DAY NINE:

Jacob and Esau Conflict

Genesis 27:1-28:22

Welcome to Day Nine of our study! We're skipping over a lot of things to get to the story of Jacob and Esau, so I'll give a quick summary.  Sarah died at the age of 127, then Abraham died at the age of 175. Isaac grew up and was ready to marry. His father sent a trusted servant to find a wife for him among his relatives in Haran. He brings back Rebecca, daughter of Abraham's nephew Bethuel and she marries Isaac. They remain childless for a number of years, until God answers their prayers with twins! While she was pregnant there was a lot of rumbling in Rebecca's womb, like fighting. The Lord told that's exactly what was happening. Her babies were fighting with each other and would separate into two nations. The youngest would rule over the oldest. Esau was the firstborn. His name means "hairy," and it was apt because he was covered with red hair. But his brother came into the world right after that, with his hand firmly grasping Esau's foot. They called him Jacob, which means "heel holder" or as some translations put it, supplanter. A supplanter is someone who puts himself in ahead of someone else by devious means. It was as if Jacob was grabbing his brother to pull him back so that he could be the first born. The two boys grew up. Esau was a rugged outdoorsman who loved to hunt. Jacob stayed close to home and helped his mother with the cooking. One day Esau came in from the field and was very hungry. Jacob was cooking a pot of lentil stew and it smelled so good to Esau. He asked for some and Jacob replied, "I'll sell you a bowl for your birthright." The birthright was a double portion of the father's estate that went to the first born. The birthright wasn't just about money. It was also a special honor for the recipient. Esau said "Okay," about as casually as that. The trade seemed fair to him at the time. So Jacob gave him a bowl of soup and some bread. This was the first time Jacob supplanted Esau, by taking his birthright.

Now we come to today's reading. Isaac was fully aware of the prophecy that the younger would rule over the older. Esau had already despised his birthright. But Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob. He especially loved the wild game that Esau brought back. He spoke secretly (or so he thought) with Esau and told him that he wanted to give him the blessing. He told Esau to go out and bring back a deer and cook it, so that after eating he would bless Esau. Rebecca was within earshot and heard the conversation. She was not about to let Isaac deprive her son of the blessing that was rightfully his. She told Jacob to go and prepare a lamb, using Esau's recipe. Then she had Jacob dress in some of Esau's clothes and tied fleeces to his arms and neck so that Isaac, now blind, would think that he was Esau. Jacob wasn't sure about the idea- what if my father recognizes me? Then he'll curse me! But he went ahead. The plan worked and Isaac blessed Jacob in the place of Esau.  "May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"Isaac thus passed on the covenant God made with Abraham and which in turn fell to him on to Jacob.

No sooner than Jacob left, Esau returned and brought in a savory venison roast with all the trimmings. "Here I am! Eat up and then give me your blessing." Now Esau was confused! Didn't he just bless Esau?  He sounded like Jacob, but he felt and smelled like Esau. When Isaac figured out what had happened, he trembled! He had thought to outwit God and was himself fooled. The blessing was already given, and there was no taking it back. Esau was furious! "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing." Isaac did have a blessing for Esau, but it wasn't like the one he gave Jacob. Esau was angry and plotted his revenge. He'd wait until his father died and then he'd kill Jacob! Rebecca saw Esau's rage and knew he'd make good on the threat. She told Jacob that he had to leave until Esau cooled down. She talked Isaac into sending Jacob back to her family in Paddan-Aram (the vicinity of Haran) to find a wife. She told Jacob to come back, with his wife, in a few months.

Jacob set out on his long journey all by himself. He came to Bethel, where Abraham built an altar to the Lord, and spent the night. There he had a dream of a ladder between earth and heaven, with angels going up and down that ladder! And God spoke to him: "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." When Jacob woke up, he had an appropriate sense of awe. "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Bethel means house of God in Hebrew. Jacob made a vow to serve the Lord faithfully if he would bring him back home.

God was as good as his word, but there are lots of twists and turns yet to come in the story of Jacob! More about that tomorrow.

The Bible has oh so much to teach us! Let's look at Isaac, Rebecca, Esau and Jacob. Isaac was the child of promise, long in coming but so precious to his parents when he was born. God had blessed him with a beautiful wife and in time two sons. God said that the older shall serve the younger, but Esau wanted to see his favorite son, Esau, get the blessing. He trembled when he realized that he had done what God wanted him to do all along, to bless Jacob. God will see that His will is accomplished, whether we are willing participants or not.

Rebecca was a schemer. She told Jacob to deceive his father and take the blessing that was rightfully his. When Jacob had qualms she said "let the blame fall on me." Then she sent Jacob away, thinking that he'd be back in a while. But when Jacob left, that was the last that Rebecca saw of him. She died before he returned. Our plots and plans to bring about what we want rather than what God wants always bear bitter fruit.

Esau was a man who lived for the moment and didn't care about pleasing God. He was hungry right now, and all he wanted was some food. His birthright meant nothing to him and he gladly traded it for some soup. When it came time for the blessing he didn't get it. His tears couldn't change that. Hebrews 12:16-17 says, "[See to it] that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears."

And Jacob, who got both the birthright and blessing through deceitful means, was nonetheless the heir to the promise to Abraham. His character is questionable. But God has a way of shaping us! Jacob the cheat will himself be cheated when he arrives at Paddan-Aram. More about that tomorrow when we consider the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau.

Here's a beautiful rendition of "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" that will bless you: