Esau is painted as the negative side of the Jacob coin. The scriptures tell us the two were different from before their birth.
Genesis 25:22 says the brothers struggled even in their mother’s womb.
“The children struggled together within her …”
Esau was firstborn, red and hairy, and his brother was nothing like him in appearance, bearing smooth skin. Yet they were twins, born of the same mother, and conceived by the same father.
Genesis 25:27 tells us Esau was cunning, and Jacob was a plain man who preferred his tent.
“When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.”
Genesis 25:28 proclaims Isaac’s love for his eldest, Esau; but Rebekah was drawn towards Jacob.
“Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”
No good could come of this family situation.
Here are 3 Lessons We Can Learn from Esau:
Lesson No. 1:
Genesis 25:32 reveals Esau’s short-sightedness.
“Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’ ”
When we disdain tomorrow and forget that today has consequences, we edge perilously close to disaster. We must remember the future and prepare for it.
Lesson No. 2:
Genesis 27:37 shows that some things cannot be undone.
“Isaac answered and said to Esau, ‘Behold, I have made [Jacob] lord over you …’ ”
Our past will come back to haunt us. What “happens in Vegas” doesn’t always stay in Vegas.
Lesson No. 3:
Genesis 33:4 assures us forgiveness is always an option.
“But Esau ran to meet [Jacob] and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”
No knife thrust is too deep for our wound to heal. Our physician is Jesus, and his faithfulness is more than skin deep.
Esau went on to become the father of a great nation. The journey was often a bumpy one, clashing with Jacob’s path toward his future history. We can be like Esau or Jacob. The difference comes in allowing God to be our guide.
Following God’s direction takes us on the right path to success in the Son.
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Code: FGO.J.17.19b.vp.esv