I’d Rather Be Esau
Sibling rivalry.
What a familiar story that is.
With four sisters to choose from, I had plenty of sisters with whom to compete as a child.
We all had our distinct roles in the family.
My older sister Maggie was the rebel.
I was the goody two-shoes.
My little sister Merideth was the consummate middle child, and the twins, Ginny and Kitty, lived in a secret twin society of their own.
Over the years there were many alliances and counter-alliances, trade negotiations for toys, peace talks over games, and so on.
Jacob and Esau had clearly defined roles as well.
The scripture says that “Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.”
Genesis makes no bones of the fact that there were distinct favorites as well: “Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.”
In a patriarchal society, a father’s approval was everything, and like any young boy Jacob would have longed for his father’s attention and favor.
But it was not to be. Continue reading