blogging Genesis 25:12-26
Isaac loved
Rebekah. After his mother’s death, Isaac
had entered a state of inconsolable grief and depression. Their love had
brought him out of the darkness (Genesis 24:67).
Then they found out
that Rebekah couldn’t have children. They
prayed for a miracle and they believed.
After all, Isaac himself was the miracle baby of a 90 year old woman and
a 100 year old man. Twenty years later
Isaac was still praying. Twenty years of
faith and hope. It was worth it.
. . . the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his
wife conceived (Genesis 24:21).
But there were
complications, and Rebekah feared she would lose the baby. Everyone around her was so positive, so full
of “It’ll be fines” and “Don’t worry about its” that it made Rebekah sick. Her anxiety turned to anger. How could they know it would be all right if
none of them knew what was wrong.
. . . and she said, “If all is well, why am I
like this?” (Genesis 24:22)
“Only God knows, “
someone probably said, which sounded like the one helpful affirmation they had
to offer.
So she went to inquire of the Lord (Genesis 24:22).
It’s hard to
reconstruct exactly how Rebekah inquired of the Lord. Did she seek out a surviving priest from
Melchizedek’s order? Did she ask her
father-in-law Abraham (who was still living) to offer a sacrifice on her behalf? Did she travel up the mountain to where her
husband had nearly been sacrificed and cry out to the Angel of the Lord? Maybe she just found a quiet spot away from
the annoyingly positive masses. Which
ever way, it worked.
And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples shall be separated from your
body. One people shall be stronger than
the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23)
For us post New
Testament believers God’s revelation to Rebekah sound ominous. We know the long story of deception, anger,
and mistrust between these brothers. We
know that their respective descendants waged ethnic war on each other for
centuries. But Rebekah didn’t hear any
of that.
Rebekah’s husband
Isaac was given a greater birthright
than Ishmael who was 13 years his older brother. It didn’t seem strange or tragic that her
younger twin would outshine a brother older only by a few minutes. So Rebekah didn’t hear an ominous
warning. She heard: I’m pregnant with
twins. My babies will be born
healthy. My sons will grow up to be
great men. Rebekah heard a blessing not
a warning.
Rebekah was right. At least, she could have been.
By the time Esau and
Jacob, aka “Red” and “Tricky,” were young men the twins had firmly established
polar-opposite identities. Esau was the
hairy-chested outdoorsman, and Jacob was the smart, introverted mama’s-boy
(Genesis 25: 28). But that wasn’t what made them enemies.
Their parents made
them enemies.
One day, Esau came
home hungry and Jacob said, “ I’ll give you some red stew if you sell
me your birthright as of this day.” (Genesis 25:29-31).
That’s too specific to be random. There’s
backstory to that proposition, a long history of little brother telling big
brother:
“I’ll help you start the fire if you give me your birthright.”
“I’ll let you play with my toy if you let me have your birthright.”
“You can have my dessert if you let me have your right to the blessings
of the firstborn.”
And why would young Jacob have it in his head to pester his brother for
his birthright? Why would any kid in the
ancient world think that there was any chance that the eldest son would slip up
and surrender the most important status any child could hold?
Because he was his mother’s favorite child and she had told him that God
told her that he was destined to dominate his brother, so he was to keep asking
until he got what God and Mama wanted him to have.
And why would any son agree to trade the greater claim to all the riches
of Isaac and Abraham for the low-low price of a bowl of stew (and complimentary
bread)?
Because his twin brother had been asking this question since they were little,
and he didn’t take it seriously anymore, and it was just a thing they said, and
whatever man, I’m hungry.
In other words, Jacob was a pest, Esau was an idiot (Hebrews 12:16, 17), and their
parents turned that into actual, fatal enmity.
From the moment of Genesis 25:29, Jacob was legally entitled to the
blessings of the firstborn, a fact about
which Isaac, the giver of the blessings,
should have been informed. But either
Rebekah thought it a better idea to direct an elaborate prank complete with
lines, costumes, and (bad) voice acting; or Isaac ignored Jacob’s inheritance
rights (Genesis 27).
Mama made Jacob lie. Daddy tried
to pass over both prophesy and the transfer of inheritance rights. Jacob and Esau played their parts in a drama
composed by their parents. And the
Israelites and Edomites waged war with each other for the duration of the Old
Testament.
Rebekah and Isaac took a double blessing and turn it into a half curse.
But it didn't have to be that way, and it doesn't have to be that way for us. Do what Rebekah and Isaac should have done.
1. Mom and Dad, tell each other the truth up front.
If Isaac and Rebekah had created a culture of honesty then their sons would've been less likely to deceive each other or at least less likely to think the deception would be accepted by their parents.
2. Love your children equally.
Children often compete for parental affection, but parents are to have better sense than to stoke that competition.
3. Plan together, how to walk out God's will for your family. A house divided can't stand. A family united can stand anything.
3. Plan together, how to walk out God's will for your family. A house divided can't stand. A family united can stand anything.
Honesty. Love. Unity.
The way God meant for it to be.
---Anderson T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and
consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson T.
Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in
Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth
Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural leadership
development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).
Subscribe to my
personal blog www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
Follow me on
twitter @AndersonTGraves
Click
here to support this ministry with a donation. Or go to andersontgraves.blogspot.com and click on the DONATE button
on the right-hand sidebar.
Support by check or
money order may be mailed to
Miles Chapel CME
Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064
