The Blessings of the Fathers

And Esau said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants. And with grain and new wine have I sustained him. And what then shall I do for thee, my son?

Gen 27:36b-37

Esau sold his birthright as firstborn. For a bowl of lentils. He despised his inheritance. And as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews looked for an example of a godless person, he used Esau:

… or godless like Esau, who in exchange for a single meal gave up his rights as the firstborn.

He 12:16

After the flood God looked for a person of faith. He found Abram. Yes, it needed time and work to turn Abram into Abraham. And again to let the prophecy of the name change – father of many nations – manifest as Isaac. And it took the blessing of a higher, a father in faith to unlock the promises. Later, Abraham passed on his blessings to Isaac. And Isaac wanted to pass it on to his firstborn. but Esau did not get the idea of birthright and blessings being connected:

And Esau said, Is not he rightly name Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two time. He took away my birthright. And, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing.

Gen 27:36a

All belongs together: the firstborn inherits the fathers blessings and a double portion of all the goods. That is his biblical right. Look at what Isaac had left for Esau as a blessing – there is not much. I don’t want to say that a second or third in lineage is left with a curse. But he who despises his birthright and the fathers blessings will.

When God found Abraham and proceeded with the salvific history he taught some important principles, one of which is fatherly blessings.

Abraham is the father of faith. In him God blessed all nations. Do you belong to a nation? Then you are blessed in Abraham. Do you take this inheritance, this blessing, or will you despise it? By accepting the death of Jesus on the cross on our behalf, believing he lived, died, rose, and lives again, knowing that we are separated from the father through our sins if not for Jesus we become children of God, but also children of Abraham.

Jesus called himself son of men. He was a jew – in the pure sense of the word, a descendant of Judah – and of kingly lineage. He therefore was a descendant of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David. Store this, it is important. Jesus is also called eternal father.

When we accept Jesus as our savior, he becomes our father in faith. Just as he was the father of the 12. He brought them to maturity, educated, encouraged, exhorted them. Just what fathers do. He passed on the blessing he had received to the 12, like Abraham and Isaac passed on theirs. And he did not only pass on his own blessings. He passed on the blessings of

  • Adam – be fruitful and multiply and subdue earth
  • Abraham – children like the sand of the sea and the stars in the sky, the land or better earth, and provision
  • David – on the throne for eternity

And he added the blessing of his heavenly father – this is my son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

Big parts of our blessings come through fathers. If we despise their inheritance and blessings we become just like Esau. And what does Hebrews say about him? Godless. A harsh judgement.

What is the blessing of a father? A father hands down earthly prosperity and authority. He sets his sons free to become all that God wants them to be, matures them.

My advice: read all the fatherly blessings in the bible. What did Jacob speak over his sons? Why did Ruben, the firstborn, not inherited a superb blessing and the throne? He had despised his fathers marital bed and therefore his father. But Judah stood for Josef, an heir of Jacob, and saved his life.

If you do not want blessings, I tell you how to succeed:

  • Despise Jesus and what he did for us. Come on, sell your birthright. He is the firstborn, and we in him. He the head and we the body.
  • Don’t tithe. Because then you are a thief, and God does not commune with thieves.
  • Be without a father. Be independent, hop from church to church, let nobody talk into your life. Despise your inheritance. Only sons get blessed by fathers.

But if you do the opposite, you will be blessed. Each principle brings forth blessings. And full blessings if you observe all three:

  • The blessing of Jesus – eternal life
  • The blessings of tithing – provision
  • The blessings of the fathers – prosperity, authority, maturity

Did you experience any of this? Want to encourage others? Or just have some questions? Leave a comment.

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