Brothers Esau and Jacob

Isaac and his wife Rebekah wanted to begin a family. Isaac pleaded and prayed with faith to the LORD for his wife Rebekah because she was barren like Sarah, and the LORD answered Isaac’s plea, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant with two twin boys. Rebekah’s twin boys struggled within her womb, and Rebekah sought the LORD in prayer for answers and guidance. The Sovereign LORD God of heaven and earth, announced to Rebekah that she had two rival nations and two separate people living within her womb, and the older son would serve the younger son. Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, gave birth to her twin sons, Esau (Edom) and Jacob (Israel). Jacob had smooth skin, but Esau came out red, like a hairy fur garment and eventually, Esau became the father of Edom (Seir), which means red. Then Esau’s brother was born, and his hand grasped at Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob, which means supplanter, cheater, or deceiver. Esau and Jacob grew, and Esau became a skillful hunter, outdoorsman, and man of the fields while Jacob was a mild man, dwelling with his mother Rebekah at home (within the tent). Isaac and Rebekah mistakenly practiced favoritism with their children, which would result in poisonous fruit. Isaac favored Esau because he ate Esau’s food from the fields of the earth, which the LORD had blessed, but Rebekah favored Jacob, who stayed inside the tent (home). One day, Esau was weary and tired from the fields and demanded the red stew Jacob had prepared. Jacob demanded Esau surrender his birthright in exchange for the red stew. Driven by the natural flesh (appetite) during a moment of weakness, Esau impulsively traded his divine birthright (inheritance) as Isaac’s firstborn son for Jacob’s red stew (a meal). Sadly, Esau despised as godless his birthright (bekorah), which was God’s covenant promise and blessings (berakah) of Abraham. The Holy Bible states that Esau never sought the LORD nor repented with sorrow for his godless behavior of rejecting God’s blessings and covenant birthright as Isaac’s firstborn son. Later, the Sovereign LORD God appeared to Isaac with His promise to be present with Isaac by His Holy Spirit and bless Isaac with Abraham's covenant blessing of prosperity, strength, and many multiple descendants, including Isaac’s Seed (Christ Jesus) and the land of Canaan (Israel-Palestine). The Holy Bible notes Abraham’s faithful obedience to the Sovereign LORD God’s voice and His commandments, statutes, and laws, and He commanded Abraham to teach his descendants the same faithful obedience to God. Abraham and Isaac faithfully called upon the Name of the Eternal God (El-Olam) and worshiped Him. As Isaac aged, Isaac’s eyes became weak and dim, and he requested a savory meal from his eldest son Esau and his game animal so he could bless Esau before his death. Rebekah listened when Isaac spoke to Esau about Esau receiving his birthright (bekorah) and Isaac’s blessings (berakah) before Isaac’s death. So, with her favoritism for Jacob, Rebekah commanded Jacob to obtain two goats from their flock so she could prepare a tasty meal for his father, and so Jacob could receive Isaac’s blessings instead of Esau. Rebekah and Jacob schemed and deceived Isaac by disguising Jacob with Esau’s clothes and hairy animal skins like Esau, and Rebekah had Jacob bring the meal she prepared to Isaac so Jacob could receive Isaac’s covenant blessings of Abraham.

Jacob brought the food to his father Isaac, who tricked and lied to his father, who was old and had weak eyesight, so that he would receive Esau’s birthright and covenant blessing as the firstborn son. Isaac blessed Jacob with the dew of the heavens, the fatness of the earth, plenty of grain and wine, and the honor of people, along with blessings to those who bless him and curses for those who curse him. After Jacob received the covenant blessing, Esau came to his father Isaac with a tasty meal from the game of the field, but Isaac announced to Esau that Jacob had come to him with trickery deceit and took Esau’s blessings as the firstborn son. Jacob would later reap his scheming trickery and lies by being exiled from his family for twenty years and being deceived by his future father-in-law Laban regarding his two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Esau wept bitterly to his father Isaac to receive the covenant blessing, and then Esau realized that Jacob had supplanted and deceived him twice to take away the birthright of Abraham and Isaac’s covenant blessings. Isaac informed Esau that he had made Jacob his master and blessed Jacob with servants, grain, and wine to sustain him, but he blessed Esau with a lesser blessing of scarcity, restlessness, and servitude. Esau became bitter and hated his brother Jacob with a desire to kill Jacob. Rebekah sent Jacob away from Esau to her brother Laban in Haran (Mesopotamia) until Esau’s anger eased. Also, Isaac and Rebekah sent Jacob to Mesopotamia so he would not marry the wicked women of Canaan, like his brother Esau, and Jacob obeyed his father and mother. Before leaving, Isaac once again gave Jacob the blessings God Almighty (El-Shaddai) had given to Abraham and him regarding spiritual and physical prosperity, multiplication of descendants, and the inheritance of Canaan (Promised Land of God) so Jacob (Israel) would be a channel of God’s blessings to the nations leading to the sinless Christ Jesus our Savior. The Holy Bible teaches that the Sovereign LORD God by grace chose and elected flawed Jacob (Israel) with love over Esau even before Esau and Jacob’s births. In His sovereignty, the LORD God uses all kinds of actions (good and bad) for the good of His people. Despite Esau’s action, the Sovereign LORD God commanded Jacob to love Esau (Edom) and, by God’s grace, multiplied Esau and his offspring into a great nation with land under God’s protection just like Cain, Canaan (Ham), Ishmael, Reuben, and Manasseh. Esau would later forgive and reconcile with Jacob, which answered Jacob’s prayer. Here is more Good News: everyone receives God’s righteousness, adoption into His family, and the spiritual blessings of Abraham as Abraham’s descendants by repentance with faithful obedience to Christ Jesus as Lord. The Genesis stories teach that the Sovereign LORD God makes good and divine promises for His faithful people. Still, these stories also teach everyone that we must patiently wait with obedience and prayer to God for His empowering Holy Spirit and His timing, and not by our selfish methods and sinful schemes. Let EVERYONE come with faithful obedience and love to the Sovereign LORD God and His Son Christ Jesus, for His Holy Spirit’s power and blessings and ALWAYS worship the Eternal God. Jesus is the LORD!

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