4c Jacob [Genesis 25-50]
The Bible passage: [Genesis 25-50]
The Story:
Isaac prayed on behalf of his wife because she had not had any children. Rebekah conceived and was pregnant with twins. The children inside her struggled with each other and she wondered what was going on inside her.
She prayed and asked God what was going on. The Lord told her, “Two nations are in your womb. One nation will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
When the time came for her to give birth, there were indeed twins within her.
They named the first son Esau and the second son Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when the boys were born.
When the boys grew up, Esau became an expert hunter and Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home.
Isaac loved Esau because he loved to eat wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the fields and he was exhausted. He asked Jacob to give him some of the stew.
Jacob replied, “First, sell me your birthright.”
Esau said, “What good is a birthright if I die?”
Jacob told Esau to swear to him first. He did and Jacob gave him some stew in exchange for the birthright.
Isaac grew old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see. He called his son Esau and told him, “I’m an old man and I don’t know how long I have to live. I would love to have some of your wild game to eat. Please go hunt some meat, cook it for me, and bring it to me to eat. Then I can give you my blessing before I die.”
Rebekah heard what Isaac said and she told her son Jacob, “Go out to the flock and bring me two young goats. I will cook them the way your father likes, and you can take them to him to eat.”
Jacob did as his mother asked. They took some of the goat hair and put it on his arms because Esau’s skin was more hairy than Jacob’s. They also took some of Esau’s clothes and put them on Jacob.
Jacob took the food in to Isaac and tricked his father into believing that he was Esau.
Isaac gave his blessing to Jacob and Jacob went out.
Soon after, Esau came in with the game that he had killed and cooked for his father.
After asking a few questions, Isaac realized that he had been tricked. Esau was very angry at his brother for what he had done.
Rebekah told Jacob to get some things together and go back to Nahor to live with her family until Esau’s anger had passed.
While Jacob was living with his uncle Laban, he fell in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years in exchange for the chance to marry Rachel.
Laban tricked Jacob, however, and had Rachel’s older sister Leah go into the tent on the wedding night and sleep with Jacob.
When Jacob woke up and realized that he had been with Leah, he was angry and asked why Laban had tricked him. Laban told Jacob that it was their tradition to give the older sister in marriage before the younger.
Jacob agreed to work for Laban an additional seven years to marry Rachel.
Over the next several years, Jacob had eleven sons by his two wives and two of their servants. There was a lot of rivalry among the brothers.
Jacob favored the sons of Rachel, his favorite.
Jacob knew that Laban’s sons were jealous of how prosperous he had become and he worried that they might do something to harm his family. He loaded up his wives and children and possessions and started back toward his father, Isaac.
Laban heard that Jacob had fled and started after them. Laban caught up with them along the way. Jacob told his father-in-law Laban that he wanted to move his family to Canaan to be near his own father. Laban asked that he be allowed to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren before they left.
After a few days, Laban left to return home.
Even though it had been many years, Jacob was still afraid of his brother Esau. He sent gifts ahead of his caravan hoping to calm his brother.
Once Jacob and Esau met, Jacob found that his fears were unfounded. Esau was happy to see Jacob and happy to see his family and how prosperous he had become.
Esau returned to his father Isaac and Jacob traveled more slowly to be easier on the women and animals that were expecting children.
One of those expectant mothers was Rachel. Along the way, she gave birth to her second son, Jacob’s twelfth son. The birth was very difficult, and Rachel died shortly after giving birth. Jacob named his youngest son Benjamin.
The Lessons:
- The word birthright denotes the special privileges and advantages belonging to the first-born son among the Jews. He became the spiritual leader of the family. The first-born son also received a double portion of the paternal inheritance.
- In the Bible, a father’s blessing was a way to show special love and favor to a child. It often included words of encouragement, details about inheritance, and prophecies for the future. The blessing was usually spoken aloud while the father laid his hands on the son’s head.
- The name Jacob means “grasps the heel” or “deceiver”. Jacob did a number of things that were or could be deceptive. Some were given in the story above. There were others. I only mention it because it’s funny. Think about our American phrase, “You’re pulling my leg!” or “You’re kidding me!” That’s what his name means. After the things he had done to his brother years before, Jacob was worried about Esau’s reaction on his return. Consequences of our actions often follow us for a long time. In this case, Esau was forgiving and the situation was ended.
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