The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. – Genesis 25:27-28

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 10, 2015): Genesis 25

I hate the story of Jacob and Esau. I know that I am not supposed to say that, but the truth is that every time I read the story I get angry – there is simply so much that is wrong with the tale. And it all seems to begin the moment that the twin boys were born. Each parent immediately seemed to have a favorite. And as soon as we understand that, we begin to see the competition to which the boys were immediately subjected. It has to damage the psyche of child just knowing that one of their parents likes the other more than you.

But the story continues. Esau seems to be a man’s man. He is strong and knows how to handle himself. He has mastered the art of tracking and killing game for food. He knows how to cook wild game. Esau may be simple in some ways, but he seems to be as honest as the day is long. He is a hard worker and a very proud and independent man. To be brutally honest, Esau seems to be the type of person that we would often refer to as the “salt of the earth.” I know that the New Testament calls Esau a profane fornicator (Hebrews 12:16), but that evaluation of Esau is totally based on one incident in his life – Esau allowed his appetites to rule him when he sold his birthright to Jacob. And that one incident set up a chain reaction from which Esau never really broke free. From that point on he was ruled by his many appetites.

Jacob, on the other hand, is everything that his brother is not. While some experts make a point of telling us that Jacob was not weak, the truth is that, when compared with his brother, he was. He knew his way around the pasture (maybe), but the ability to track wild game eluded him. He seemed to be totally dependent on his mother for many things in life, and was willing to let her make his decisions. He was deceitful, where Esau was honest, and lazy, where was Esau is a hard worker. Maybe all of this is nothing more than a function of which parent chose them as favorite when they were young, but in many ways the twins couldn’t be more different. But the other truth is a very personal one – if I was looking for a friend, or someone to work with, the decision would be very easy – it would be Esau.

Yet, God chose Jacob. I love the story of the woman who came up to Charles Spurgeon to give him her take on the story of the Jacob and Esau. Her statement was that she could not understand why God would say that he hated Esau (Malachi 1:3). Spurgeon’s reply was direct “That is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob” (William Newell in Romans, Verse by Verse). I apparently have the same struggle as Mr. Spurgeon. But maybe that is also the hope for all of us. If God could love Jacob and change his name to Israel and set him up as the progenitor of his people, then there has to be hope for us. If God can do miracles through Jacob, then he can do wondrous things through you - and me.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 26