The Birth of Esau and Jacob

Story: The birth of Esau and Jacob

Passage: Genesis 25:19-28

Characters: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob

Summary: Rebekah was barren. Isaac prayed for her and she conceived. God told her that she had twins. He told her she had two nations in her womb, and the two nations would fight with each other and the older would serve the younger. She bore the twins. The first was hairy and was named Esau. The second was grasping Esau’s heel so he was called Jacob. Esau grew up to be a hunter and his father loved him. Jacob was a quiet man and lived in the tents and Rebekah loved him.

Notes: First of all, Isaac is a man of faith! We don’t read much about his faith, but in the previous chapter, he was in a field meditating. And now he prays to the Lord to let Rebekah have children. He knew who was really in control. Rebekah felt her children fighting in the womb and it freaked her out and hurt. God’s promise was interesting. He told her she had two nations in her womb. The older would serve the younger. God does not take birth order into account. Esau was born with so much hair it says it looked like he had a cloak. I’m not that hairy even after 21 years! Esau fittingly means hairy. Jacob came out grasping Esau’s heel. Their struggle in the womb never stopped. They were fighting as they were born and they would continue to fight their whole lives. Jacob means he grasps the heel. This was a pun because it also meant he who deceives. As we will see, this name was also fitting for Jacob! God apparently enjoys puns since he made Jacob be born in such a way that his name would describe him perfectly! Esau hunted. His dad liked him best because he enjoyed eating the game he would kill. Jacob was a quiet man. This makes him sound effeminate, but the Hebrew word used to describe him is the same word used to describe Job as blameless. So really, Jacob was a whole, blameless man who just preferred to stay close to home and cook. His mother liked him best. This favoritism is unfortunate, but it is the reality for many families today just as it was back then.

Questions: Why did God chooses to bless Jacob the second born over Esau? What did Isaac think of Jacob? What did Rebekah think of Esau? How hairy was Esau?

Lessons: God can heal! God responded to prayers for healing in the Old Testament, God responded to prayers for healing in the New Testament. There is no reason to believe that God does not respond to prayers for healing now as well. We need to actually believe that and live with the faith it takes to believe that God can heal! Also, no lessons are here yet about showing favoritism to your children, but we will see in the future that this causes conflict.