Twins!

[seekeroftruth]

Genesis 25:19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.​

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Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.​

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21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.​

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23 The Lord said to her,​

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“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”​

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24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.​

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27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.​

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29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)​

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31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”​

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32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”​

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33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.​

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34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.​

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So Esau despised his birthright.​

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Here's the link to the commentary so you can read it for yourself.

Two nations are in your womb: What God said is simple; Rebekah would give birth to twins. The twins would each father nations. One shall be greater than the other, and the younger will be greater than the older.​

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Indeed there were twins in her womb: The truth of the unseen promise was fulfilled by something that could be seen. When the time came for them to be born, there were in fact twins in Rebekah’s womb and God’s word was proved true.​

And the first came out red: The circumstances surrounding the birth of each child were responsible for their names. Esau referred to the hairiness and hair color of the first-born child. Jacob referred to the way the second-born was holding on to the heel of his brother.​

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I am about to die: Esau’s thought wasn’t that he was so hungry that he would die without food. Instead the idea was, “I will die one day anyway, so what good is this birthright to me?”​

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Swear to me as of this day: Jacob acted in the character of his name, acting like a heel-catcher. He was acting like a scoundrel or a rascal in taking advantage of his brother.​

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Jacob was guilty of scheming in the flesh to gain something God said was already his. Yet we should remember the far greater blame was placed on Esau, who despised his birthright.​

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According to Leupold, Martin Luther drew attention to an important fact: this was not a valid transaction, because Jacob tried to purchase what was already his, and Esau tried to sell something that didn’t belong to him.​

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And sold his birthright to Jacob: Esau thought little of the spiritual heritage connected to the birthright. He valued only material things, so a spiritual birthright meant little to him when his stomach was hungry. Many, if not most people, also place little value on spiritual things.​

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Thus Esau despised his birthright: Esau’s character as a fornicator and profane person (according to Hebrews 12:16) shows God was entirely correct in choosing Jacob over Esau to carry on the birthright, even though Jacob was younger.​

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Thank you for reading all this. Some of these stories can't be interrupted, and they are quite long. Then there is the commentary that seems to go on forever.

These verses pack a bunch of information.

Rebekah was having a hard time getting pregnant. It seems, just like his dad, Abraham, Isaac married a girl who took her time getting pregnant. That's like Sarah.... who didn't get pregnant until about 13 years after her Egyptian slave gave birth to Ishmael. Rebecca took a long time too.

Now Jacob must have been a peaceful baby. You know the type... They sleep through the night quickly. They like to hang out around mom's feet.

Esau, on the other hand, was loud and loved to play outside near Dad.

While Isaac and Ishmael didn't start fighting until Ishmael and his mom were thrown out by Sarah, Jacob and Esau started fighting in the womb.

Rebekah had twins.... and they were quite different. One was redheaded and living in the moment. The other was clever and forward thinking.

Isaac was partial to Esau. Rebekah was partial to Jacob.

Twins are a handful. My grandmother Rebecca had twins. My niece Nicole has twins. Twins are a handful.

It was so important for women to get pregnant back then, it's a wonder Rebekah didn't have a litter of babies to fight over the birthright.

But there were only two....

Twins!

 

[vraiblonde]

Now see, I love the story of Jacob and Esau because it's the most human nature thing ever and the dynamic is prevalent even today.

Esau, the productive one: Brother, I am hungry, please give me some of your food.
Jacob the layabout Mommy's boy: Screw you. Give me your birthright (power) and I'll give you some food.
Esau: Fine, whatever.

Who does that? "No, brother, you can't have any food unless you give me your power." If your brother came home from work and was hungry, wouldn't you feed him for free? Of course you would.

Unless you were a politician. Then you have no kindness and compassion in you, all you care about is power. You're not going to give your own brother a bowl of stew unless there's something in it for you.

If God really wanted Jacob to be the heir, He'd have simply had him born first. But it appears God likes to play these little games for His own amusement, so He created this drama to play out across the ages.

Even in birth Jacob is holding onto Esau's heel trying to pull him back - "Me first! Me first!"

And then there's Rebekah, the model for every awful power mad sibling rivalry creating mother ever born. She's the Biblical Marie Barone. Cersei Lannister. Lady Macbeth. She and Jacob conspire and lie to Isaac so he'll give Jacob his blessing instead of Esau, who rightfully deserved it. Like freaking Game of Thrones.

This plays out again with Jacob's own children - see Joseph and his awful brothers.

So this is one messed up family. And while the devious politician Jacob goes on to fame and glory he didn't earn, Esau pretty much fades into obscurity. And to this day people think Jacob (Israel) is this great person when in fact he was just a grasping lying politician with a rapacious mother who promoted him against her other son, the rightful heir.

 

[Kyle]

The first Democrat?

 

[seekeroftruth]

Now see, I love the story of Jacob and Esau because it's the most human nature thing ever and the dynamic is prevalent even today.

Esau, the productive one: Brother, I am hungry, please give me some of your food.
Jacob the layabout Mommy's boy: Screw you. Give me your birthright (power) and I'll give you some food.
Esau: Fine, whatever.

Who does that? "No, brother, you can't have any food unless you give me your power." If your brother came home from work and was hungry, wouldn't you feed him for free? Of course you would.

Unless you were a politician. Then you have no kindness and compassion in you, all you care about is power. You're not going to give your own brother a bowl of stew unless there's something in it for you.

If God really wanted Jacob to be the heir, He'd have simply had him born first. But it appears God likes to play these little games for His own amusement, so He created this drama to play out across the ages.

Even in birth Jacob is holding onto Esau's heel trying to pull him back - "Me first! Me first!"

And then there's Rebekah, the model for every awful power mad sibling rivalry creating mother ever born. She's the Biblical Marie Barone. Cersei Lannister. Lady Macbeth. She and Jacob conspire and lie to Isaac so he'll give Jacob his blessing instead of Esau, who rightfully deserved it. Like freaking Game of Thrones.

This plays out again with Jacob's own children - see Joseph and his awful brothers.

So this is one messed up family. And while the devious politician Jacob goes on to fame and glory he didn't earn, Esau pretty much fades into obscurity. And to this day people think Jacob (Israel) is this great person when in fact he was just a grasping lying politician with a rapacious mother who promoted him against her other son, the rightful heir.

I love your post.... I would have posted something like that but....

Anyway... I have two sisters who haven't talked to me since my parents passed. The oldest is the Jacob of the family. Me... I'm the Esau of the family... We weren't twins but I was the oldest and she was next in line. I tried to get a job at McDonalds when I turned 13 so I could move out of mom's house. I didn't care about being the oldest daughter, or oldest granddaughter. I wanted out... and I figure Esau was like me... He couldn't give a rat's butt about staying at home.

Then there is the younger.... she was born fourth... so, she really didn't have a dog in the fight for the inheritance. She stopped talking to me because the other one did.

They thought I was being mean when I said I didn't want anything to do with the inheritance. I asked my mom to give my portion to my son. That didn't happen.

Fact is... my brother should have gotten the majority of the estate .... but all they gave him was the dining room set with a big dig gauged in it.

I think the reason these characters are in the Bible.... and pulled out of the bloodline for us to condemn... is that we need to realize that all families are horrid in one way or another. Jesus came from a rotten family.

AND the women in the Bible are not sweet gentle beauties, as we were taught as children in Sunday School. They are indeed conniving and headstrong. I'm embarrassed to claim Eve, Sarah, or Rebekah as heroines of the Bible. They were quite capable of causing riffs.

 

[vraiblonde]

I love your post.... I would have posted something like that but....

Anyway... I have two sisters who haven't talked to me since my parents passed. The oldest is the Jacob of the family. Me... I'm the Esau of the family... We weren't twins but I was the oldest and she was next in line. I tried to get a job at McDonalds when I turned 13 so I could move out of mom's house. I didn't care about being the oldest daughter, or oldest granddaughter. I wanted out... and I figure Esau was like me... He couldn't give a rat's butt about staying at home.

Then there is the younger.... she was born fourth... so, she really didn't have a dog in the fight for the inheritance. She stopped talking to me because the other one did.

They thought I was being mean when I said I didn't want anything to do with the inheritance. I asked my mom to give my portion to my son. That didn't happen.

Fact is... my brother should have gotten the majority of the estate .... but all they gave him was the dining room set with a big dig gauged in it.

I think the reason these characters are in the Bible.... and pulled out of the bloodline for us to condemn... is that we need to realize that all families are horrid in one way or another. Jesus came from a rotten family.

AND the women in the Bible are not sweet gentle beauties, as we were taught as children in Sunday School. They are indeed conniving and headstrong. I'm embarrassed to claim Eve, Sarah, or Rebekah as heroines of the Bible. They were quite capable of causing riffs.

I think of the OT as a collection of history and human nature parables. Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek..." and yet all throughout the OT (history) evil people get all the riches and glory. So even that is a parable - it may suck here on earth where the wicked flourish and no good deed goes unpunished, but if you hang in there there's an afterlife where you'll be rewarded.

Another story I've always despised is the prodigal son. That is the most unfair thing ever and ticks me off every time I see it play out in the present day. People never appreciate loyalty; they always fawn over the "one that got away" and welcome them back to crap on everything again while disregarding the person who was faithful the whole time.

There may not have been a specific Jacob or Rebekah or Isaac or whoever else, but every Biblical character is a representation of humans throughout history.

 

[seekeroftruth]

I think of the OT as a collection of history and human nature parables. Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek..." and yet all throughout the OT (history) evil people get all the riches and glory. So even that is a parable - it may suck here on earth where the wicked flourish and no good deed goes unpunished, but if you hang in there there's an afterlife where you'll be rewarded.

Another story I've always despised is the prodigal son. That is the most unfair thing ever and ticks me off every time I see it play out in the present day. People never appreciate loyalty; they always fawn over the "one that got away" and welcome them back to crap on everything again while disregarding the person who was faithful the whole time.

There may not have been a specific Jacob or Rebekah or Isaac or whoever else, but every Biblical character is a representation of humans throughout histor

After posting the verses every morning, I try to get in a mile walk around the community. As I walk, I think about the Bible Study and how it affects my life.

This morning... I thought about what you wrote and how it might or might not go with the verses from the two chapters.

Perhaps... We jump to conclusions when we talk about Rebekah and Sarah as "sisters" instead of wives. Perhaps they were shields. Perhaps that's what the kings were upset about. We know the tribes did not get along and filling watering wells is pretty mean. Perhaps the women "as sisters" were working to promote a peace treaty, in order to save the other women and children affected by the famine, water shortage, and the fighting.

Can you hear the king now? "Why would you send a woman to do a man's business?"

Isaac's family was not only trying to deal with famine, their water resources were being taken as well. Doesn't that say they were in need of food, water, and medical supplies? Perhaps, since the men were all out fighting.... women and girls were the ones who had to beg for humanitarian assistance... So, they were in effect "sisters" for the cause.

It's very likely that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah were very real people who helped sculpt the future of the Jewish family. They had no land of their own... except for the burial site for Abraham and Sarah. So, they were always intruders, immigrants. Food and water were already hard to come by... and here comes Isaac, Rebekah and their families!

These seem to be tales of range wars.... sheep herder fighting sheep herder... and the women seem to be the "peace makers".

Maybe we're not talking about hookers and pimps.... maybe we're talking about peace makers.... women doing a man's job.

All this animosity started with Cain and Abel, then went on to Isaac and Ishmael... and it continues today... because Ishmael is the father of a mighty nation that despises the family of Isaac. Isaac's family just won't go away... They keep claiming they have a right to be there...and they never owned any of the land. They just move in and take over.