from WL Worcester (H Blackmer, ed.), 
The Sower.  Helps to the Study of the Bible in Home and Sunday School
 
(Boston: Massachusetts New-Church Union, n.d.)

Table of Contents
 

 

Lesson 19

Genesis 27:  Jacob and Esau

The Story

Primary

We are again in the south country with Isaac and Rebekah. Abraham has died and his sons, Ishmael and Isaac, have laid his body to rest in the cave of Machpelah at Hebron. Isaac has lived with his flocks in Gerar and in Beersheba, a gentle, peaceful man, and has dug wells to avoid quarrels with the people of the country about water. The story is now of Esau and Jacob, twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was born before Jacob and would have the right of the older son to follow his father as head of the family. Esau was red and hairy; Jacob was smooth. Esau liked the fields and hunting and was especially loved by his father; Jacob stayed at home by the tents and was especially loved by his mother.

All was not as friendly as it should have been between the two brothers. This was shown especially at two different times. Once Esau had been in the fields hunting and came home tired out and faint with hunger. He found Jacob making pottage, or soup, of little red lentils. Esau begged for some of the pottage, and Jacob sold him some in exchange for his birthright. (Gen. 25:24-34)

Now Isaac was old and was nearly blind. He wished to bless Esau before he died. An old father's blessing was sacred and important, for the words he then spoke were not his own but from the Lord. There was also a little offering eaten by the old man in connection with the blessing. So Isaac sent Esau to the fields to hunt a deer and to make ready meat for him to eat. But Rebekah heard what Isaac said to Esau, and she and Jacob deceived the old father Isaac and Jacob got the blessing. Esau was terribly disappointed and so was the old father, but the words had been spoken, words from the Lord, and could not be changed. There was another blessing, too, for Esau, and it said that while for a time Jacob should be chief, by and by Esau would be the greater and would break Jacob's yoke from off his neck. You will feel sorry for Esau, that Jacob meanly and dishonestly took from him the birthright and the blessing.

Junior

We read no more of Abraham. Let some member of the class read Gen. 25:5-10 and tell us why.

Let someone read Gen. 26:12-25 and give us some idea of the character of Isaac and of his life in the south country.

Two new names come into the story: Esau and Jacob. Who were they? They were two brothers, but as boys and men they were quite different from each other. The teacher can tell the class, from Gen. 25:21-28, about Esau and Jacob, what sort of boys and men they were.

Two things happened in the life of Esau and Jacob, neither of them happily, but important in their effect upon their later life. Let us ask some member of the class to read Gen. 25:29-34 and tell the class about the selling of the birthright. What does "birthright" mean? What did Jacob give Esau for the birthright? It was a soup of lentils, very common in Syria and Egypt. It is called in our story "that same red" from its color. What do you think of Jacob's buying the birthright as he did? Was it generous? Was it right?

The other unhappy incident between the brothers was the deceiving of the old father Isaac and the stealing of the blessing. Why was the old man Isaac easily deceived? What do you know about the sacred custom of the blessing of the children by the old priest and father of the family before his death? Read of the blessing of his own sons and Joseph's two sons by Jacob before his death. (Gen. 48:13-20 and chapter 49) Notice especially that they knew the blessing was from the Lord and could not be changed. Note a similar thing in the blessing of Joseph's sons by Jacob. See, too, the words of Balaam when, unwillingly but obediently to the Lord, he spoke a blessing upon Israel. "He hath blessed and I cannot reverse it." (Num. 23:20)

The children of Esau were to become a nation, the Edomites. They loved a roving life and made their stronghold in Mount Seir. But the children of Jacob were to become the Lord's chosen people, who were to treasure and keep safely His Holy Word. Through them the promises to Abraham were to be fulfilled.

In the last verses of our chapter, we read that Jacob was to be sent away to Haran, his mother's home, that he might take a wife from among his own people. This journey would also take him away from Esau, who was very angry that Jacob should have taken his blessing.

Notice one important verse in the blessing of Esau, verse 40. This promise was in a measure fulfilled when Jacob returned from his long stay in Haran. He then met Esau very humbly, called him "my lord" and gave him rich presents. (Gen. 32:13-21 and 33:1-11)

1. Who was Isaac's wife? Who were his two sons?

2. Which son did Isaac especially wish to bless? How did the other get the blessing?

3. How had Jacob already got the birthright that belonged to Esau?

4. Was it right for Jacob to deceive, and steal the blessing? Is the story holy?

5. Why did not Isaac change the blessing?

Spiritual Study

Intermediate

The act of Rebekah and Jacob in deceiving Isaac and taking the blessing from Esau was mean and wicked. We must not think that it was right because we read the story in the Bible. The letter of the Bible tells of many wicked people and wicked deeds; the holiness is not in these, but in the Divine and heavenly things which these represent. We read in A. 1409, "The wicked, as well as the good, were capable of representing the Lord, and the celestial and spiritual things of His kingdom: for, as was said and shown above, the representatives were altogether separate from the person." It is important to remember this distinctness of what is Divine and from the Lord in the Word, from what belongs to the garment, which is from human beings. Then we can be clear and strong in our condemnation of evil, and at the same time recognize the whole Word as supremely holy. Read S. 1-4.

Keep in mind the general meaning of the three generations of the patriarchs, in our regeneration and in the Lord's human life. Abraham represents a childlike celestial stage of development, and Isaac a more youthful spiritual stage. Now the plane of outward life is represented by the two brothers, Esau and Jacob, the good and the truth brought forth in conduct. Of these, good represented by Esau is the more important, but truth represented by Jacob for a time must lead. Later good will take the central place and the work which had been laborious while we followed rules becomes a joy. Then Esau has come into his own and has broken his brother's yoke from off his neck. (A. 1025, 2187, 2658)

You read in H. 29-31 that the degree of nearness to the Lord among the angels, and the quality of reception from Him, leads to the distinguishing of three heavens, the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural, which are imaged in the three planes of life in every heavenly person. The chapter of Heaven and Hell referred to also gives us a hint why the heavenly affection has one representative, Abraham, and the heavenly intelligence one representative, Isaac, but when we come to the natural plane of action there are two representatives, Esau and Jacob. The two brothers represent the two qualities of affection and intelligence embodied in life. (A. 2187, 2658)

You will associate the redness of Esau with his representation of goodness. His fondness for hunting pictures fondness for the natural kindly affections which the deer and other gentle creatures represent. Esau ate of Jacob's pottage, for good impulse and affection needs some instruction to sustain its strength.

Esau's hairiness is like a natural clothing and represents spontaneous acts of good affection. The skins tied on by Jacob to imitate the hairiness of Esau picture acts of use and kindness not spontaneous and from affection, but acquired, artificial, conventional, done according to rule. So it must be for a time until through faithful following of the rules the love of good is gained. (A. 3301, 3540)

Isaac's love for Esau and desire to give him the blessing represents the desire in us, and especially in the Lord, to realize the heavenly and Divine ideals immediately in good natural life. The keen sorrow of both Isaac and Esau in the diverting of the blessing represents a very deep disappointment that the inner good cannot be immediately realized in life, but that it must be realized through a stage of patient following of the truth. But keep in view the promise that good shall come to its own, that it shall become spontaneous and free. (A. 3296, 3603)

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