Pottage, a Pair of queens, and a Promise

Genesis Chapters 25, 26, 27

In Chapter 26 God reaffirms his covenant (a Promise) with Isaac, he will be with them and bless him and his offspring and give them the land.

Isaac and Rebekah’s two boys Esau and Jacob, as different from night and day. Esau, a skillful hunter, big hairy an avid outdoorsman. He lived for himself, did not care a lot about what Dad and Mom thought, did not believe in silly things like ‘Birth right.’ He thought the people he lived amongst, the Canaanites were ok, he certainly did not understand what his Grandfather Abraham had told his Father about not marrying or following their practices. He liked a girl and took her to be his wife, Judith, and matter of fact the Canaanites had the custom for more than one wife and his Granddad did it too (not mentioning any of the headaches that caused Abraham) Esau took another wife and Basemath (pair of queens). Later, when he saw dear old Dad was not happy with his Martial choices. Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael. Next, we have Jacob, he is described as a quite man that dwelled in tents. He is not a hunter, is self-described as smooth and not hairy like Esau, he is a thinker, always looking for the angles, how to come out ahead of the game.

He persuaded his brother to sell his Birth right for a bowl of soup (Pottage). He agreed to his Mother’s plan to trick Isaac his Dad, to give him the blessing instead of Esau.  Rebekah sends Jacob away to her brother Laban in Haran, one to protect him from Esau’s anger when he finds out and two that Jacob would take a wife from amongst their people and not any of the woman of the land like Esau did. Jacob gets some of his ways of manipulating things and people from his Mother.

Some things I see in these two boys that hails back to Adam and the Garden of Eden and it also speaks to all of us. Esau was the first born of two (twins) he thought nothing of his position, as the first born, it was only worth a bowl of soup to him. GOD has given a wonderous gift and position of authority to become each one of us children of the Great King and the response he gets most times, is I would rather have a “fill in your own blank” (bowl of soup). The other thing is like Jacob we manipulate people even family for the things of this life (blessings) that we think we deserve regardless of the pain and broken relationships that it may cause. With God it is like we say, I will work things out for myself my plan is better than yours, just bless me and let me live how I want to live. It did not work in Eden; it doesn’t work for Esau and Jacob and for us apart from GOD it won’t work either. 

Next – Dream, Daughters and Descendants