The famous song by Eric Clapton, “Tears in Heaven” was written by Clapton to express the pain he felt following the death of his four year old son, Conor, who fell from a window of the 53rd floor New York apartment of his mother’s friend on March 20, 1991. This song, along with the Gaither’s song featuring James Blackwood, “No Tears in Heaven”, resonates a very important Biblical truth that God would wipe away every tear in heaven and there shall be no more crying or mourning in heaven, for there shall be no more pain and all things will be made new (Revelation 21:4). Now hold that thought.
Upon the realization that Isaac had been tricked into blessing Jacob his younger son, instead of Esau his firstborn favorite son, Isaac trembled very exceedingly (Genesis 27:33), while Esau cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, asking his father to bless him also.
Esau sought the blessing of his father but did not demonstrate a godly life. He had despised his spiritually provided birthright for gratifying his sensual desires of his flesh (Genesis 25:29-34). He had chosen to marry not one but two pagan (Hittite) women (Genesis 26:34-35). Instead, as was customary at that time, Esau should have submitted to his parents, who should have sought a godly wife from their own people, as Abraham did (Genesis 24), so that the woman he marries, who would not turn him away from serving God (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Now in retrospect, we find, the ungodly Esau who chose to live his life the way he wanted, weeping with a great and exceedingly bitter tears – tears of regret and not necessarily of repentance; tears of pang and not necessarily of penitence – for the Bible says that he then chose (again the ungodly) to wait for a time (when his father would pass away) and murder his brother Jacob, who had deceived him of his blessings from Isaac.
Points to ponder:
When we seek and live ungodly lives, willfully despising the spiritual birthright for satisfying our sensual and fleshly desires (pride of life, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh), we have no inheritance in the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:8-10). When we chose to live an adulterous life by wedding the pagan world and its pleasures, we are in enmity with God (James 4:4) and we cannot expect to be blessed in all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3), that comes about by believing in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son as our Savior. Should we chose to reject the blessings of God in Christ Jesus, pain and tears, exceedingly bitter tears, is what is in store for us, just as was expressed by Esau.
And if you and I are to introspect our life today and find ourselves to be like Esau, ungodly and unrighteous, let us cry now the tears of repentance so that we would not have to cry later the tears of regret. There will be no tears in heaven for God himself shall wipe away our tears when we are in his presence. Oh you, oh you, what tears does thou cry (now)?
Genesis 27:34 (KJV)
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
