A Tale of Two Brothers

Introduction

As we open this lesson, Abraham and Sarah, the first generation of God’s chosen people, have died and are buried in the cave at Machpelah. Isaac and Rebekah have been married for about twenty years, and although they had hoped to hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet by this time, that did not happen. Rebekah was barren.

Think About This: God wanted to teach His people that the chosen seed of Abraham could not be accomplished by mere human effort. As a result, several of the women called by God were barren until He, in His own perfect timing, opened their wombs. Three of the four matriarchs in Genesis (Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel) as well as Hannah, mother of Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 1:1-28), and the unnamed mother of Samson (Judges 13:1-25) were all barren. In the New Testament, Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, was barren until her husband’s prayers were answered and she conceived. (Luke 1:13).

Unlike his father, Isaac did not employ the services of a surrogate wife to produce children. Instead, he understood that he was the son through whom the generational blessings of the covenant would come, and in order for those blessings to come to fruition, he and Rebekah had to produce children. He trusted God and prayed earnestly that He would open Rebekah’s womb. These were the actions of a man who believed and trusted in God’s sovereign power, and his prayers were answered. Rebekah soon learned that she was pregnant with twins.

This should have been a joyous time, but even as a first time mother, Rebekah felt that something was wrong. The movement of the twins in her womb became so violent, it was as if they would crush one another. The meaning in the original language was, “to thrash one another with the feet.”

According to Janzen, when Rebekah inquires of the Lord, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” a better translation is, “If things are all right in my womb, why am I like this?” (Genesis 25:22). God answered her and said, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples shall be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23).

R. Kent Hughes says, “The moral lessons in this chapter do not come from observing the moral virtues of Jacob and Esau, but rather by observing their faults. Together they dramatize the human predicament: both the elect and the non-elect are hopelessly self-centered and incapable by themselves of doing consistent good. Jacob is cunning, scheming and unscrupulous, and Esau is a free spirit who lives for his appetites.”

The Twins Arrive

We know that Esau was born first and Jacob was born immediately after him, holding on to his heel. According to the prophecy God gave to Rebekah, Esau, the older, would serve Jacob, the younger. 

Scripture says that Esau “came forth red, all over like a hairy garment.” Hughes says that Esau was “a little furry, testosterone-redolent, redheaded male.” 

Think About This: Discrimination against people with red hair is a real thing. Only about 2% of the population have red hair which is caused by a gene mutation affecting the hair follicles. Throughout history, women with red hair have been viewed as loose, libidinal and wild. Red-headed men are temperamental and quick to violence. Judas the betrayer of Christ is often portrayed as a red-head; Genghis Khan is described as “long-bearded, red-haired, and green-eyed.” And in Ancient Egypt, men with red hair may have been used as human sacrifices to the god Osiris. Archaeologists track it back to central Asia about three or four thousand years ago. Did it all begin with Esau?

Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the field, a true son of the desert who delighted to roam free as the wind of heaven and who was impatient at the restraints of civilized or settled life (Ungers), and Isaac loved him. 

When he was about 40 years old, Esau married one Canaanite woman and shortly thereafter, married a second woman, also a Canaanite, primarily because it was displeasing to his parents (Genesis 26:34-35; 28:8). Some time later, he married the daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). Esau eventually moved his household to Mt.Seir, the mountainous region stretching between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, southeast of the Kingdom of Judah. His descendants were the Edomites, who caused problems for the Israelites on and off throughout the Old Testament period.

Think About This:There is controversy about the names of Esau’s wives as recorded in Genesis. If you want to look this up, check out these verses: Genesis 26:34, Genesis 28:8-9, and Genesis 36:2-3. I cannot explain why the names are different, and apparently no one else can either. Some scholars suggest that Esau had six wives, not three; others say that it was the custom for women to change their names when they married. Another said Esau changed his wives’ names in an effort to appease his parents’ wrath. (I personally disagree with this one: the reason Esau married them in the first place was to anger his parents.) In any case, it doesn’t matter. Esau had two Canaanite wives and one Ishmaelite wife.

We are not given a physical description of Jacob, whose name means “usurper”. He was a peaceful man, preferring to live indoors and was obedient to his mother. McGee says he was a mama’s boy, tied to her apron strings, and Rebekah loved him. But a certain incident that occurred in the early lives of the brothers defined their futures and perfectly reflected the inner nature and character of each man.

The Battle Over the Birthright

Birthright is a term used to describe the rights and privileges of the firstborn; that is, rights to which one is entitled by virtue of his birth order. The birthright secures for its possessor the headship of the family, both spiritually and temporally, and the possession of the great bulk of the family property. The firstborn received a double portion of the estate, while siblings received single and equal portions. In this particular family, the birthright also carried the covenant blessing (Genesis 27:28-29, 36; Hebrews 12:16-17). It was valuable indeed.

We are told in Scripture that Isaac loved Esau, probably because of how manly he was, and Rebekah loved Jacob, perhaps because of his gentleness. Their partiality could have been the reason for the rivalry between the two brothers.

One day after Esau had been out in the fields, he came inside and was famished. Jacob was making stew, and Esau asked Jacob if he could have some of it. Jacob probably said something like, “Sure, but it’s going to cost you. You must sell me your birthright.” To which Esau probably answered something like, “Sure, that’s fine. What good is a birthright if I’m already dead from hunger?” Jacob made Esau swear to it, and so the deal was struck.

Now, when I read this for the first time, I thought Jacob was only teasing. And who in his right mind would sell a valuable commodity like a birthright for a crummy bowl of stew? But, it really happened.

That is why the Bible says, “Thus Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:29-34). Only much later did Esau realize the actual price he paid for that bowl of stew.

Fast forward a few years, I don’t know exactly how many, and Isaac, who was blind and 130 years old, thought he was about to die. He was determined to give Esau the family blessing before he died even though he was aware of God’s prophecy to Rebekah. By the way, Isaac lived another 50 years or so after this incident, showing that he intentionally jumped the gun by trying to secretly give the blessing to Esau. He was attempting to go against God’s will, which is never a good idea. Esau had shown himself to be an immoral and reckless man, and definitely not the best choice for Isaac’s blessing. 

Because he was being secretive about his plans, Isaac did not tell Rebekah about it. But she overheard Isaac’s conversation with Esau about having a feast to mark the occasion and developed her own plan to counter Isaac’s intentions. It seems she carefully thought out every contingency and prepared Jacob to successfully pose as Esau so he could receive Isaac’s blessing. Of course, her plan was successful because it served God’s ultimate purposes, and Esau did not receive the birthright. He vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac’s death. Again, Rebekah took action and sent Jacob away to her brother’s family in Haran to find a wife for himself, and that will be the subject of our next lesson.

Summary

These two brothers had different life philosophies: their thinking and attitudes were different. Esau was a physical kind of guy. He is presented as the athletic type, loving everything about the outdoors. He was also a cunning hunter. But he had no understanding of nor desire for spiritual things.

The struggle between Jacob and Esau represents the struggle that still goes on in the world today. There is a struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil, between the Spirit and the flesh. (McGee).

Esau did receive a blessing, albeit a lesser one than Jacob received, and he moved away. When Jacob returned from his twenty-year sojourn in Haran, he sent messengers ahead to Esau to let him know he was returning home, this in an attempt to appease Esau’s wrath. The plan apparently worked because Esau came out to meet Jacob with 400 of his men, and the two brothers were reconciled. They met again when their father died, and then Esau returned to Mt. Seir. The two brothers never met again.

Think About It, Talk About It

Was it just coincidence that Sarah, Rebekah and several other women in the Bible were barren and unable to conceive? What other reason could there have been? What did Isaac do right in order to allow Rebekah to conceive?

What was the importance, or value, of a birthright? If Isaac knew about God’s prophecy to Rebekah about Jacob, why did he try to change God’s plan? Do you think the right man received the blessing of the birthright?

How does the life-long struggle between Esau and Jacob mirror the struggles Christians have today?

Sources

Adelman, Rachel: Barren Women in the Bible, Jewish Women’s Archive (www.jwa.org)

Danzy, Emma: Lessons from Esau Selling His Birthright for Soup (www.biblestudytools.com)

Discrimination Against People with Red Hair (www.wikipedia.com)

Hughes, R. Kent: Preaching the Word-Genesis (Crossway Books)

Isaac’s Blessing (www.lavistachurchofchrist.org)

Janzen, J. Gerald: Abraham and All the Families of the Earth (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993)

Jensen, K. Thor: The Violent History of Red Hair (www.medium.com)

MacArthur, John: MacArthur Bible Studies, Genesis 12-33 (Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publishers)

McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee (Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publishers)

Unger, Merrill F.: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago)