Read Genesis 27:1-40; 28:1-5; Hebrews 11:20

Your Words Mean Something

Advanced in age and unable to see, Isaac blessed the wrong son. Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing of the firstborn, while Esau was relegated to a life of service to Jacob. Esau, as the older twin, should have received that blessing. Rather than take it back from Jacob after learning of the deception, however, Isaac reaffirmed it in Genesis 28:3-4: “May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.”

Be careful what you say. Be sure you are saying the right thing to the right person at the right time, or you may end up in a situation that puts you at a disadvantage. However, even if you rashly say something, be sure to keep your word, because your words mean something.

Consider the words of inspiration found in Ecclesiastes 5:2-5, “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his may words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—better not to vow than to vow and not pay.”

As Christians, we should not even have to make a vow; our integrity should be such that when we say something, people will believe it whether we use the word “promise” or not. In fact, Jesus said, Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:33-37).

Your words mean something. So say what you mean, and mean what you say!