Tag: jacob and esau

Struggling in the Season (Genesis 25:19-28)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Art by Sefira Lightstone

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other;
    the elder shall serve the younger.”

When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle, so they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (New Revised Standard Version)

As we near the end of Advent and the anticipation of the Christ child, today’s Old Testament lesson is a reminder to us of a much earlier birth.

The birth of the twins Jacob and Esau from Rebekah and the patriarch Isaac, are part of the promise given to Abraham, which would find its fulfillment centuries later, according to Christians, with the incarnation of Christ.

In this time of year, we may commonly associate the season with an emphasis on peace and unity. Yet, we must bear in mind that the need to emphasize these positive elements arises because enmity and discord exists among us.

In our story for today, we are reminded that God also works within conflict, even family conflict, to further divine purposes and promises. God’s presence exists through times of strife and disagreement, just as much as it does in times of joy of celebration.

The sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau began within the womb and at their birth. Their adverse relationship and continual competition was something God used, and bent it toward the Lord’s good plans and purposes for people.

Just as Mary and Elizabeth were mothers central to the direction of God’s will accomplished on this earth, so Rebekah is a pivotal character in the early history of the people of Israel, and their covenantal promises.

And similar to Mary and Elizabeth in the New Testament, Rebekah in the Old Testament was given children by means of God’s gracious power. We are meant to see God’s sovereign authority over all things, including control of the future. The text of Scripture values faith, and trusting in divine promises.

The two babies, Esau and Jacob, are more than twins. They each are ancestors of entire nations of people: Esau of Edom, and Jacob of Israel.

Against all odds, Jacob is the one who kept coming out on top of things. His character reveals something of the nation of Israel’s understanding of themselves. Israel is a small, and by all appearances, an insignificant nation; and yet, they become identified as God’s covenant people.

The ways of the Lord are often quite contradictory to societal convention and cultural expectations. The smallest and the youngest, the least and the forgotten, become prominent in God’s economy of things. This is a common pattern throughout Holy Scripture. (e.g. Genesis 17:18-19; 42:6-9; 1 Samuel 16:10-13; 17:33, 50)

Even though the two of them are twins, Esau and Jacob have very different personalities and interests. Esau was an outdoorsman, a hunter, who wasn’t home much. He had an extroverted life which had him interacting with all sorts of different people, especially women from other places. Jacob, however, hung around the home tents, an introvert. He comes across a stereotypical mama’s boy.

Yet, despite Jacob’s continual conniving, and Esau’s constant disdain for his family’s heritage with God, the Lord nevertheless showed generosity to both brothers.

But for a long time, it seemed as if one might kill the other, or both of them may do away with each other. Yet, eventually, there is a reunion between the brothers.

Ultimately, their story as brothers ends without any more sibling rivalry or hatred. Instead, there is reconciliation, blessing, and peace, as they positively accept one another and share in the burial of their father Isaac.

Especially in this time of year, when families gather around tables to eat, watch football games together, and go outside for semi-ceremonial smokes and drinks – and all that goes with being together around family, there is the inevitable conflict.

And when it comes, each individual responds in their typical way of either avoidance, confrontation, or quick-fix resolution. But there is also another way to respond.

Know that struggle, rivalry, emotion, longing, and belonging are all part of our human experience. And God is just as much present within those times, as God is in the blessing before eating, or the spiritual conversation between friends, or the collective sojourn to church on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day.

The blessing and abundance of God comes through all sorts of means. The ways of the Lord are often beyond what we might think or believe.

This season is an opportunity to embrace the conflict and the struggle, in order to know God better, know friends and family better, and better know what it means to be blessed.

Almighty, ever-living, and ever-loving God, the Nativity of your Son draws near. May divine mercy flow from your Word, made flesh for us of the Virgin Mary, to us, your unworthy yet faithful servants. Let him establish his dwelling on this earth, and in our hearts, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Anxious (Genesis 32:3-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Jacob praying for deliverance from his brother Esau, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. Jacob told them to say to Esau, “Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time, and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me.”

When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with 400 men.”

Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups. He thought, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”

Then Jacob prayed:

You, Lord, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. I don’t deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the grains of sand along the seashore.

After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau: 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 males.

Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, “Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd.” Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, “When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you. So tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.’ ”

Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met. Jacob’s men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp. (Contemporary English Version)

Anxiety’s a booger. It arises as an unwanted guest within our psyche, putting pressure on our chest, and becoming a squatter in the pit of our gut. To be anxious is to have a vague sense of dread, anticipating some upcoming threat.

Jacob knew the feeling well. His mind raced with thoughts of what might happen and how to placate Esau when he encountered his brother. Jacob left home two decades earlier to escape Esau’s vengeance. Now their meeting up was imminent. Jacob was scared spitless.

What do you do when distress and dread wrap you in a straitjacket of anxiety?

Avoid avoidance

The only way to deal with fear is to face it. Avoiding it prevents us from moving forward. It makes us anxious.  One way of facing your fear and/or anxiety is to name it. When fear, anxiety, terror, apprehension, or distress arises, then name it. In naming our fears and anxieties, they become real and, thus, manageable. 

“Every time your fear is invited up, every time you recognize it and smile at it, your fear will lose some of its strength.”

Thict Nhat Hanh (1926-2022)

Another way to face fear is to “sit with it” for a short while. Give yourself permission to feel the anxiety for a set amount of time without judgment or trying to get over it. Pay attention to where you are carrying your anxiety in your body.

Focus on what’s within your control

We cannot control other people. There’s no way Jacob was going to control or manipulate his brother Esau. Many circumstances are outside our control. And yet, we always have the choice of self-control. Giving into addictions, or not facing problems are ways of giving up control of ourselves. Taking good care of ourselves, and focusing on good attitudes are ways of strengthening personal control.

The Serenity Prayer is a good reminder in those times when we feel out of control:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Promote a positive mindset

Positive attitudes help us widen our perspective on things – and with a broader view of things comes more awareness of choices. Making wise choices for ourselves now, builds resilience and fortifies us for difficult situations down the road – without succumbing to old unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Find purpose and meaning in life

Experiencing traumatic events might cause us to question whether our lives have meaning, or not. We may feel unnecessary or expendable, and see no meaning for the future. 

So, it’s important to discover or reconnect with the spirituality within you. Take the time and energy to read Scripture, walk through nature, or discuss matters of the spirit with others. Just as our physical spine helps to support us and is not optional, so we also have a spiritual spine that needs attention for which we cannot live without.

Get support

Other people, like trusted friends and family, can help us make a realistic assessment of the fear and anxiety we are experiencing. With the support of others, we become more confident that we can deal with issues. Finding a church or some other religious gathering can be a fresh means of emotional support.

You are not alone. We are all in this life together. So, let’s rely upon one another and not believe that we just need to pull up ourselves out of impending trouble. There is a God (and God’s people) who are ready to help, if but we just ask.

O God, preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hospitality Is a Matter of Life and Death (Jeremiah 49:7-11)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Concerning Edom, the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Is wisdom no longer in Teman?
    Has good sense vanished from the perceptive?
        Are they no longer wise?
Turn, flee, and run for cover,
    you inhabitants of Dedan.
I’m bringing disaster on Esau:
    its day of reckoning.
If workers would come to you to pick grapes,
    they would at least leave a few on the vine.
If thieves would come in the night,
    they would take only what they needed.
But me? I will strip Esau bare.
    I will expose his hiding places,
        and he will find no place to take cover.
His offspring, family, and acquaintances will perish,
    and there will be no one left to say,
“Leave me your orphans,
    and I’ll look after them;
        trust your widows into my care.” (Common English Bible)

You might be saying to yourself, “What in tarnation is this crazy fool doing, having a Bible lesson on this here piece of Scripture that means nothing to you nor me?” Oh, really? To which I say, “What darned fool never gets into the backwoods of the prophets?”

Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, a real mountain man sort of guy. Being outdoors and hunting game was his thing. His descendants were the Edomites. They inhabited the southwest portion of what is now the country of Jordan, and the southeastern portion of Israel and Palestine in the middle east. It’s a territory made up of a network of clefts and caves in the rocks.

Edom tended to think of themselves as being invulnerable, the man’s man. They always had the high ground and knew how to handle themselves in the wilderness. For anyone interested in taking the Edomites down, it would be very difficult to dislodge them from their rocky fortress home. Yet, there is no place that is not vulnerable to the eye and purpose of Yahweh.

Site of an ancient Edomite stronghold in present day Jordan

Just as there was bad blood between Jacob and Esau, so also the Israelites and Edomites did not like each other throughout their history. Edom had no intention of helping their ancestral brother, and even participated with the Babylonians in the conquest of Jerusalem. What’s more, they rejoiced over the fall of the city – all of which raised the eyebrow of God.

Lord, remember what the Edomites did
        on Jerusalem’s dark day:
    “Rip it down, rip it down!
    All the way to its foundations!” they yelled. (Psalm 137:7, CEB)

Turns out that the Lord listened to the psalmist and remembered. The destruction of Edom came about because of two overlapping sins: the profound lack of hospitality; and the overt participation of doing harm. To refuse hospitality is to put someone or a group of people in harm’s way. It also betrays an attitude that works out in eventually becoming an agent of harm to those they could have helped.

In this vein, Edom is much more akin to Sodom and Gomorrah than to its brother Israel.

“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel 16:49, NIV)

When the ancient Israelites, after having been delivered by God from Egyptian bondage, and traveling in the wilderness, came upon Edom, they made a request of their brother:

“Please let us cross through your land. We won’t pass through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will walk on the King’s Highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have crossed your border.”

Edom said to him, “You won’t cross through, or I will come out against you with a sword.” (Numbers 20:17-18, CEB)

It does no one any good to refuse offering hospitality to others. Both the one in need, and the one being inhospitable, find themselves in dire straits. The reason the Lord cares so much about this is that God, at the core, is hospitable – loving the stranger and granting aid to the alien.

Jesus, upholding this long tradition of divine caring and prophetic utterance, had this to say to those who were indifferent:

“Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”

They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”

He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matthew 25:41-46, NIV)

It is high time that we, as a contemporary people, take the Old Testament prophets seriously, and adopt the divine heart for the alien, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, and all who find themselves unable to meet their own basic needs.

And when a refusal of hospitality happens on a national scale, the people of that nation will discover themselves a bygone country – much like Edom and the Edomites of old.

Whenever the national zeitgeist translates into draconian tactics for keeping “those other people” at a distance and say to them, “get out of our country,” without any hospitality, that nation has come under the eye of a holy God who has a zero tolerance policy toward base unkindness and purposeful callousness.

So, we ought to have the fear of God when we believe we have a moral right to exclude immigrants because they may potentially harm citizens by taking away jobs, reducing wages, and draining social services. This line of reasoning is not consistent with the way of Christ.

I, for one, believe we have failed to live up to the moral universalism we pretend lies at the heart of the United States’ theories and political philosophies; and we have not been willing to accept the radical changes needed to accommodate even a modest notion of hospitality for those who have been the targets for hate crimes based upon their race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, and gender.

The age old sin of this world is that the wealthy and the privileged, although giving out of their largess, have no intention of sharing power and would never think of following the example of the poor widow who gave everything she had.

So, God said of the Edomites, “I will ‘Edom’ up!” And like the wild game their ancestor Esau killed and ate, they were gone. Turns out that hospitality is really a matter of life and death.

Lord Jesus, you welcomed all who came into your presence. May we reflect that same spirit through the value of hospitality. May your light shine in our hearts this day and dispel the darkness of hate and bigotry. Remove from us anything that stands in the way of radiating your presence. Amen.

A Divine Appointment (Genesis 29:1-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Jacob and Rachel at the well, by Friedrich Wilhelm Müller (Kirchditmold 1801–1889)

Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied.

He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

“Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

“We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.” (New International Version)

Jacob meets Rachel at the well, by Paolo Fiammingo, c.1585

Jacob was a homebody. Unlike his twin brother Esau, who loved the outdoors and was often away hunting, Jacob preferred to hang around home with his mother – which is probably why Rebekah preferred him over his brother. It’s also why the two of them succeeded in a plan to deceive Isaac and steal the family blessing from Esau.

In Esau’s bitterness over not being blessed by his father, he began laying plans of his own: to kill his brother Jacob in revenge. This came to the attention of Rebekah, who then warned Jacob to flee to her family of origin in Paddan-Aram.

The boy who was attached to his mother and stayed at home, was now a man on the run, in need of a new life. Jacob was alone. One can only imagine the fear and apprehension, the grief and loneliness, of being on his own in a strange place. But God was with him. And the Lord graciously assured Jacob of the divine presence and promises.

Since God was with Jacob and was going to accomplish divine purposes through him, the Lord set up a divine appointment.

Upon arriving at a well, Jacob discovers some shepherds who know his uncle. And then, along comes Rachel with a flock of sheep. God’s providential guidance is evident in leading both Jacob and Rachel to this place and for this time.

Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, was the brother of Laban and the father of Rachel. In the lives of both Rebekah and her son Jacob, Laban ran out to greet and be involved in the divine appointments. (Genesis 24) The narratives differ, however, in that Abraham’s servant had wealth to share in bringing Isaac and Rebekah together; yet Jacob showed up without two pennies to rub together.

And whereas, on both occasions a future bride comes to a well, Rebekah and Rachel differ greatly in their betrothal times. Rebekah’s marriage was quickly arranged; Rachel’s marriage is uncertain and everything is nebulous on how things will shake out with Jacob.

The divine appointment has happened. God’s protection, presence, and guidance are with Jacob. Yet, at this point in the narrative, everything seems up in the air. Will Jacob marry Rachel? Are there going to be numerous descendants? How in the world is Jacob going to return to the land which was promised?

Though this initial foray into the unknown has had a divine stamp on it, Jacob will soon discover that there are many obstacles to negotiate before the promises of God are fulfilled.

And that is the way of us all. Sometimes things come easy and effortless. At other times, it’s a hard slog. In the scope of a life, there are extended seasons of tedious and mundane work – punctuated with times of amazement, even miracle, letting us know there is a God still watching.

You never quite know what’s around the corner of your life – whether good or bad. Yet, the real issue is trust.

The thing about divine appointments is that God is the sovereign ruler of the universe – which means that everything is in the Lord’s hands. All of life, and all events, are providentially bent for divine purposes. Both good and trouble are appointed.

If we believe the Lord is good, right, and just – all the time and that there is never a time when God is bad or capricious – then we are able to accept all circumstances as being from the hand of God. We will trust, even though we don’t know what’s coming next.

The Apostle Paul had it right by saying that “every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (Romans 8:28, MSG)

What would your life look like by adopting this perspective God and all events you encounter?

Gracious God, you alone know what my real needs are. You love me more than I myself know how to love. Help me to see my real needs which are hidden from me. I am afraid to ask for either a cross or consolation, so I wait on you; my heart is open to you. Visit me and help me for the sake of your great mercy. Strike me and heal me, cast me down and raise me up, according to your good will. I put all my trust in you. Amen.