How many of us in a moment of anger or frustration, speak hurtful words and then later brush them aside by declaring that we really didn’t mean what we said? There is something about the spiritual realm that holds us to the words we have spoken…even if we didn’t mean them. Genesis records a moment that illustrates this important principle.
As Isaac was aging and contemplating his own death, he felt it was time to speak “the blessing” over his older son Esau. The blessing was a huge part of the inheritance a father would grant his son. It closely resembled a prophetic word that the father would declare over the son and that God would honor. The things spoken by the father would surely come to pass in the ensuing years so it was counted as inheritance. The younger brother Jacob and the fraternal twin Esau had always competed. Esau was delivered first and was counted as the oldest. The eldest son on Jewish culture was always given a double portion of the inheritance with “the blessing” being part of that. Esau was Isaac’s favorite son because he was an avid hunter and outdoorsman. Jacob was the favorite of his mother Rebekah. When Rebekah overheard Isaac planning to speak “the blessing” over Esau after a meal of wild game, she conspired with Jacob to steal the blessing. While Esau was still in the field hunting, Jacob pretended to be his brother. Isaac was essentially blind in his old age and so the ruse succeeded.
Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”
After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.” Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!” When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.” Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?” Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?” (Gen. 27:27-37).
The critical point here is that once the words were spoken, something was set in motion that Isaac could not retrieve even though the blessing had been fraudulently obtained. He might have protested that he didn’t mean to speak those words over Jacob, but it didn’t matter. They were spoken with the authority of a father and the words would be fulfilled. In a sense, Isaac was careless with his words. If you read the story he sensed that something wasn’t quite right but declared the blessing anyway. We too are often careless with out words.
Our mistake is that we think the spiritual realm is like the natural realm where words mean little and where we are rarely held accountable for what we say. The spiritual realm, however, holds us accountable for word we speak. We often speak words over others that can constitute curses in the spiritual realm. We say things such as, “I wish you had never been born. You’ll never amount to anything. No one will ever want you. You’re such a loser.” We often speak the same kinds of things over ourselves and, if asked, would probably say we were just upset and didn’t mean those things.
However, our negative words that we spoke intentionally or unintentionally can constitute curses and give the enemy a legal right to enforce the things we have spoken. Our words may be enforced by demonic spirits who delight in afflicting and oppressing individuals, families, churches, or nations to whom they can gain legal access. Our carless words can give them that access. That is especially true if we have spiritual authority over those about whom we spoke the words. That is never more true than when parents speak over their children.
Scripture repeatedly warns us about our words. A quick read of Proverbs will confirm God’s concern about what we speak. As believers, our words have authority. That is why we are instructed to always bless and never to curse. Jesus instructs us to bless even our enemies. One reason is because we are promised that we will reap what we sow. If we sow curses, we too will eventually reap the negative outcomes we have spoken over others. However, if we make blessing the constant flavor of our speech, those blessings will also return to us. We need to be sure to speak them over ourselves as well as others. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit “ (Prov. 18:21).
If careless words are an issue with you, ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of your speech. Ask those closest to you to also make you aware of your words. This is not a little thing in the Kingdom of Heaven. “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Mt. 12:36). Be blessed by speaking a blessing.
