Back Roads to Israel

Historically, it is the firstborn male of the Jewish household that is to become the primary heir. That was not the case when it came to Esau. Poor Esau, although the firstborn, he was misfortunate and was handed down a raw deal from the very start. His brother Yacob, who was second in birth, seemed to have reaped all the benefits, and eventually he’d reap all the glory. Their story is an unusual one. It starts out as two seeds planted inside the womb of Revkah. It was in her womb where the battle began. The Holy One, “Blessed Be He” anticipated in His grand scheme of things, all and everything. He knew all too well the conflict and struggles man would have to endure while living in the flesh; as opposed to living in the spirit. It was there in the womb of Revkah where the seed of salvation was first implemented. Esau was the physical of the two. He was a man of the hunt, a man of the field. He was a warrior, a sportsman, rugged and good- looking. He was the star quarterback of his day. He had immense popularity; and was his father’s heart. One can easily assume that Esau was “that guy” a man of the times. But long before Esau was born, Yacob had hold of his heel. Yacob was second in line and was not as prominent or rugged as his older brother. At this stage of the game there is nothing spectacular to report about him. With the exception he is favored more by his mother Revkah than his father Isaac. Things were going smooth for a while. Then all of a sudden, the battle that had taken place within the womb has now begun to take place outside of the womb. It all started with hunger-An inherited necessity of the flesh. It doesn’t matter how physical or how healthy a person is, their body is going to require some form of substance to feed its will to live. Esau wanted an immediate fix. He was geared towards sensational pleasures. His nature leaned more so towards the beast. “He was hairy.” And on occasion from time to time a hairy beast will get hungry. As the story is told, there came a time in Esau’s life when he had become hungry. It can be inferred that his hunger was a little more intense than him missing breakfast or something. His hunger caused him to become faint near to the point of death. He prayed for food from his brother Yacob. He wanted to live. He had so much at stake invested in him. He was a man about town, a man of the hunt, a man who exemplified worldly ambitions. He was a man whose flesh had overcome him. If we were to listen to this part of scripture with an open ear, we will hear, the spirit of Yacob taking advantage of the weakness of his brother’s flesh. Yacob made him swear to give up his birthright in exchange for stew. Yacob wanted the distinct and renowned honor of being known as “Yacob, son of Isaac.” Although he was born second in line-a title reserved only for the first born. This turned out to be a victory in his favor. Esau did not care about a simple birthright. He thought to himself, it would do him no good without the flesh; if he is dead. In Genesis Chapter Twenty Seven, we see where Isaac is surrendering to old age. He’s thoroughly seasoned, marinating in divinity. His tenure here on earth has reached late afternoon. The sun is beginning to cast shadows over his eyelids. He realizes how important every second and every minute of every day counts. He knows what he must do. He’s fully aware that time in its conceptual definition means that all and everything outside of the Almighty Himself is ephemeral-Short lived. The only way the flame of life can be beneficial for all eternity, it has to become a beacon throughout all eternity. The light must be able to penetrate the gloomiest of clouds. What was previously a spark of light-Avram, which gave rise to Avraham-has to become an inextinguishable torch. And it must be passed on! Isaac summon for his son Esau, the one he loves so he can bestow the promise upon him. Not for one moment was Isaac not aware of that promise. He had previously witnessed the prelude of the sacrifice. He inherited the testimony of faith given to him by his father. In relevance to Isaac witnessing the event, it is imprinted to whereas he becomes the event. Here is where the savory aroma of venison enters. When Revkah, Isaac’s wife caught wind of her husband’s intentions on handing down the blessings to Esau, she intervenes on Yacob’s behalf. It appears that she went to the extremes in her cunningness. She calls for Yacob and informs him of her deceitful tactics. Yacob was reluctant, afraid that he would be cursed. The mere thought of his father catching him in such a devious and underhanded scheme would surely bring a devastating curse upon him. Revkah assures him that the curse will fall upon her, and not him. (Gen 27; 12, 13) It can be perceived with much ease in reading that Revkah is overbearing in her plans to deceive her husband into blessing Yacob instead of Esau. It was her that made the savory meat just perfect the way Isaac likes it. It was her that dressed Yacob in Esau’s clothing to trick Isaac. She gave instructions for her son Yacob to follow, and her son Yacob obeyed. No matter how one perceives this incident, pay close attention to this. From a spiritual point of view, there really were no deceptions. It was all God’s will and no one else. It was all God’s will from the very beginning. When Revkah was barren, it was the prayers of Isaac, and the power of the Most High that caused her to become pregnant. Isaac petition unto The Lord, and The Lord heard his plea. The Most High then visited and blesses Revkah with two boys. Both of whom would become great men, with the exception that the older would serve the younger. This was all foretold to Revkah well beforehand. One can assign and lay fault and blame Revkah for going against her husband wishes. Whatever stance one wishes to take and label her, I will stress and say again. God cannot lie. From heaven’s point of view, there was no deception. Pay close attention to this, the fact remain is that it was “Her” will, not Isaac’s! When Esau found out what his younger brother had done he became furious. He swore and had made a vow to kill him. First it was his birthright, and now it’s his destiny being snuffed right from under his nose. The chance for him to be a forefather of a nation, whose seeds would be planted throughout creation for all of eternity, has been lost forever. It is one thing to not be the first and honored son of Isaac; it is totally another when you are not bless with the promise of the covenant. It is official-All essential components for life eternal, lies in the powers of “The God of Avraham; The God of Isaac; The God of Yacob:” And not “the God of Esau!” He is totally excluded. This one apparent deceitful act done by Revkah alone would cause resentment until destiny itself catches up to fate; and fate comes head on and clashes with its’ final and end result.