What was the story of Jacob and Esau?

Rebekah was barren, but on Isaac beseeching the Lord, she conceived, and was told that she should be the mother of two nations, and the twin brothers Esau and Jacob were born, Esau being the firstborn. A famine being in the land, Isaac removed to Gerar, and there faithlessly said that Rebekah was his sister, and was rebuked by the king of the Philistines. God confirmed the blessing promised to Abraham, both as to Isaac's seed possessing all those countries, and also as to all the nations of the earth being blessed in his seed.

Son of Isaac and Rebekah. Though a twin, he is called 'the younger,' being born after Esau. Before the children were born it was said, "the elder shall serve the younger." The promises made by God to Abraham were thus confirmed to Jacob, as they had been to Isaac. When they grew up, Esau became a hunter, whereas Jacob was a peaceful man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau, and Rebekah loved Jacob. The typical character of these three patriarchs has been described thus: "In general, Abraham is the root of all promise, and the picture of the life of faith; Isaac is a type of the heavenly Man, who receives the church; and Jacob represents Israel as heir of the promises according to the flesh." The difference may be seen by comparing Gen. 22:17 ('stars ' and 'sand'), with Gen. 26:4 ('stars' only), and Gen. 28:14 ('dust of the earth' only).

A twin son with Jacob of Isaac and Rebekah, though Esau was actually the first-born. He is described as "red, all over like a hairy garment;" with this his name corresponds, which signifies 'hairy.' Gen. 25:25. The first thing we read of him is the selling of his birthright to his over-reaching brother Jacob, for a mess of pottage. Concerning this he is called in the N.T. a profane person, because he valued not that which was the gift of God. He afterwards sought the blessing carefully with tears, but found no place of repentance. Gen. 25:29-34; Heb. 12:16-17.

Jacob, through want of faith in God, surreptitiously obtained the blessing of his father (who, contrary to God's election, intended it for Esau), in which Isaac said that he had made Jacob Esau's lord, and given all his brethren to be his servants. The blessing of Esau was "Thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass, when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." Gen. 27:37-40. Esau hated his brother, and intended, when the days of mourning for his father were ended, to kill him. The words of Isaac were fulfilled. David put garrisons throughout all Edom (where the descendants of Esau dwelt, Gen. 36:8) and all they of Edom became his servants, 2 Sam. 8:14; but later on in the days of Joram, Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah; and though Joram was able to punish them, yet Judah was growing weaker, and 'Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, unto this day.' 2 Kings 8:20-22. Obadiah announces Edom's final judgement: no remnant is restored. See EDOM.

Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, and they had no son for about thirty years. So Isaac prayed to God and He gave Rebekah two sons, twins. The one born first was named Esau, (that means, Red); the other was called Jacob, (that means Supplanter, or, Cheater). In some countries people pray to idols for a son, but idols cannot answer, — the true God can. Being born first Esau had the better place; but God told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger.

When Esau grew up he became a hunter. Jacob loved his home, and lived in the tents. One day Esau came back from hunting, and felt tired. At that time Jacob was boiling red beans. Esau asked for some because he was hungry. Jacob said, "Sell me this day, thy birthright." So Esau sold his better place for a bowl of red beans. We learn later what God thought of this. (Heb. 12:16-17). God tells us that when Esau wanted to get his father's blessing, he was refused, and he found no way to change his mind, though he tried carefully, with tears, to get the blessing. To look down on God's promise of blessing is very bad. Now, God promises that if you, a sinner, believe on His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, God will forgive your sins and give you peace, joy, and everlasting life. If you despise this, not only do you lose this greatest gift, but later even if you seek with tears, you may not get it, but weep and grind your teeth always. If you seek God now, you will find Him. But if you turn away from the Lord now, later, when you try to find God, He may have turned away from you, as with Esau.

Jacob's life up to this point in Genesis 32 was a sorrowful one. God had purposed to bless him before he was born, as you read in a previous chapter, where the Lord said to Rebekah, "Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). That is to say, God purposed to bless Jacob beyond Esau. In the end of that chapter, you recollect, Esau sells his birthright for a mess of lentil pottage. Esau was a worldly man, and he sells his birthright — that which belonged to him as the first-born. He comes in faint from the chase, and finds Jacob making pottage. Esau desires it, and Jacob says, "Sell me this day thy birthright"; and Esau replies: "Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware to him: and he sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright" (Gen. 25:31-34).

Esau starts his worldly history by flinging lightly back in the face of God that which His goodness had given him. No wonder his end was so bad, or that God calls him a "profane person" (Heb. 12:16). Do not forget this — that every sinner has, in a certain sense, a birthright. You have been born into a world to which the Saviour has come, and that Saviour came to save sinners, and if you do not receive that Saviour, but hold on in the ways of the world, deluded by Satan, and caring only for the things of this life, you simply follow the footsteps of Esau, and despise your birthright for a mess of pottage — that is, for the things that minister to the body, and give you comfort while you go through this world, from which you will have shortly to pass away. "Thus Esau despised his birthright," is God's comment, and the Holy Ghost bids us in our day beware, "lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright" (Heb. 12:16). Since that day many a soul has passed into eternity, who has sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. And what is that? A little bit of the world!

In Genesis 25 we have recorded the transaction with Esau over the pottage of lentils. The birthright was made the subject of a commercial transaction. Esau revealed himself as a "profane person" (Heb. 12:16), saying "what profit shall this birthright do to me?" Jacob revealed himself as one who, though valuing the birthright, regarded it as a subject of barter, and to be purchased as cheaply as possible. Esau despised the birthright and lost it, but on the other hand there is no evidence that Jacob obtained it as a result of this sharp practice. Rather he obtained it in spite of it.

In Genesis 27 is recorded the artful way in which Jacob, instigated by his mother, deceived his blind father, and supplanted Esau in the matter of the blessing. He lied both by word of mouth and in action. This episode was overruled of God to bring home to Esau the folly of his profanity and its irrevocable results. As for Jacob, he certainly got the patriarchal blessing, which had, as Heb. 11:20 shows, an element of faith in it, and was according to the purpose of God. Yet he did not get Divine blessing by diplomacy of this disreputable order: he got rather a disagreeable chain of consequences that entangled him in life-long difficulties. He came definitely under the discipline of God.

It was fully 20 years later that God spoke to Jacob again telling him to return to his kindred, and so Jacob left Padan-aram at night for fear of Laban. As he approached home Esau came out to meet him with 400 men and Jacob was greatly afraid. He tried to appease Esau by sending out his cattle first of all in several droves as presents for him, and he even separated himself from his family until he was left alone, and an angel wrestled with him all night, and he was humbled. Esau forgave him when they met soon after and for the first time we have recorded that Jacob worshipped (Gen.33:20). Finally, Jacob returned to where God had first spoken to him, Bethel, and there Jacob erected a pillar and poured a drink offering upon it, and poured oil upon it (Gen.35:14).

Esau had three wives (see BASHEMATH) and a numerous posterity, which increased to a powerful tribe. When he went to meet Jacob he was accompanied by four hundred men. It may be God had warned Esau, as He did Laban, not to hurt Jacob; or possibly his anger may have abated: for when they approached, "Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." They were thus happily reconciled, and at the death of Isaac his two sons buried him. Gen. 33:4; Gen. 35:29.

One of the saddest and most solemn stories in all the Bible is that of Esau. He was the son of Isaac, one of the most honoured of the patriarchs. He was about fifteen when his grandfather, Abraham died, and as a boy should have been greatly influenced by him who is 'Father of the Faithful.' He was the older twin of Jacob, to whom God showed such unspeakable grace, and to Esau belonged the birthright and the blessing. He saw, and knew, the value which his grandfather, father, and brother placed on the promises of God: but to him they appear to have meant nothing at all: and he "for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." (Heb. 12:16). He seems to have been a man entirely devoid of faith. What he could not see, had no value in his eyes. The Scriptures call him a "profane person", and of him it is said: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." I know that he illustrates "the purpose of God according to election", (Rom. 9:11), yet I doubt not we may trace the reason for this in Esau's own conduct. He despised the promises of God, and "afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Heb. 12:17).

You remember Esau planned to murder his brother, and what seems to have been most grievous in the sight of God was the implacable hatred that the seed of Esau bore towards the seed of Jacob, who were the people of God. Yet we may see the yearning of God's heart over these descendants of Esau, for in Deut. 23:7, He says: "Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother." In spite of all the waywardness and sin of Esau and his seed, yet the Lord would still have Israel remember the brotherly claim that Edom had upon them. But even this grace was despised and rejected, and the Lord must say to Edom: "For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever." (Obadiah 10).

Esau was very angry that Jacob had cheated him and said he would kill him. His mother heard this and wanted Jacob to go away, so she said, "Arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran, and tarry with him a few days." But I fear she never saw Jacob again! Having blessed Jacob, Isaac sent him away to his mother's old home, to seek a bride. Abraham did not let his son return there, but Isaac had forgotten this.