had his faith been simpler.
The picture reaches past Edom. One writer takes Esau as a figure of the flesh, the nature in us that will not live before God.
Esau is a picture of the flesh, which will not live before God. It must be brought into subjection... But Isaac tells Esau he will live by his sword. The flesh is always at war, just as the troubled sea cannot rest. The flesh thinks it must fight for its rights. Esau would serve his brother, yet he would break Jacob's yoke off his neck. Though he stayed in subjection, nothing could tame his rebellious character, just as the flesh keeps breaking out in rebellion.
The broken yoke is not the end of the story. Two later prophets take the promise up again.
But still, "the elder shall serve the younger." That promise is yes and amen. Amos bears witness to it when he says that Israel will possess Edom. (Chap. 9) And Obadiah is another witness to the same thing. He tells us that in due time saviours will come to Zion and judge the mount of Esau.
- Blessing — Esau gets a real gift, but one shaped to his own taste: the earth's richness, the sword, the present world.
- Faith — Isaac speaks the blessing against his own wishes, bowing to a word God gave before the twins were born.
- Fulfilment — Service under David, revolt under Jehoram: Edom's history proved every clause true.
- Burden — Jacob's impatience did not cancel the promise. It left it delayed and complicated in ways grace never designed.
- Yoke — The flesh stays subject but untamed, and keeps breaking loose. Still the older word stands: saviours will come to Zion.