Jacob and Esau

The story of Jacob and Esau is a pretty fascinating one.  Their struggle begins in the womb!  Genesis 25 says that Rebekah became pregnant after 20 years of not being able to have children.  When she finally does get pregnant, she’s pregnant with twins!  Genesis 25:22 says “But the two children struggled with each other in her womb.”  She asks God what is going on, and He says, “The sons in your womb will become two nations.   From the very beginning, the two nations will become rivals.  One nation will be stronger than the other, and your older son will serve your younger son.”  Sure enough, she delivers twins.  Esau, who must have looked like a monkey (your Bible says he was red and covered with thick hair like a fur coat), came out first.  But as he was born, out comes Jacob, grasping Esau’s heel! 

That’s just the beginning of the long list of challenges that happen…

1)  Esau and Jacob are VERY different boys.  Esau is a man’s man, a skillful hunter.  Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home.  Wow.  I guess the stage was set for them not to get along… they were so very different.

2) Then, to make things worse, the parents played favorites.  Isaac loved Esau more because of the wild game he would bring home for Isaac to eat.  Rebekah loved Jacob more because he was hanging around the tent with her.

3) One day, Esau is coming in from the hunt and Jacob has fixed a pot of stew.  Esau is famished and really wants some of his brother’s supper.  Jacob said he would give him some, but first Esau had to give Jacob his rights as the first born son. 

Pause just for a second here… this was no little deal.  In Bible times, the first born son got DOUBLE what anybody else got when the father passed away.  The Bible says that Isaac was very wealthy, so that was a pretty big price for Esau to pay for a pot of soup!  Unfortunately for Esau, he’s thinking with his stomach and not his head, and he foolishly agrees to Jacob’s request.

      4) Then, when Isaac is old and blind and about to die, he calls Esau in to his tent and asks Esau to hunt wild game and prepare his favorite dish.  Isaac intends to give Esau his first born blessing after he eats.  Now for the plot twist, that really would play well in any soap opera.  Rebekah (remember she loves Jacob more than Esau) overhears this conversation and connives with Jacob to fix Isaac’s favorite meal and serve it to him posing as Esau so that Jacob can get the blessing.  Jacob even puts on Esau’s clothes and puts goat skins on Jacob’s arms and the back of his neck so he can masquerade as Esau.  The plan works, and Isaac gives Jacob the blessing that should have been Esau’s. 

      When Esau finds out what Jacob has done, he is both heartbroken and FURIOUS!  The Bible says that he HATED Jacob for that and plotted to kill him after Isaac died.

      BUT… and this is important.  Although Isaac has given the first born blessing to Jacob, he says this to Esau in Genesis 27:39-40 NLT:

“You will live away from the richness of the earth,

    and away from the dew of the heaven above.

You will live by your sword,

    and you will serve your brother.

But when you decide to break free,

    you will shake his yoke from your neck."


Obviously, Jacob has done Esau wrong.  Obviously, Esau is furious at Jacob.  But Isaac’s blessing is interesting… when you decide to break free.  It was up to Esau to forgive Jacob.  WHAT??!!  How could he ever forgive Jacob for what he has done?  Jacob has stolen everything from Esau!  He stole his mother, he stole his first born birthright, he stole his father’s blessing!!  How could Esau EVER forgive Jacob.

And yet, if you fast forward to Genesis 33, after Jacob has run away to Laban’s house for 20 years getting two wives, two servant wives, 11 sons and one daughter, he comes back home.  Only on his way back home, he has to go past where Esau lives.  Jacob is terrified that Esau will kill him, after all he had done.  He sends a messenger to Esau asking that Esau be friendly to him, he pulls choice animals out of his flock to give to Esau as a gift, and then he sends the gifts on ahead of him.  When he hears that Esau’s coming to meet him with 400 men, he freaks out!!  He prays to God to rescue him from Esau’s hand.

Esau, who could have unleashed the fury of 20 years of unforgiveness, hatred, and bitterness on Jacob, didn’t.  HE DIDN’T!!  Instead, he runs to meet Jacob, embraces him, throws his arms around his neck and kisses him!

WOW!!  What a beautiful picture that Esau had broken free and had shaken the yoke of hatred off his neck!

You know where this is going, right?  What yokes of unforgiveness, bitterness and hatred do you need to shake off?  Is it time to forgive your alcoholic father, your abusive mother, your jealous sibling?  Is it time to forgive a co-worker who talked bad about you, or a boss who mistreated you? 

You know yokes in the Bible were for beasts of burden to be controlled by their masters.  I don’t want to carry around a heavy yoke of unforgiveness, bitterness, and hatred.  I want to live free, don’t you? 

Ask the Lord right now, “Jesus, what yoke am I carrying around that I need to shake off?  Please reveal it to me, Jesus, and help me take it off.  I only want to be under YOUR yoke, which you say is easy and light.  Help me forgive those who have hurt me, Lord.  If you could help Esau forgive Jacob after all Jacob had done, you can help me forgive too.  Thank you, Jesus.  I love you!”