Esau and Jacob

“And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (Genesis 25:27-28)

When you read stories of people in the Bible, you read about imperfect people who did not always do right. Even people whom God used in a big way did not always do right. Abraham was greatly used by God, but like all of us, he was human and did not always do right.

Abraham’s son Isaac was also greatly used by God. God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. This was an obedience test for both of them. The Bible says Abraham “…bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” (Genesis 22:9-10) Isaac offered no resistance. This is a picture of God giving His only-begotten Son Jesus, God the Son, to die a horrible death for our sins.

Later, Isaac and his wife Rebekah had twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau was “…a cunning hunter, a man of the field;” Esau was an outdoorsy type. Jacob was more of a homebody, “…dwelling in tents.” They were twins but very different. If you have kids who are different from earth other, don’t be surprised. The Bible tells us that even twins can be very different from each other.

Isaac also wasn’t perfect, nor was Rebekah. The Bible says “…Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison:” Esau may have been Isaac’s favorite. Rebekah favored Jacob. Showing favoritism toward one of your children over the others is an invitation to family problems. Jacob would see this truth play out years later when he had children.

Esau was the firstborn. When Isaac was old and his eyesight was poor, he told Esau to make venison for him, and Isaac would confer a special blessing upon Esau. Rebekah heard this, and when Esau went out to hunt, Rebekah sent Jacob in to see Isaac with goat meat, masquerading as Esau so he could get the blessing. Isaac fell for it and conferred the blessing on Jacob. When Esau came back and learned what had happened, he was angry and wanted to kill Jacob.

Stories like this are not in the Bible for us to justify sin in our lives: “If Jacob lied, why can’t I lie, too?” Rather, they show how God’s people made bad decisions that came back to haunt them. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Jacob’s (and Rebekah’s) deception caused grief in the family.

Later in the Bible, we see that God worked things out in Jacob’s life. We also see how God uses imperfect people to accomplish His will. Most importantly, God uses imperfect people to tell others about Jesus and being saved. Do you know Jesus as your personal Saviour? Are you sure by God’s Word that your sins are forgiven and heaven is your eternal home? If not, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”

Brian Miller 7/28/2022

Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822