A Costly Exchange
In our last episode, we finished Biopic #1—our Biographical Picture on the Life of Abraham and the first of four such pictures in Act 1, Scene 2 of God’s One Big Story. In that Biopic, we learned that God had called Abraham out of a comfortable life in the pagan city of Ur in Mesopotamia to a life of wandering in Canaan—the land that God would later promise to give to Abraham and his descendants as an inheritance.
Not only did God promise Abraham the land, but he also guaranteed him a Son through whom those descendants would come, a nation that would later be known as Israel, and a blessing on him and his descendants. So far, God has made good on His promise of a Son—Isaac—and it is his life that will become the focus of our study in Biopic #2.
In this first episode of what will turn out to be a very short Biopic, we will discover that apart from his relationship with his father, there is not very much recorded about Isaac’s life. In fact, it seems that the most important events in his life occurred within the context of his relationships with others—with the most significant ones having already taken place as part of his relationship with Abraham…
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- His miraculous birth;
- His displacement of Ishmael as Abraham’s heir;
- His offering on Mount Moriah; and,
- His marriage to Rebekah, brokered by the Servant at Abraham’s direction.
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That being said, here is where we now find ourselves in the Story…
Where We Are in Our Story
Since Chapter 25:1-18 is a parenthesis in the Story, when Biopic #2 opens, we will be picking up with Isaac’s life where it left off in Genesis 24 with his marriage to Rebekah. When we last saw them there, they were enjoying their very own Hallmark Moment—she, having made the long journey from Padan Aram to meet her Bridegroom, and he, after waiting until he was forty years old to marry, receiving her gladly and taking her into his heart and home. But when today’s episode begins, not everything in their lives is going according to plan. As the curtains open on this episode, we hear our Narrator as he brings us up to date on Isaac’s story…
Episode #1 for Biopic #2
Cast: Narrator Rebekah The Lord Jacob Esau
Narrator: This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said…
Answered Prayers
Rebekah: If all is well, why am I like this?
Narrator: So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her…
The Lord: Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.
Narrator: So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Opposites in Every Way
Esau Sells His Birthright
(Heb. 12:16 )
Narrator: Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said…
Jacob: Sell me your birthright as of this day.
Esau: Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?
Jacob: Swear to me as of this day.
Narrator: So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
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Time to bring out the hat again!
Our Review
Although this is not one of our longer episodes, it is one in which some valuable Life Lessons and Spiritual Truths can be found. To help us get to those, let’s take review some of the most important points in this part of our Story…
— The Genealogy of Isaac—whereas the previous genealogy was Ismael’s—the rejected line which is always given first—this one is of the line to the promised Redeemer.
— She was barren/Isaac pleaded with the Lord—like Sarah before her, Rebekah was barren. We do not know if she had a physical problem that needed to be healed, or if like Sarah, the Lord had kept her from conceiving for His own purposes. Either way, when Isaac interceded for her, God responded, and she conceived.
— The children struggled within her—even though Isaac’s prayer for her was answered, she began to experience more than the normal in utero activity, which prompted her to go to the Lord for wisdom. In response, the Lord gave her a prophesy of what was to come forth from her womb…
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- Two Nations—Edom and Israel
- Two Peoples—those born after the flesh and those born after the Spirit
- One stronger than the other—initially the older one would be more powerful
- The Older will serve the Younger—in the end, the “weaker,” Younger One would rule over the stronger Older One.
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— Twins—this is the first mention of twins being born in Scripture.
— Esau—the first to be born, came out red and hairy. He came out manifesting the Adamic Nature—Adam meaning red and hairy a symbol of natural energy.
— Jacob—meaning heel-catcher or supplanter, was born clutching the heel of his brother. The first and most recent time that a mention was made of a heel in Scripture was in Genesis 3:15, when the promise of a Redeemer was first made…
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
— Esau was a skillful hunter—since Isaac had plenty of sheep to eat, and Rebekah could fix a goat that tasted like venison, there was really no need for Esau to hunt for his food—unless he did it for the thrill of the kill. The first and most recent time that a hunter was mentioned in Scripture was in Genesis 10:9, referring to Nimrod…
He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, ‘Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.’
— Jacob was a mild man—as we will learn later, Jacob, like Abel, was shepherd.
— Isaac loved Esau/Rebekah loved Jacob—favoritism that was sure to cause a division in the family and strife in the household.
— Jacob cooked a stew/a red stew/Edom—more than likely this wasn’t an intentional trap, just an opportunity that had presented itself. Edom is translated as red.
— What is this birthright to me/Esau despised his birthright—here, Esau demonstrates the value he placed on nearly everything involved in the birthright. That meant…
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- A double portion of the inheritance—which is probably the one thing he wanted out of it;
- The right to head or lead the household or clan;
- In that capacity, he would have to provide for the household, both materially and spiritually;
- He would become the priest of the family, responsible for building and officiating at the altar; and,
- He would be responsible for the transmission of God’s Word and Promises to the others in his family or clan.
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In Summary
Life Lessons
With all of this in mind, here are a few of the Life Lessons that can we take away from this episode on the life of Isaac…
- Prayer—
The first lesson to note concerns the importance of praying with persistence. We’re told here that Isaac “pleaded” with the Lord on behalf of his wife. This wasn’t just a one-time prayer but an earnest pleading which would have lasted throughout much of the first twenty years of their marriage.
And He [Jesus] said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
“So I say to you, ask [and keep on asking], and it will be given to you; seek [and keep on seeking], and you will find; knock [and keep on knocking}, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:5-10)
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving… (Colossians 4:2)
- Personalities—
Something else to note is the very different personalities of Esau and Jacob—you could say that they were complete opposites in much the same way that Cain and Abel were. This is especially interesting when you consider that they were conceived, carried, and born at the same time, and they grew up in the same environment. It just goes to show that every person who comes into the world is special, a unique combination of genetic material and a unique set of gifts and talents.
I can certainly testify to this because our set of twins—fraternal brothers—are complete opposites of one another. I’ve always said that what you don’t get in one, you get in the other—one is very tall, the other is of average height; one is dark-haired with fair skin and blue eyes, while the other has light brown hair, an olive complexion and hazel eyes; one is an introvert, the other an extrovert, one is a night person while the other is a morning person, one is serious and the other is a clown, etc.
- Playing Favorites—
Certainly, one of the most important take-aways from this episode is about the dangers of parental favoritism. As we shall see in our upcoming episodes, this is a recipe for disaster, not only affecting the immediate family situation but also the lives of the generations to come.
And that always leads to trouble!
Contributions to God’s One Big Story
In our previous Biopic, we were able to draw some spiritual pictures from the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, and the unnamed Servant. What kind of spiritual pictures do you think the lives of Esau and Jacob are going to paint for us? What Spiritual Truths can we find in them and in their differences?
From the little bit that we have learned about these brothers so far, it seems that they are presenting us with another picture of the on-going battle between the flesh and the spirit, between the wicked and the righteous. Of course, it is hard to see at this point how Jacob—the supplanter, heel-grabber, or trickster–could remotely be classified as “righteous” but, as we progress in our story, we will find this to be true.
Revelations of God
Although God’s activity in this episode is very limited, He is again presented as the God who answers the prayers of His servants. Beyond that, though, when it comes to His attitude toward Esau and Jacob, we find in Romans 9:10-13 that…
…when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’
This prompts the question of why would God hate Esau but love Jacob? Was He being unfair to Esau? Is God being revealed here in an entirely new and unflattering light?
To help us answer these questions, we must go back to what was previously revealed about the birthright that Esau placed so little value on. The birthright was an honor that was bestowed upon the first-born son and, among other things, it meant that he would…
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- Become the priest or the spiritual head of the family; and as such,
- Be responsible for making sure his family remained obedient to God and His covenant purposes.
Sadly, Esau placed so little value on these spiritual aspects of the birthright that he was willing to sell them for the temporary satisfaction offered by a bowl of stew. Jacob, on the other hand, placed so much value on them that he was willing to do anything, even cheat, in order to obtain them. That’s because…
…the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
While we will see more of how far Jacob will go in our future episodes, be sure come back for our next episode, Isaac: Like Father, Like Son—the one and only one which is just about Isaac himself.