Story of Esau and Jacob

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Story
Literary style and characteristics of the passage
Exegetical Approach
Modern Relevance
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The bible, which is the religious reference book for Christians, presents the beginning of their faith and the birth of the religion. From the book of genesis to revelation, the bible has everything to offer in the daily life of Christians. There are many stories and poems in the bible all focusing on communication of the message of God and his will to the people (Comfort 23).

The Old Testament presents the early life of man under God showing how His (God) will was communicated directly and indirectly through the prophets and other people that He used. The New Testament on the other hand is an account of the origin of Christianity as a religion and doctrine. It is based on the life of Jesus Christ as the son of God (Freedman 19).

A Christian learns various things from this book. Numerous interpretations can be made from a single text or part of the bible. It continues to be the best-selling book in the world with a relatively interesting way of delivering the word of God. The bible is a reference book for all churches. It is efficient in the propagation of the word.

In doing this, various styles of literature are applied including narratives and poetry. The bible has mostly employed the two styles in communicating the word. In the following essay, a study of the narrative style is made on the book of Genesis 27 from verse one to forty. It describes the competition between the sons of Isaac, Esau and Jacob, showing how Jacob hijacked Esau’s blessing.

The Story

The chapter employs the same style of writing used in the entire book of Genesis, which is mainly narrative. In the chapter, a continuation of the story of Jacob and Esau is made. These sons of Isaac had earlier been described as being different in many ways. They competed in all areas of life including their father’s love.

The father loved Esau for the meat he used to bring him, and had to get his blessing for being the elder of the two. The chapter begins with a definition of their father Isaac whose age is described as being advanced based on his blindness.

Isaac is described to have called for his older son Esau to bless him since he had little time to live. He tells Esau to go out to hunt for the best game to cook for him so that he could bless him. The whole narrative is about the deception that took place leading to Isaac’s act of blessing Esau instead of Jacob.

Being the mother’s favorite, Jacob learnt how to cook while Esau took on the father’s profession of hunting and killing games for food. He was also good at preparing the meat that he got from killing the animals. Isaac, his father, loved it too.

As Isaac told Esau to prepare him meat to be blessed, his wife Rebecca eavesdropped the conversation and decided to tell Jacob who was her favorite son. The two came up with a perfect plot to deceive Isaac into thinking that Jacob was Esau so that they could get the blessing for themselves. At first, Jacob was hesitant to the idea of taking his brother’s blessing by citing the fear that the father would know that he was not Esau.

In the first excuse, Jacob claims that the brother was hairy in the hand and that this would make Isaac know that he is impersonating. Rebecca is confident that her plan will work. She convinces him to do as she says. Jacob follows the orders of her mother. Being a good cook, Rebecca prepared the food that Isaac liked most and offered it to Jacob to take it to him. She also wrapped him in the skin that remained so that the hands and neck would be as rough as those of his brother Esau.

Isaac by this time had a failing sight. He only relied on touch and smell to differentiate between the sons. To make sure that nothing went wrong, Rebecca gave Jacob his brother’s finest clothing and made sure that they smelled exactly like him. While Esau was out hunting for wild game to prepare for his ailing father, Jacob took this opportunity to steal the blessings from the father.

He took the meat and asked for the blessings. At first, Isaac was hesitant to bless him because the voice was that of Jacob. He however used the tactics that Rebecca had predicted to differentiate between the two sons. On touching his hands and neck, the goatskin wrapped on them ensured that they were as rough as those of Esau. This however did not fully convince him. He decided to ask for a kiss so that he could get his scent.

Due to the perfect plan that had been laid down by Rebecca, the scent was that of Esau. There was no hindrance to him getting the blessings. The blessing involved Jacob being superior to his brother by inheriting all the property. He was to prosper besides defeating any enemy who came his way by the sword. He would also be the leader of nations with the adoration of men and women alike. A blessing would come to those who would consecrate him, and consequently a curse to those who cursed him.

No sooner had the blessing been pronounced than Esau walked in with the game he had gone hunting for his father. Oblivious of the turn of events, he prepared it and took it to the father who was surprised too. There was no blessing left for him. Upon insisting that he had to be blessed, the father reiterated that the blessing that Jacob had would still serve. He however pronounced that the yoke that Jacob would eventually put on him would come to drop at his own will.

The incidence caused anger in Esau. This made him decide to kill Jacob after the father had died. With this knowledge, Rebecca decided to warn Jacob by advising him to flee to Laban who was her brother. She was to have him back when the anger in Esau subsided in an effort to escape death. The later verses describe the fleeing of Jacob to the foreign land where he would marry from the family of Laban.

Literary style and characteristics of the passage

In reading the bible, there are various features about the language and literary skills used in it (Free and Stuart 34). Various authors have suggested on the best approach to bible reading. Most of them are for the opinion that it should not be read just like any other book (Freedman 17).

However, the book utilizes the techniques used in other works of art, which is evident in the many stories and poetical writings in it. In the Old Testament, the dominant style is the narrative, where there is a person telling the story from his/her point of view as passed down through various generations (Roncace and Gray 43).

In this particular passage, the same procedure is followed with a narrator, who is not in the story, telling it on the observer’s point of view. A focus into the richness of language and literary success follows in which the writer uses his expertise to intrigue the reader. The passage employs a variety of literary styles to deliver the message to Christians and readers of the bible. It follows the narrative style of writing with direct language use in most of the story.

The narrator employs the style in virtually the whole passage where the conversation between the family members is direct. There is also a poetic style within the passage where the father is pronouncing blessings to the son. In both instances, poetry is used to deliver the contents of the blessings. In the poems, the language used is poetic with the exact meanings given in a clear manner. Different styles of literature are used in the passage with respect to the rules of literature.

There are uses of metaphors and proverbs in the passage, which contribute towards the clarity of the message being communicated. Isaac compares the smell of his son to that of the field, and uses the heavens and fields to represent the riches of the world. This is a perfect way of representing this case, as readers have an easy time reading the text. The language use is clear with the main intention of the text being communicated in a defined way.

Exegetical Approach

The passage can be interpreted in different ways according to the intentions of the reader. In the passage, the father can be thought of as the authority and Supreme Being whose blessings are the same as those of God. They can also be interpreted as being the will of God on the people.

There are different ways that people can use to attain God’s blessings and or influence his will over their lives. In the passage, the perseverance and patience of Jacob was not enough to earn him his father’s blessings. He decided to use the chance given by the mother instead.

This demonstrates how human beings can use unacceptable ways of achieving their goals by deciding to go against God’s will over their lives (Kruschwitz 32). They use the shortest route to make it in life. By Jacob heeding to his mother’s plans, he was choosing to go along with the plans of the evil one. This demonstrates how powers above people are used to make them do things they would otherwise not have done by free will.

The mother in the passage can be compared to evil powers used to propagate the ideas of the evil one. In many of the passages in the bible, there is competition between forces of evil and good. In those instances, those who follow the will of God are described as being triumphant. The passage above is no different. Even though the forces of evil seem to prosper, this is considered a precursor of good events in the future.

The blessing of Jacob at the expense of Esau, his brother, means that, where evil may have planned for success, God uses it for good. In the blessings to Jacob, it demonstrates the eventual fulfillment of the will of God where the descendants of Abraham would come to inherit the Promised Land. Another way in which the passage can be interpreted is that of the success of evil over good.

In the story, Jacob and his mother Rebecca can be thought of as the orchestrators of the powers of the evil one (Waddey 28). They try to successfully defeat good powers in the presentation of Isaac and Esau. Many Christians however are unlikely to interpret it this way.

More often, they want the good powers to win because, in many instances, the passage is used as a model of good faith and belief in God. In the exegetical approach to the passage, authors and scholars of the bible have differing opinions on the exact meaning of the passage and its relevance in the learning of the lives of Esau and Jacob.

In the story, some people have argued that the characters are not admirable since each has his/her own weaknesses. Isaac is described as one who is preoccupied with his tummy. He likes eating. He was also about to bless Esau despite his knowledge of God’s will for Jacob. His wife was also on the wrong for trying to get Jacob’s promise by God before his time. Esau on the other had should have let his father bless Jacob because he had earlier sold his birthright to him.

Jacob lied to his father when he told him that he was Esau and that the meat was because of a fast hunt. He is therefore not as innocent as the story portrays him to be. He should not have lied to his father in the first place. This stands out as a lesson to Christians that they should not lie their way into getting what is not meant to be theirs. Another relevant teaching from the passage is the application of patience in the lives of Christians (Comfort 34).

Many times, Christians have had their dreams collapse because they did not take time and or have faith in the promises of God. Despite the promises made to Jacob whom everyone in the family knew as the genuine owner of the blessings, there is a demonstration of lack of patience as Jacob chose to neglect this faith and use the shortcut of getting the blessings (Waddey 25).

Christians should wait upon the lord avoiding using any illegal ways of getting what they think is rightfully theirs. Doing this will only bring more trouble as evidenced in the story. Jacob had to run away from his home so that he could have the peace of mind and prevent Esau from killing him.

Modern Relevance

The story has been used in several religious gatherings to teach on the relevance of faith and obedience. In most teachings, Jacob is portrayed as being the wise brother taking advantage of the ignorance of the elder brother and using it for his gain. The story applies in the contemporary world in many ways.

On obedience, it teaches people to always obey their elders and not to go against their will. As a continuity of the Old Testament teaching on respect for parents, the story is a perfect example as it shows us how important a father’s blessing is to the success of the child. In the example of Isaac, it is said that Esau’s getting of his father’s blessing before his death would make him prosperous and live longer. A curse is also described should Isaac have realized that Jacob was not Esau and that he had tricked him.

This teaches the children and young adults on the importance of respecting their parents and doing their will to the letter. In the passage, there is also the virtue of humility where Esau has to be submissive to the father to get the blessings that he promised. Jacob also submits to the mother in the plot to steal the blessing meant for Esau for them.

The story also teaches on selfishness with a conclusion that it is necessary to eradicate selfishness such as that portrayed by Jacob. Christians should wait for the right time for their blessings to come.

They should not rush into things. However, God requires that they be kind to others and to those they are not familiar with. Another relevant contemporary application of the narrative is in rebuking those who plot against others. The story portrays Esau as a victimized individual who suffers the same from a close relative and a brother in particular. This teaches people that the worst of enemies could be their closest friends and or even family. On matters of family, the narrative is a good example of a split family.

It shows some of the disadvantages of having to split a family along the lines of goodwill. Many families in the church are spit along the lines of marriage, traditions, culture, and religious groups with some openly displaying resentment towards the others, which is not supposed to happen if the example of Isaac is to be followed in this passage. The story is based on the relevance of obedience.

This claim is evident throughout. In the contemporary world, the challenges within families include divorces and separation. These are mainly because of disagreements by the family members. The story teaches people on how to resolve family conflicts to avoid the separations that families are facing. Even after tricking his husband on several occasions, Rebecca did not get any mistreatment or any form of separation from Isaac.

The only separation that took place was to allow anger to subside for the brothers involved. Another application of the story in the modern day Christianity is aggressiveness in achieving goals. Although the method used by Jacob and Rebecca to get Isaac’s blessings was not justified, it shows how Christians should be in persisting for any blessings from God.

They should go to any length for this to use any gift at their disposal. Contrary to the teachings of the story, Christians should not take their neighbors’ opportunity to benefit at something. They should be patient by waiting for their turn if available, or use noble means to achieve what they want.

The bible being a model of faith to Christians uses this story too to emphasize the relevance of patience. Esau was patient enough for his blessing. He even demonstrates patience and respect for the father when he decided to let him die in peace and later have his revenge on Jacob.

Christians should not rush to do things. They should consider the implications of their actions before they take them. In the present age, a father can make rational decisions concerning his children and along the way end up cursing them and leading them away from God’s will. This can be prevented by following the example of Isaac who demonstrated patience with the sons.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the bible uses various literary styles to communicate its message to Christians and nonbelievers alike. Of the styles used, narrative and poetical language are dominant in most of the text, more so in the Old Testament. In the example above, the narrative style is employed to communicate the story of Isaac and Rebecca, and their two sons who had differences since birth. There is a richness of literary skills in the paragraph, which cannot be separated from the intended meaning.

The passage is also important to Christians as it teaches them on the interaction between family members and married couples. In the story, one can learn to use every opportunity to benefit him/herself to exploit faith and belief to the fullest as Christians.

The role played by Isaac was that of a person communicating the blessings of God while the wife and sons represented opposing forces within the same institution. The above passage is therefore a good example of how the bible can be fitted into a work of literature with all the styles involved.

Works Cited

Comfort, Philip. The Origin of the Bible. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Pub., 2003. Print.

Comfort, Ray. The evidence Bible: irrefutable evidence for the thinking mind. Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2003. Print.

Free, Gordon and Douglas Stuart. How to read the Bible for all its worth. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2003. Print.

Freedman, David. The Anchor Bible dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Print.

Kruschwitz, Robert. Caring for creation. Waco, TX: Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2012. Print.

Roncace, Mark, and Patrick Gray.Teaching the Bible: practical strategies for classroom instruction. Leiden: Brill, 2005. Print.

Waddey, John. Lessons to fortify your faith: volume III. Surprise, Arizona: Church of Christ, 2008. Print.

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