Abraham's Family - Jacob and Esau - part 4

Good evening everyone. So, carrying on where we left off, what we've been looking at the last few weeks is Abraham's family. We saw last week how Abraham and Isaac together restored the foundation of faith, and now we're going to look at the story of Jacob and Esau, who had to restore the foundation of substance. The big picture here is that God wants to send the Messiah, but God can only send the Messiah when human beings create the foundation to send the Messiah. God doesn't know when human beings are going to do this; it's up to us. We saw how things went wrong in Adam's family, then Noah's family, and then Abraham was successfully able to restore the foundation of faith. The foundation of faith is a vertical relationship with God, and the bigger picture is about creating a spiritual community. The foundation of substance for Adam and Eve was that they should have become mature, perfected their character, had dominion over the angels, and become laws of creation. But instead of developing a mature and perfect character, they fell and developed a sinful character, leading to the fall of nature and all kinds of problems as a result.

In the providence of restoration, people have to restore the foundation of faith and the foundation of substance so that when the Messiah comes, it's possible for people to understand what he's talking about. Even if they disagree with him, they won't kill him. Sometimes you get into strong arguments with somebody, and you feel like it could escalate. You see that in the streets all the time; people get into terrible arguments and can end up hitting each other, and sometimes people get killed. That's people's fallen nature coming out. God has to create a society, a world, where even though people may disagree with the Messiah and argue with him, they won't get so upset that they try to kill him. They will overcome that aspect of their fallen nature. So, when Abel appears, when the Messiah appears, even if they disagree with him and don't like what he's saying, they won't get angry and try to kill him. This is necessary to create that kind of society.

Last week, we talked about how Abraham discussed the Binding of Isaac. When Abraham and Isaac came down Mount Moriah successfully and went home, they found that Sarah had died. Sarah died of shock at the idea of the son she had waited all those years to give birth to and had brought up, and the idea that Abraham had gone off to sacrifice him as a burnt offering was more than she could bear. This isn't explicitly stated in the Bible; it's in the Talmud. She got such a shock from what happened that she died. So, they went home, and there was no Sarah anymore. They buried Sarah, and obviously, they were very sad about that. Abraham decided it was time to find a wife for Isaac. Isaac was 40 years old at this stage, and some years went by before he got married to Rebekah. Abraham sent his servant off to visit Nahor, and there he found a beautiful young lady called Rebekah, who appeared at the well and gave him water to drink and watered all his camels. He thought, 'What a good-natured young lady this is; she would make a perfect spouse for my master's son.' It turned out that Rebekah was Laban's sister.

When Rebekah came back, she saw Isaac and was so excited. When she saw Isaac, she fell off her camel, and basically, the story is that it was love at first sight. Despite the fact they loved each other very much, 20 years passed, and Rebekah didn't have a child, leading to a huge amount of heartache. Just like many fairy stories, they married for many years without having a child, longing for one. When people have children, it's like a blessing, a gift from God; it's not just a natural process. Rebekah asked Isaac to pray for her, and Isaac prayed, and God opened her womb, and she became pregnant. At this stage, Isaac was 40 years old when he got married and 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were born. When Rebekah was pregnant, she had these twins, and there was a lot of fighting inside her womb. She found it a very painful experience and said to God, 'If I knew it was going to be this painful, I wouldn't have wanted to have children.' God told her, 'Two nations are in your womb; two peoples born of you shall be divided. One shall be stronger than the other; the elder shall serve the younger.' The Hebrew itself is more ambiguous than this; it could be read as the younger will serve the elder. However, this is how it's normally translated, and Rebekah understood it in a particular way.

Isaac and Rebekah went to stay in Gerar, where Abimelech was. Just as Abraham and Sarah pretended to be brother and sister, Isaac and Rebekah also pretended to be brother and sister. When Abimelech found this out, he wasn't happy, but he sent them away and gave them lots of wealth. Rebekah inherited much of the spirit, character, and heart of Sarah and resisted the temptation to go after another man, maintaining the same lineage, tradition of hospitality, and faith that Sarah had. This is interesting because, like Sarah, she was invited into the Pharaoh's palace, and the Pharaoh tried to seduce her. In this case, it didn't get to that point; they were just brother and sister. The boys were born, and they were different. Jacob was smooth-skinned, and Esau was hairy, so they obviously weren't identical twins. As they grew up, Isaac called them and said to his sons, 'I have a birthright. The elder son has a birthright, which means he will become the head of the family and inherit the wealth, along with many religious and spiritual duties.' When Esau heard this, he was interested in the money and wealth but not really in the religious business. Jacob, however, responded that he wished he could have the birthright because he was interested in taking care of the family and all the religious ceremonies.

One day, Esau went out hunting and came back empty-handed, starving hungry. He went into the kitchen and found Jacob cooking a bowl of lentil soup. Esau said to Jacob, 'Give me some food; I'm starving; I'm going to die of starvation.' Jacob replied, 'No, I can't give you this food; it's for Dad. I'm making a special meal for Dad.' Esau said, 'Why are you giving Dad such rubbish food? He's not a vegetarian; why give him a bowl of lentil soup?' Jacob explained that their grandfather Abraham had died, and Dad was in mourning, so he was eating this very simple kind of food. Esau insisted he was still starving and demanded something to eat. Jacob then asked, 'What will you give me for it?' Esau replied, 'What do you want?' Jacob said, 'I’d like your birthright.' Esau agreed, and Jacob made him swear, writing it all out on paper, signing and sealing it, and exchanging his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. The Bible says, 'Thus Esau despised his birthright.'

What do you think of this transaction? What does it reveal about Jacob and Esau? Who is the more clever and intelligent of the two? Jacob is obviously clever. There’s a difference between clever and intelligent; he was very clever to sell a bowl of soup for the birthright. Was Esau very clever? Not really. So, what should Esau have done? He should have thought, 'That's a bit expensive; I think I'm going to wait 10 minutes and go make myself a peanut butter and jam sandwich.' But he didn't. He was impulsive, just hungry, and wanted to eat now, even if it cost him the birthright. He didn't appreciate the birthright or understand its value, willing to sell it for some lentil soup. Jacob got it, but he didn't get it unethically; he didn't deceive his brother; he just bought it. Do you think Esau respected him? Not really. Was that the best way to get the birthright? It was bought, not earned. Esau should have willingly and freely given the birthright to Jacob, proving himself more worthy.

Have you heard of King Sejong? He was the Korean king who created the Korean alphabet, Hangul. He was the third son, not the oldest, but he became king. Normally, when the old king dies, the first son becomes the next king. However, his older brothers realised that Sejong was much wiser than they were. They talked amongst themselves and said he would make a much better king than either of them. The problem was he was number three, and they were one and two. They came up with a cunning plan and misbehaved at court, getting into trouble. They were kicked out, and when the king died, Sejong became king. This sort of thing doesn't happen often. Usually, you read about backstabbing in Shakespeare, trying to gain power. David and Jonathan had a beautiful friendship, with Jonathan always protecting David. David won Jonathan's respect. What should have happened in the case of Jacob and Esau? They didn't get on very well. Jacob liked to be at home helping with cooking and religious duties, while Esau liked to hunt. They were very different kinds of people. Jacob should have tried to win Esau's respect. He was clever, while Esau was a man’s man but not very good at hunting. Jacob should have thought, 'My brother's not very good at hunting; I wonder if I can help him.' The proper attitude of a younger brother towards the older brother is one of respect. Younger brothers usually look up to their older brothers and hero-worship them. When they are in primary school, if the younger brother gets beaten up by bullies, the older brother protects him. That's natural. If the younger brother admires the older brother, the older brother feels love and wants to take care of him. Jacob should have felt this way towards Esau. Do you think that's how he was? I don't think so. Jacob was probably cleverer and made fun of Esau for being a poor hunter. He should have respected Esau as his older brother and hero-worshipped him. If he had done that, Esau would have loved his younger brother. Jacob, being cleverer, could have thought, 'My older brother went out hunting and didn't come back with anything today; I wonder if I can come up with an idea to help him.' He might have suggested to Esau to dig a big hole in the ground, cover it with branches and leaves, so when an animal came along, it would fall in, and then he could catch it. If Jacob had said this to his older brother...

Brother, you're such a great hunter, but I had an idea. What do you think? You're the expert. What do you think of my idea? Now, if Jacob had said that to Esau in that way, how would Esau have taken his idea? He would have thought, 'Wow, I have a really clever brother,' and he would have respected his younger brother. Then he would have said to Jacob, 'Please explain to me how to do it.' Esau, the older brother, would have listened to the younger brother. Is it easy for older brothers to listen to younger brothers? Normally, no. So that's the key: how to get your younger brother to do that. That's what he should have done, and Esau would have listened to him. Esau would have thought, 'That's brilliant! Why don't we go do it together?' They would have united and dug the hole together, going into the hunting business together. Jacob and Esau Co. Limited, Hunters. Guess what should have happened? Jacob didn't win Esau's love, and he didn't win Esau's respect. All he did was buy the birthright. At least he bought it; he needed to get it, but there was a better way to do it.

Anyway, the years go by, and then Esau, by this stage, is old and blind. He thinks to himself, 'Before I die, I want to bless my sons.' So he calls Esau and says to him, 'I want to bless you.' He tells Esau, 'Before I give you my blessing, I want you to go and hunt and bring me my favourite meal.' So Esau goes off to hunt to bring Isaac a meal before he receives Isaac's blessing. But then it says in the Bible that Rebecca overhears Isaac saying this to Esau. She overhears Isaac and then goes and calls Jacob. Jacob is Rebecca's favourite, partly from the dream and partly because he's always at home with his mother. Rebecca says to Jacob, 'Look, you're the one who should get the blessing, not Esau. You're the one.' Jacob responds, 'But you know that's not right. Even my father, that's deception. If my father finds out that I'm deceiving him, he's going to curse me instead.' Rebecca says to Jacob, 'Don't worry, I'll take the blame. You go and do it.'

Rebecca then instructs Jacob to kill a kid, and she will cook it. She tells him to put the skin on his arms and wear Esau's smelly old clothes. Jacob does this; he cooks a nice meal with Rebecca, dresses up, puts animal skins on his arms, wears Esau's smelly old clothes, and goes in. He says to his father, 'Father, eat. I brought you a meal. Eat up and bless me.' Isaac asks Jacob, 'Who are you?' because he realises it's not Esau's voice. Jacob says, 'I am Esau, your eldest.' The Hebrew there is quite ambiguous; it could be interpreted in different ways. So again, he wasn't being perceived correctly, but he was speaking ambiguously. Isaac then says, 'You don't sound like Esau; you sound like Jacob. Come here, let me touch you.' Jacob goes closer to Isaac, and Isaac feels his arms. 'Yes, you're hairy like my son, and you certainly smell like him as well. I haven't had a bath in weeks.' Isaac eats the food and then gives his blessing to Jacob.

What do you think about that? What does that little episode reveal about Isaac and Rebecca's family? I think they were not a united family. There was a lack of unity, unlike with Abraham and Sarah. If you think about it, who should have given the blessing to the children? Isaac said to Esau, 'I want to give you my blessing.' So who should have given the blessing to Esau? It should have been Isaac and Rebecca together. They should have blessed Esau together. How did Isaac find out? How did Rebecca find out that Isaac was planning to bless Esau? She overheard him, which means they hadn't communicated. They hadn't discussed it; they hadn't talked about it. When they woke up in the morning and got out of their sleeping bags, they didn't pray or say, 'What are our plans for today?' They weren't united in that sense; they weren't communicating or discussing things.

So, Rebecca overhears Isaac saying this. What should Rebecca have done? She should have protested, but I don't know if protesting would have led to an argument. Instead, she should have gone to Isaac and said, 'Hi Isaac, how are you doing? Would you like some morning coffee? What are you planning to do today?' Isaac could have explained his plans, and Rebecca could have gently coaxed him into discussing the blessing. Even though she must have been quite furious inside, she should have approached Isaac calmly. Instead, she devised her own plan to deceive Isaac. Is it good to deceive your husband? No. She should have discussed her thoughts with Isaac and persuaded him if she believed Jacob should receive the blessing. The first mistake was a breakdown in communication; they weren't talking to each other or making plans together.

When they had different ideas about how things should be done, the second problem arose. When Rebecca realised what Isaac was going to do, instead of talking to him, she went off and did her own thing. What about Jacob's reaction? Did he feel it was the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do? He thought it was wrong. So what should he have done? He could have asked Rebecca if she discussed it with Dad. He did express his concerns, saying, 'I don't look like him; I don't smell like him. How can I fool him?' He felt uncomfortable about it because he was afraid of being cursed by his father. If he realised it was wrong, he should have said to Rebecca, 'Have you discussed this with Dad? I don't want to trick and deceive him; it's not right.' His conscience was telling him it was wrong.

Jacob allowed himself to be talked into doing something he knew was wrong. All these actions were unethical. Rebecca thought she could take the blame for Jacob's actions, but can someone else take the blame for a mistake you make? No, everyone is responsible for their own mistakes. Jacob allowed himself to be persuaded into doing something he knew was wrong. Would you say this is an ideal family? No, there are problems between Jacob, Isaac, and Rebecca. There are issues between Jacob and Esau, and also between Rebecca and Jacob. All these relationships are not as they should be; they are corrupted or fallen. Jacob found himself in a situation where he had to decide how to respond. He knew it was the wrong thing to do, so would he say no or do it anyway? Each of them had to react and were responsible for their decisions.

Let's look at the blessing that Isaac wanted to give to Esau but ended up giving to Jacob. When Jacob came in and received Isaac's blessing, Isaac said to him, 'May God give you Heaven's due and Earth's rich abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.' What do you think about that blessing? The first three lines are about material wealth, and the next part is about power. Esau was interested in becoming wealthy and powerful. This is the blessing Isaac wanted to give to Esau, which Jacob took. Jacob went out of the tent, and not long after, Esau came back from hunting unsuccessfully. According to the Midrash, he killed a dog and cooked it for Isaac. When Esau entered, he said, 'Dad, I brought you some food. Please eat and bless me.' Isaac replied, 'I've already given my blessing to someone else.'

Esau exclaimed, 'It must have been my wretched younger brother! He stole my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!' He wailed and cried out, feeling tricked by Jacob. Isaac trembled violently when he realised what had happened. Esau was upset and justified in feeling angry; his younger brother had stolen his inheritance. However, Esau loved his parents. He thought, 'I don't want to upset my parents. I will wait until my father dies, and then I will take it out on that wretched little brother of mine.' Esau was an ordinary person, a good-hearted person, not as clever as Jacob, but he loved his parents. The foundation of substance was not established. What do you think about Jacob taking Esau's blessing? Was that right? We will come to that in a moment.

Jacob's life was saved by his mother, who sent him to her uncle until Esau calmed down after threatening him. Before leaving for Haran, Jacob said goodbye to his father, Isaac, who blessed him. Isaac said, "May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham so you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." This blessing is significant; it mirrors the blessings given to Adam, Noah, and Abraham, emphasising fruitfulness, multiplication, and dominion over the land. This birthright blessing typically belonged to the elder son, but since Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, Jacob was entitled to it.

Isaac had intended to bless both his sons, Esau and Jacob, just as Abraham had blessed Ishmael and Isaac. However, he communicated poorly with Rebecca, leading her to believe that Isaac planned to give everything to Esau. She misunderstood the situation and thought Jacob should receive all the blessings. If Rebecca had discussed the matter with Isaac, they could have blessed both sons together, but instead, Jacob ended up taking not only his own blessing but also Esau's, which incited Esau's anger and desire to kill him. This situation mirrored the biblical story of Cain and Abel, where jealousy and anger led to violence.

Jacob needed to establish a foundation of substance, where Esau would love and respect him. Instead of helping Esau overcome his fallen nature, Jacob inadvertently strengthened it by taking the blessing. This arrogance nearly cost Jacob his life, similar to how Abel's arrogance led to his demise. If Jacob had approached the situation differently, they could have united and established a successful partnership instead of Jacob fleeing to Haran.

The blessing Jacob received was indeed the Abrahamic blessing, which Isaac intended to give him. However, Jacob's acquisition of Esau's blessing was not part of the original plan, leading to Esau's fury. Esau, as the elder son, was entitled to the birthright, and Jacob should have earned it through love and respect rather than deceit. If Jacob had won Esau's affection, Esau might have willingly given him the birthright, recognising Jacob's superior qualities.

Jacob's actions resulted in a significant mistake, and Isaac's realisation of this mistake caused him great distress. He trembled violently upon understanding the consequences of Jacob's deception. Isaac had a clear plan in his mind but failed to communicate it effectively with Rebecca, leading to the chaos that ensued. Jacob's journey to Haran was not part of the original plan; it was a consequence of his actions and Esau's intentions to kill him.

In 1973, Father spoke about Jacob's failure to unite with Esau. He emphasised that Jacob should have won Esau's love and respect, which would have allowed him to inherit the elder son's rights in harmony. This failure led to unnecessary conflict and Jacob's escape to Haran. If Jacob had followed the original plan, he would not have needed to flee, as he would have been secure in his position within the family.

Christians often interpret this story through the lens of predestination, viewing Jacob as deceitful and not a good role model. They struggle with the ethical implications of Jacob's actions while simultaneously believing that everything happens according to God's plan. This creates a complex narrative where Jacob's actions are seen as problematic, yet they also believe it was meant to happen. Christians tend to focus on different aspects of the Old Testament, often looking for foreshadowing of Jesus's life, particularly in the Binding of Isaac, rather than examining the stories in their own right. Jacob's journey to Haran lasted 21 years, a number representing completion and maturity. During this time, Jacob was expected to grow and mature, reflecting on his earlier immature actions that led to his predicament.

It's generally understood that Jacob was 40 years old when Isaac wanted to give the blessing. He spent 21 years in Haran, a time during which he had to grow up and become responsible for his actions. Instead of relying on his mother to take the blame if something went wrong, he needed to mature. When Jacob arrived in Haran, he was thirsty and met a beautiful young girl at a well who gave him water. He fell in love with her at first sight and learned that she was Leah's daughter, his cousin. He asked Laban if he could marry Rachel, and Laban agreed, but only if Jacob worked for him for seven years looking after the sheep.

Jacob thought seven years was a long time to work for a wife, but he agreed. The seven years felt like only a few weeks because of his love for Rachel. When the wedding day came, Jacob was deceived; he married Leah instead of Rachel. This was a significant moment, as Jacob confronted Laban about the deception, only to learn that it was their custom to marry off the older sister first. Jacob realised that this was a form of payback for how he had treated his brother Esau.

Jacob's experience with Laban was filled with challenges. He worked for Laban for another seven years to finally marry Rachel. During this time, Leah had many children while Rachel remained barren, leading to jealousy and heartache for both women. Leah hoped that by bearing children, she would win Jacob's love, while Rachel suffered greatly for not being able to have children. This complicated relationship between Leah and Rachel was filled with emotional struggles, much more intricate than the sibling rivalry between Cain and Abel or Jacob and Esau.

Eventually, Rachel offered her maid to Jacob so that she could have children through her. This arrangement led to more children being born, and after much inner turmoil, Rachel finally became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph. Over the years, Jacob faced numerous trials, including being tricked by Laban out of his wages multiple times. Despite these hardships, Jacob grew in character and depth, becoming a reflective person who learned from his suffering.

After 21 years, Jacob decided it was time to return home. He felt remorse for how he had treated Esau and understood why Esau would want to confront him. Before returning, Jacob sent messengers to Esau to announce his arrival, hoping to find favour in his brother's eyes. However, the messengers returned with news that Esau was coming to meet Jacob with 400 men, which filled Jacob with fear and distress. He realised that Esau had not forgiven him and was worried about the potential for conflict.

To appease Esau, Jacob devised a plan. He divided his possessions and sent gifts ahead of him to soften Esau's heart. Jacob's intention was clear; he wanted to restore his relationship with his brother. The night before their meeting, Jacob wrestled with an angel, struggling with his fears and anxieties about the encounter with Esau. This wrestling match symbolised his internal battle, and by the end of the night, he emerged transformed, receiving a new name, Israel, which meant he had prevailed with God and men. This transformation was crucial for Jacob as he prepared to face Esau, needing to radiate peace and love instead of fear.

In the morning, Esau was completely at peace with himself and at one with himself. He was able to accept whatever came to him, radiating peace. This calmness affected Jacob, who, before the day of the dream and wrestling with the angel, had sent gifts to his brother. Now, Jacob was bowing down to Esau seven times, enacting the blessing he had stolen. The blessing that Isaac intended for Esau was one of wealth and power, stating that the sons of Esau's mother would bow down to him. By bowing down, Jacob was returning the blessing he had taken from Esau, acknowledging his wrongdoing and seeking reconciliation.

Esau understood Jacob's actions as an apology, recognising that Jacob was returning what he had taken. This realisation moved Esau's heart; he saw his younger brother behaving as a good younger brother should. In their youth, Jacob had not acted in this manner, but now he was showing respect and humility. Esau embraced Jacob, overwhelmed by the change in his brother. The conversation between them further illustrated this respect, with Jacob referring to Esau as 'my Lord' and Esau acknowledging Jacob as 'my brother.' This mutual recognition of their relationship was significant.

Jacob then implored Esau to accept his present, which in Hebrew signifies a blessing. He expressed that seeing Esau's face was akin to seeing the face of God, demonstrating his admiration and respect. Jacob humbly stated that God had dealt graciously with him, and he wanted to share his abundance with Esau. This humility made it easier for Esau to love and respect Jacob. Jacob's actions facilitated Esau's ability to overcome his fallen nature, as he did not demand respect but instead showed it. This dynamic established a foundation for their relationship, allowing them to fulfil the conditions necessary to remove their fallen nature.

After this encounter, Esau invited Jacob to stay with him in Edom. However, Jacob chose to visit Isaac and Rebecca instead, and they did not reunite until Isaac's death. Jacob became the ancestor of the Hebrews, while Esau became the ancestor of the Edomites. Their descendants often found themselves in conflict, and it wasn't until just before the birth of Jesus that the Edomites converted to Judaism. The foundation for receiving the Messiah should have been based on the unity of Jacob and Esau, which would have created a stronger foundation for the Messiah's arrival.

Ultimately, the question arises: did Jacob and Esau truly establish the foundation of substance? For this to happen, Esau needed to love Jacob. By the end, while Esau respected Jacob, there was no evidence that he obediently submitted to Jacob's guidance. They did not unite or work together, remaining separate. Thus, the foundation to receive the Messiah was not established by their relationship. Jacob's greatness lay in his recognition of his mistakes and his willingness to correct them, risking his life to reconcile with Esau. However, this did not create a foundation for the Messiah's arrival.

Jacob established a pattern for the natural and voluntary subjugation of Satan by winning Esau's heart and respect. Leaders who make mistakes should follow Jacob's example of restoration. This pattern of reconciliation was later followed by figures such as Joseph, Moses, Jesus, and the founder of the Unification Church. Abraham's family established a heavenly tradition, often referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which laid the foundation for Jesus. Jacob had twelve sons, and this foundation was crucial for the unfolding of the biblical narrative.