They were twins though not identical. The firstborn, by only seconds, came out red and hairy with reddish hair and was duly named Esau, which means “Red.” The second was a smooth child, but he was considered a deceiver from birth because he was born holding to the heel of his brother, Esau, and was justly so named Jacob, meaning “Supplanter,” or “Deceiver.” Twins because they were born at the same time but vastly different, not only in appearance but also in nature.
Through life, they continued to live up to their names. The hairy man, Esau, became a hunter, and was skillful with his bow. Often, he brought in game, particularly venison, which very much pleased hisfather,Isaac. In contrast, Jacob grew crops, and was proficient in culinary skills. While Isaac favored Esau, Rebeccah seemed fonder of Jacob. However, playing favorites with children always ends in disaster, and the account of Esau and Jacob was no exception.
Because Esau was considered the oldest, even if only by moments, he was heir to the birthright – a custom that gave a larger portion of the inheritance of the father at his death, as well as the family blessing naming him the leader of the family when dad was gone. We see in the account as found in Genesis, that a day came when Esau came in after an unsuccessful hunting excursion, and was famished. Tired, hungry and feeling near death, when he arrived home, Jacob was finishing a pot of lentil soup. It smelled amazing to a starving man, and he naturally asked for a bowl from his brother. Jacob agreed, but again, living up to his name, he bargained with Esau. “I will give you a bowl of my soup in exchange for your birthright.” It was a horrible proposal. But Esau reasoned that a future birthright did a dying, starving man no good. And so, he foolishly made the trade.
A few years later, Isaac, in his old age, was nearly blind. A day came when he longed to taste Esau’s deliciously tender venison, and so he called his son, asked him to go hunting, kill a deer, and prepare it just the way he loved it, and he would bestow on him the family blessing. Esau left immediately, eager to please his father.
While he was gone, Rebeccah, their mother, called Jacob. She had some of Esau’s clothes and told him to kill a goat and prepare it just like Esau fixed his venison. She would put Esau’s clothes on Jacob and they even took some of the goat hair and put it on Jacob’s arms and around his neck so that if Isaac felt of him, he would think it to be his son, Esau.
Long story short, it worked. Isaac was deceived into thinking that it was indeed his son Esau, and so he gave Jacob the family blessing. Now Jacob had full rights of the first-born and Esau was left out in the cold. When Esau found out about Jacob’s deception he was consumed in anger and vowed to kill his brother. Isaac and Rebeccah reacted by sending Jacob away to her brother, Laban, for safety, and he was there for more than fourteen years. He served Laban seven years, and was deceived into taking Leah as his wife when he really wanted Rachel. So, he served an additional seven years for Rachel. After that he stayed on for some time working for the odd colored animals born to the flock.
He went home a rich man, and made peace with Esau. But that peace wasn’t one that lasted between their descendants. There were frequent conflicts throughout the history of their families. The Bible reveals that there was never lasting peace between Esau (the Edomites) and Jacob (the Israelites). Obadiah wrote in his single chapter prophecy that Israel would be delivered while Edom would not survive. History reveals this to be the case. If any survived from Edom they are intermingled with those living in the modern-day country of Jordan, while the nation, Israel, even though suffering long periods of captivity and persecution, are still in their Promised Land.
Esau and Jacob can be representative of the two roads we each face. Like unmarked forks, we must make a decision as to which is the right one to take. One, like Esau, may seem to be the easy road. It looks like a welltraveled road and is paved and smooth. You can see far down the road revealing that there are few curves, hills and obstacles to swerve around. It is the easy road.
Jacob, on the other hand, represents the road that has been changed. The deceiver has been renamed to Israel – Prince. The road is narrow and has many curves. You can only see a few feet ahead. From the terrain, you can tell there are mountains to cross over, and most likely many obstacles to overcome. But it is the road of wisdom. This road leads to change. It is a road of repentance of sin. In the end, it is the road that leads to eternal life.
We are all faced with a choice. At the start, it may seem like twins. But the two paths are different – very different. The easier one leads to eternal destruction, while the harder one leads to everlasting life. Which path will you take?
— Jerry D. Ousley is the author of “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey”, “Ordeal”, “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Newer books include “Finality” and “Dividing God’s Church.” Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.