The Betrayal of Esau: A Tale of Inheritance and Deception in Genesis 25-27
As we begin Genesis 25, we meet Esau and his brother Jacob, sons of Isaac (son of Abraham) and Rebekah. Esau and Jacob were twins with Esau the first born and Jacob following right after. As they grew, they had very different interests. Esau was a skilled hunter and farmer and Jacob “was a mild man, dwelling in tents” (Genesis 25:27). While it’s typically not common for parents to have favorites among their children, this was not the case for Esau and Jacob. Instead, Esau was the favorite of Isaac, which meant that Isaac had given Esau his birthright whereas Jacob was the favorite of Rebekah but received nothing. This birthright is expanded more in Genesis 25:29-34 (NKJV):
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.”
So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau despised his birthright and considered the responsibilities and honors unimportant and uninteresting. Unsurprisingly, he would sell his birthright to his brother over bread and stew. A formal oath solidified the agreement, “Jacob said, ‘swear to me as of this day.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob” (Genesis 25:33). Esau took what God considered sacred and made it common. He was more concerned about his temporary and material needs and gave them priority over his rights as the firstborn son and responsibilities as heir; a blessing of the Abrahamic covenant. This isn’t the only place in the Bible that references Esau’s lack of commitment. Hebrews 12:16 says:
16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
Esau abandoned his birthright but that’s not all. Esau also chose wives–Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite–who were outside the tribe his parents approved of. Whether they were “wild women,” we do not know but knowing from Hebrews that Esau was a “profane person and a fornicator having women he was not married to,” little is left to the imagination.
As we fast forward, Isaac was getting old, he was nearly 180 years old and was blind. He called out to his favorite son, Esau, and asked him to go hunting to bring back “savory” food. His wife Rebekah was standing nearby and devised a plan for Jacob to slaughter some goats, she would cook the food, and Jacob would take it to his father, posing as Esau. The only problem, Esau was a hairy man and Jacob was not. So, Rebekah went out and stole clothes from Esau and placed goat skins on Jacob where his father would likely want to feel, in order to fool him into believing that Jacob was Esau.
Jacob, disguised as Esau, went and gave food to his father. Isaac was amazed that his favorite son found the game so quickly to which Jacob replied, “God provided.” Isaac was suspicious and asked Jacob to come near him. He felt Jacob’s phony costume and said, “Your voice sounds like Jacob but you feel like Esau. Are you really my son Esau?” Jacob lied and replied, “I am.”
Jacob passed the inspection. Isaac was convinced Jacob was Esau. He felt like Esau and his clothes smelled like Esau. So, Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau. Isaac said,
28 Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!” (Genesis 25:28-29)
This was likely a one-time deal. There was no going back now. Jacob was blessed with the highest blessing. Sometime later, Esau comes home and prepares his game, cooks it, and brings it to his father. Isaac, having just eaten, says he is full and realizes he was deceived. Esau is heartbroken and weeps, which eventually turns to rage. He says, “Blee me, O my father!” Genesis 25:39-40 (NKJV) says:
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:
“Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above.
40 By your sword you shall live,
And you shall serve your brother
And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
As a result, Esau vowed he would kill his brother, Jacob. As an expert hunter, he could do just that. We’ve seen this story play out before with Cain and Abel. As God chose Abel over Cain, God chose Jacob over Esau.
There are multiple cheaters in this story. Rebekah conspired to deceive and cheat her husband, Isaac. Jacob cheated his brother out of a blessing. Esau cheated by marrying foreign women and living a reckless life. Unfortunately, we know people like this in our lives today. We’ve heard these stories. We see examples of these stories in popular media like The Bachelor, Survivor, and many others. This level of suffering entertains us but deep down, there is more to be said about deceit than the humor of a reality TV show. For Jacob, this meant that his mother sent him away, 450 miles away to be exact, to save him from being killed by his brother. Who knew you could find such entertainment in the Bible?
Title: “Your Cheating Heart” | Service Date: October 16, 2015, First Christian Church, Hiawatha, Kansas
