Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” Genesis 27:37 ESV
Bless
Jacob tricked Isaac, and Jacob found himself with not enough blessings to give his other son, Esau. Scripture does not reveal a lot about Isaac, but anyone can hear his anguish in his words to Esau, his beloved but unblessed son.
Later, he does pronounce somewhat of a blessing to Esau, but it is hesitant, and ultimately far less than the inheritance Isaac gave to Jacob.
Certainly, this blessing incident is informed by God’s salvific plan, establishing the line of Jacob through which the Messiah, Jesus, would come.
But this story displays Isaac’s inadequacy. He was limited in his ability to bless. Isaac was limited by his resources, the traditions of his time, his emotions, and his own foolishness. He was able to help Esau a bit, but he really did have only one birthright and blessing to dole out.
We, too, are limited. We do not have enough resources to help everyone we wish to help. We do not have enough time to help everyone we wish to help. We do not have enough emotional energy to help everyone we wish to help. We do not have enough life to help everyone we wish to help.
But Jesus does.
He blesses our children on our behalf, keeping His promises to us. He blesses His church, even when it seems there could not be enough blessing to go around. He blesses all of the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, where Isaac was unable to even bless both of his physical descendants.
Even observe what Jesus has done to fix Isaac’s problem. All of Esau’s heirs can receive the full inheritance of Jacob, though Jesus Christ!
Do not despair when your ability to bless is hindered, instead lean on Christ’s blessings.