Genesis 25:19-33 Jacob and Esau (Malachi 1:1-5; Romans 9:6-29)
“This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD, and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. (Hairy) After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.(“He grasps the heel” or “He deceives”) And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau Sells His Birthright
One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished. He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom, meaning “Red.”)
“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.
“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
“Swear to me first,” Jacob said.
So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright. Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate and drank, and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Jacob and Esau were twins with totally different personalities. Esau (“Hairy”) came out of the womb first, covered with red hair and screaming lustily. Jacob came out of the womb clinging to his brother’s heel. The name Jacob means “supplanter, deceiver, someone who circumvents or usurps.” If Jacob cried at birth, he cried discretely, not copying his brother. Esau became a macho man, striding home with fresh game he had just killed while Jacob was quieter, more thoughtful, and far closer to his mother Rebekah. Isaac loved the game Esau killed and felt closer to Esau as a result.
As the first-borne of twins, Esau would naturally inherit his father’s possessions and authority and would inherit twice as much as Jacob, even though he was only a few seconds older than Jacob. As the only son of a very wealthy man, Isaac himself was extremely rich. Upon Isaac’s death, both men would be wealthy; however, Esau could look forward to becoming far richer than Jacob and dominating Jacob for the rest of their lives. But Esau made a horrible mistake.
There was nothing subtle about Esau; he lived for the moment and in the moment. One day, Esau came back from hunting; he was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty as well. While Esau was honing his hunting skills, Jacob had become a skilled chef and was stirring a savory stew over the fire just as Esau returned home. Esau couldn’t see beyond the end of his nose and gladly gave away a bright future for the sake of one good meal. In the book Kim Rudyard Kipling quoted an Indian proverb that said, “So I would lose Delhi for the sake of a fish.” That was the degree of foolishness exhibited by Esau.
Esau’s main failing was a lack of self-control as well as a lack of foresight. Until the day Esau gave away his birthright, he had probably never considered the nature of that birthright. Esau also likely assumed that since he was his father’s favorite, his father could rescind any bad decision Esau had made. Perhaps Esau had already misconducted himself and Isaac had had to make allowances or excuses for him or even to pay money to a family whose daughter he had raped.
Let’s step out of this story for a moment to consider the natures of these two men. Esau is driven by appetite, never a good idea. Following your lusts will plunge you into one dilemma after another. Jacob, on the other hand, is a planner and a schemer. Jacob is also controlled by his lusts; however, they are more subtle than Esau’s. Jacob realizes that if he’s ever going to get ahead in this family, he’ll have to do it by stealth. Eventually, Jacob will come up against his uncle Laban, a really crafty guy, and experience first-hand the results of deception. Face it, neither of these guys is particularly appealing; yet, God is already planning to use Jacob to found the Jewish nation and to allow Esau to become the founder of the nation of Edom. (God uses imperfect people because that’s the only kind He has to work with.)
Esau’s big mistake is taking the way of expediency to get instant gratification. When we are under pressure, such a choice can seem very appealing. Someone may get on your last nerve and you find yourself dumping your gunny sack of complaints on that person, never a good idea. Speaking in anger and frustration generally leads to saying more than you have intended to say and may get you into trouble. Those involved in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous know that if you can simply keep postponing that drink or that fix, you can triumph over your addiction. But AA members will continue to describe themselves as alcoholics for the rest of their lives, knowing that temptation is always lurking and that they can fall at any moment.
Esau doesn’t know any of these things and would probably be offended if you attempted to teach him. Esau’s whole attitude is “I’m all right, Jack! What’s it to you?” But before we criticize Esau or Jacob too closely, we must examine ourselves. How many times have we tried to live only in the moment or scheme to get ahead of those around us? Have those actions pleased God?
If we want peace in ourselves and peace with God, we must do things God’s way and not ours. Living for the moment or scheming will never draw us closer to God, for God already knows all our schemes. Let us allow God to order our lives, trusting that He knows what is best for us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to refuse to take shortcuts, knowing that You will guide us into right paths. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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