Jacob and Esau

 

Something every modern day Christian needs to understand" (But Most Dont!)

Jacob and Esau are the twin sons who were born to Isaac and Rebekah. Their names are based on their appearance at birth. Esau was red and hairy all over. So hairy that they said he looked as if he had on a garment. His name means red in Hebrew. Jacob was delivered and his hand was on heel of Esau. His name Jacob means hand on heel. It was prophesied to Rebekah that the eldest would serve the younger and that the blessing would go through Jacob. (see who is Israel).

The Forsaken Birthright

Hebrew custom was that the eldest son would receive the birthright and the blessing from the father. We all know the story of how Rebekah helped Jacob deceive Isaac, but that was all in Gods plan. Jacob, through deception(and the direction of his mother) received the blessing, but Esau willingly sold his birthright. The scriptures are unclear about the circumstances surrounding the selling of the birthright. They tell us that he comes in from hunting and he is famished. Esau asks Jacob: What good is his birthright if he dies from hunger, therefore he sold it for a bowl of lentil soup. Other teachings say that this took place at Abraham’s funeral. That they had gathered to put Abraham to rest and were eating afterward and that Esau, being unconcerned over his grandfathers passing, comes in late and request soup from his brother. Jacob being very angry over this disrespect of their grandfather then asks for his birthright for the soup. Custom was the eldest would be the one who took care of the details of the funeral and he wanted to make sure that Abraham received a proper burial. Another teaching from the book of Jasher, is that Esau had murdered Nimrod and that he was fleeing for his life because he had just killed the king. I am not sure about that, because I have read in other sources that Shem killed Nimrod. Either way, Esau threw away his birthright for a bowel of soup. It meant very little to him.

Wild Esau

After the birthright and blessing were gone from him, Esau hated Jacob. He felt that he has been treated unfairly. Esau wanted to do things that were not pleasing to his father. He overheard Isaac instructing Jacob to not take a wife form the Canaanites. Esau overheard this and to be spiteful he went and married one of Ishmael’s daughters.

Gen 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

Gen 28:5 And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

Gen 28:6 When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;

Gen 28:7 And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;

Gen 28:8 And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;

Gen 28:9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

Through the marriage this made Esau and Ishmael more bonded as a family. The descendants of this united family are the modern day Palestinians and Saudi Arabian People.

We know that from the beginning God had chosen whom he wanted. Ishmael was Abrahams first born son but he was not who God wanted his blessing to go through. He wanted Abraham’s child through Sarah to be the one to receive the blessing. As well as Jacob and Esau. From the beginning while they were within Rebekah’s womb he had chosen Jacob.

Romans 9:12 It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger.

Malachi 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Gods purpose and plan is just that; his plan. It is a hard thing to think that he picks and chooses people.

Romans 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

I have come to the realization that it is a small group, a remnant if you will, that is left with a desire to keep the commandments of God and live their life by his instructions. Even if it means they must face persecution for doing so. You would think that when you decide to follow the instruction of God that your fellow brothers in Christ would pat you on the back, but the opposite is their reaction. I don’t understand it, but that is what often happens. I can only conclude that Gods Holy Spirit is poured out on those he has chosen to be open to his instructions, while others who are not open to it are left in the darkness of their misunderstanding of the scripture. Jacob wanted the blessing. Esau could care less about it. The two are similar to people of today. One group wants the blessing, the other group couldn’t care less about it and willingly throw it away.