Dr. Lawrence Butler
The Bridge Church, Pembroke
We’ve been conducting a study of the life of one of Israel’s patriarchs, the son of Abraham, a man named Isaac. He is not nearly as well-known as his father and doesn’t get nearly as much exposure as his father or his son on the pages of the scriptures.
However, he lived a life that is quite similar to ours in one particular area, that of being a parent. He had two children, twin boys. As all parents have learned, no matter how many children we have, they are all unique. These two boys, Esau and Jacob, were as different as night and day.
As an adult, Esau loved the outdoors. Apparently he became quite a hunter and probably a leader of those who shared his love for those venturesome activities. Unfortunately, the very word “hunter” in the Bible is invariably associated with an evil connotation (see I Sam. 24:11, Job 10:16, Psalms 140:11, Prov. 6:26, Micah 7:2, Ezekiel 13:18). This is not a condemnation of hunters in our generation but is presented here to reveal the evil character of Esau. He had no love for the Lord and His blessings. Esau sold his birthright blessing to Jacob for a meal of pottage. Esau did not even call what Jacob was cooking “pottage,” he just said “feed me with that same red pottage.”
In the Bible (KJV) pottage is in italics – meaning it was not in the original text but was added by the translators to give better understanding. Possibly Esau had no idea what Jacob was cooking. He was a man that enjoyed the good times of the flesh and had no interest in the spiritual. His disdain of God’s blessing was his undoing (read Hebrews 12:16-17).
Jacob was certainly not a perfect example of how a man should live as he participated in deceiving his father. He was his mother’s favorite and is described as “a plain man, dwelling in tents” (Gen. 25:27). The word for “plain” is “tam.” In other places in scripture it is translated as “perfect,” “upright,” and “undefiled.” The reference seems to apply to Jacob’s character. His dwelling in tents denotes he is a stranger and a pilgrim seeking something to come (Hebrews 11:13-14).
Neither of these sons was perfect, but they provide understanding that children are not alike, neither do they value the same things in life. As parents we can only try to influence them in good and wholesome ways, bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ultimately, each will make her or his own decision about serving the Lord. Just do your best as a parent and trust God to do the rest.