And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob [was] a plain man, dwelling in tents.
27. a cunning hunter ] That is a skilful, expert hunter. The word “cunning” is used in its old English sense, with no idea of craft or deceit; see 1Sa 16:16. The Heb. means having a knowledge of the chase. LXX , Lat. gnarus venandi.
a man of the field ] i.e. a man who spends his days in the open country. But this meaning is missed by the versions, LXX , Lat. agricola.
a plain man ] i.e., as R.V. marg., quiet or harmless, Lat. integer. “Plain,” in Old English, is used for “simple,” “honest”: cf. “For he [Antonius] was a plaine man, without subletie” (North’s Plutarch, Antonius, p. 979); “ Plaine, faithful, true, and enimy of shame” (Spenser, F. Q., i. 6, 20).
The meaning seems to be that of a solid, simple, home-abiding man. LXX , Lat. simplex. Cf. the German fromm.
dwelling in tents ] Cf. Gen 4:20. The life of Jacob, the herdsman and the shepherd, is contrasted with that of the fierce and roving huntsman. The ideal patriarchal habit of life seems to be pastoral.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 25:27
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter
Esau, the hunter
I.
A man of strong physical nature, a man of passion, with little self-restraint.
II. A man of swift impulse.
III. A man reckless of consequences. The present, the immediate, arrests him.
IV. Esau had no sense of spiritual things. (L. D. Bevan.)
The animal and the spiritual
I. Esau was full of healthy vigour and the spirit of adventure, exulting in field sports, active, muscular, with the rough aspect and the bounding pulse of the free desert. Jacob was a harmless shepherd, pensive and tranquil, dwelling by the hearth and caring only for quiet occupations. Strength and speed and courage and endurance are blessings not lightly to be despised; but he who confines his ideal to them, as Esau did, chooses a low ideal, and one which can bring a man but little peace at the last. Esau reaches but half the blessing of a man, and that the meaner and temporal half; the other half seems seldom or never to have entered his thoughts.
II. So side by side the boys grew up; and the next memorable scene of their history shows us that the great peril of animal life–the peril lest it should forget God altogether and merge into mere uncontrolled, intemperate sensuality–had happened to Esau I For the mess of pottage the sensual hunter sells in one moment the prophecy of the far future and the blessing of a thousand years. Esaus epitaph is the epitaph of a lifetime recording for ever the consummated carelessness of a moment. Esau, a profane person, . . . who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Jacob, with all the contemptible faults which lay on the surface of his character, had deep within his soul the faith in the unseen, the sense of dependence on and love to God which Esau did not even comprehend.
1. Cultivate the whole of the nature which God has given you, and in doing so remember that the mind is of more moment than the body, and the soul than both.
2. Beware lest, in a moment of weakness and folly, you sell your birthright and barter your happy innocence for torment and fear and shame. (Archdeacon Farrar.)
Politic hunting
I. His STRENGTH: A HUNTER. Hunting in itself is a delight lawful and laudable, and may well be argued for from the disposition that God hath put into creatures. He hath naturally inclined one kind of beasts to pursue another for mans profit and pleasure. He hath given the dog a secret instinct to follow the hare, the hart, the fox, the boar, as if he would direct a man by the finger of nature to exercise those qualities which His Divine wisdom created in them.
1. This practice of hunting hath in it delight.
2. Benefit. Recreations have also their profitable use, if rightly undertaken.
(1) The health is preserved by a moderate exercise.
(2) The body is prepared and fitted by these sportive to more serious labours, when the hand of war shall set them to it.
(3) The mind, wearied with graver employments, hath thus some cool respiration given it, and is sent back to the service of God with a revived alacrity.
II. HIS POLICY: A CUNNING HUNTER.
1. He had a ravenous and intemperate desire. This appears from three phrases he used:
(1) Feed me, I pray thee (Gen 25:30); satisfy, saturate, satiate me; or, let me swallow at once, as some read it. The words of an appetite insufferable of delay.
(2) To show his eagerness, he doubles the word for haste: with that red, with that red pottage; red was his colour, red was his desire. He coveted red pottage; he dwelt in a red soil, called thereon Idumea; and in the text, therefore was his name called Edom.
(3) He says, I am faint, and (Gen 25:32) at the point to die, if I have it not. Like some longing souls that have so weak a hand over their appetites, that they must die if their humour be not fulfilled.
2. His folly may be argued from his base estimation of the birthright; that he would so lightly part from it, and on so easy conditions as pottage.
3. Another argument of his folly was ingratitude to God, who had in mercy vouchsafed him, though but by a few minutes, the privilege of primogeniture; wherewith divines hold that the priesthood was also conveyed.
4. His obstinacy taxeth his folly, that, after cold blood, leisure to think of the treasure he sold, and digestion of his pottage, he repented, not of his rashness, but (Gen 25:34) He did eat, and drink, and rose up, and went his way–filled his belly, rose up to his former customs, and went his way without a Quidfeci? Therefore it is added, he despised his birthright. He followed his pleasures without any interception of sorrow or interruption of conscience. His whole life was a circle of sinful customs; and not his birthrights loss can put him out of them.
5. Lastly, his perfidious nature appeareth, that though he had made an absolute conveyance of his birthright to Jacob, and sealed the deed with an oath, yet he seemed to make but a jest of it, and purposed in his heart not to perform it. Thus literally; let us now come to some moral application to ourselves. Hunting is, for the most part, taken in the Holy Scripture in the worst sense. So (Gen 10:9) Nimrod was a hunter, even to a proverb; and that before the Lord, as without fear of His majesty. Now, if it were so hateful to hunt beasts, what is it to hunt men? The wicked oppressors of the world are here typed and taxed, who employ both arm and brain to hunt the poor out of their habitations, and to drink the blood of the oppressed Herein observe–
I. The persons hunted.
II. The manner of hunting; and,
III. The hounds.
1. The poor are their prey: any man that either their wit or violence can practise on.
2. You hear the object they hunt; attend the manner. And this you shall find, as Esaus, to consist in two things–force and fraud. They are not only hunters, but cunning hunters.
3. Now for their hounds. Besides that they have long noses themselves, and hands longer than their noses, they have dogs of all sorts. Beagles, cunning intelligencers–the more crafty they are, the more commendable, Their setters, prowling promoters; whereof there may be necessary use, as men may have dogs, but they take them for mischievous purposes. Their spaniels, fawning sycophants, who lick their masters hands, but are brawling ever at poor strangers. Their great mastiffs; surly and sharking bailiffs, that can set a rankling tooth in the poor tenants ribs. Thus I have shown you a field of hunters; what should I add, but my prayers to heaven, and desires to earth, that these hunters may be hunted? The hunting of harmful beasts is commended: the wolf, the boar, the bear, the fox, the tiger, the otter. But the metaphorical hunting of these is more praiseworthy; the country wolves, or city foxes, deserve most to be hunted. (T. Adams.)
Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents
First impressions of Jacob
I. JACOB WAS THE FATHER OF THE JEWISH RACE, AND A TYPICAL JEW. If we can understand the life of Jacob, we can understand the history of his people. The extremes which startle us in them are all in him. Like them, he is the most successful schemer of his times; and, like them, he has that deep spirituality, that far-seeing faith, which are the grandest of all qualities, and make a man capable of the highest culture that a human spirit can receive. Like them, he spends the greatest part of his life in exile, and amid trying conditions of toil and sorrow; and, like them, he is inalienably attached to that dear land, his only hold on which was by the promise of God, and the graves of the heroic dead.
II. JACOB HAS SO MANY POINTS OF CONTACT WITH OURSELVES.
1. His failings speak to us.
2. His aspirations speak to us.
3. His sorrows speak to us.
III. IN JACOB WE CAN TRACE THE WORKINGS OF DIVINE LOVE. Jacob have I loved (Mal 1:2).
1. It was pre-natal love.
2. It was fervent love.
3. It was a disciplinary love.
IV. JACOBS LIFE GIVES A CLUE TO THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION (see Rom 9:11). Election refers largely, if not primarily, to the service which the elect are qualified to render to their fellows throughout all coming time. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Childhood shows the man
I. THAT CONDUCT IN THE DAYS OF YOUTH FOREBODES THE PROCEDURE OF AFTER DAYS.
II. THAT THE BIBLE INDICATES THE RIGHT WAY OF GROWING UP INTO A WORTHY MANHOOD.
III. THAT NATURAL TENDENCIES MUST BE UNDER CONTROL FROM THE OUTSET OF LIFE. Conclusion: Read this item in the life of Jacob and Esau–
1. To learn in what you may be tending to wrong.
2. To impress you with the truth that there are critical hours in every ones life.
3. To realize that there is present help against yielding. (D. G. Watt, M. A.)
Jacobs home life
I. FRATERNAL DISSIMILARITY.
II. PARENTAL PARTIALITY.
III. CONJUGAL, CONTRARIETY. Lessons:
1. The responsibility of parents.
2. The need of love as a cementing influence in home life.
3. The baseness of unbrotherliness.
4. The downward course of sin. (T. S. Dickson.)
Dwelling in tents
Two things are observable in the holy patriarchs, and commendable to all that will be heirs with them of eternal life.
1. Their contempt of the world. They that dwell in tents intend not a long dwelling in a place. They are moveables, ever ready to be transferred at the occasion and will of the inhabiter. Abraham dwelt in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise (Heb 11:9). The reason is added, for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. These saints studied not to enlarge their barns, as the rich cosmopolite (Luk 12:1-59.), or to sing requiems to their souls, in the hoped perpetuity of earthly habitations. Soul, live; thou hast enough laid up for many years. Fool! he had not enough for that night. They had no thought that their houses should continue for ever, and their dwelling-places to all generations; thereupon calling their lands after their own Psa 49:11). God convinceth the foolish security of the Jews, to whom He had promised (by the Messiah to be purchased) an everlasting royalty in heaven, by the Rechabites (Jer 35:7), who built no houses, but dwelt in tents, as if they were strangers, ready on a short warning for removal. The Church esteems heaven her home, this world but a tent, a tent which we must all leave, build we as high as Babel, as strong as Babylon. When we have fortified, combined, feasted, death comes with a voider, and takes away all.
2. Their frugality should not pass unregarded. Here is no ambition of great buildings; a tent will serve. How differ our days and hearts from those! The fashion is now to build great houses to our lands, till we have no lands to our houses; and the credit of a good house is made, not to consist in outward hospitality, but in outward walls. (T. Adams.)
The advantages of plain dealing
1. The principal is to please God, whose displeasure against double-dealing the sad examples of Saul for the Amalekites, of Gehazi for the bribes, of Ananias for the inheritance, testify in their destruction. Whose delight in plain-dealing Himself affirms: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (Joh 1:17).
2. The credit of a good name, which is a most worthy treasure, is thus preserved. The riches left thee by thy ancestors may miscarry through others negligence; the name not, save by thy own fault. It is the plain-dealers reward, his name shall be had in estimation; whereas no faith is given to the dissembler, even speaking truth. Every man is more ready to trust the poor plain-dealer than the glittering, false-tongued gallant.
3. It prevents and infatuates all the malicious plots of enemies. God, in regard to thy simplicity, brings to nought all their machinations. Thou, O Lord, hadst respect to my simple pureness. An innocent fool takes fearless steps, and walks as securely as if it stood girt with a wall of brass.
4. It preserves thy state from ruin. When by subtlety men think to scrape together much wealth, all is but the spiders web, artificial and weak. What plain-dealing-gets, sticks by us, and infallibly derives itself to our posterity. If thou wouldst be good to thyself and thine, use plainness.
5. It shall somewhat keep thee from the troubles and vexations of the world.
6. The curses of the poor shall never hurt thee. Though the causeless curse shall never come, yet it is happy for a man so to live that all may bless him. Now the plain man shall have this at last. Gallant prodigality, like fire in flax, makes a great blaze, a hot show, but plain hospitality, like fire in solid wood, holds out to warm the poor, because God blesseth it. So I have seen hot spurs in the way gallop amain; but the ivy bushes have so stayed them, that the plain traveller comes first to his journeys end.
7. It shall be thy best comfort on thy death-bed: the conscience of an innocent life. On this staff leans aged Samuel: Whose ox or ass have I taken?
8. Lastly, thou shalt find rest for thy soul. Thou hast dealt plainly; so will God with thee, multiplying upon thee His promised mercies. (T. Adams.)
Jacobs election; or, Divine sovereignty in its relation to life
I. Although Jacob obtained, in virtue of his election, a certain priority over Esau, yet was Esau also, equally with Jacob, the subject of Divine sovereignty.
II. The appointment of Gods sovereignty concerning these two brothers did in no wise determine their eternal destinies, but only the sphere of their human histories.
III. It may have been the case that the positions severally assigned to both Jacob and Esau in the family of Isaac, were just those which were best adapted to ensure the blessedness of both. Perhaps the only way to bring such a disposition as Esaus to esteem his birthright in Isaac was to transfer it to another. And that this discipline was not lost on Esau the event distinctly shows. (W. Roberts.)
And the boys grew
I. They grew bodily. Natural provision for this. Food, air, exercise, increase bulk of body. Explain. Grew in stature and in strength.
II. They grew mentally. Natural provision for this. Memory a storehouse for facts. Judgment a mill for grinding them up and digesting them. Some boys are careless, dull, disobedient, self-willed, grow slowly, become men bodily and remain children in mind. Providential provision for mental growth. Books, schools, &c. These boys had not these things.
III. They grew very unlike each other. Sketch their differences, bodily, mentally, morally. See rest of verse. Brothers often unlike in temper, taste, &c. With all mental and other differences they should be alike pious. Boy father of the man.
IV. They grew up into history. Which became the most prominent? Why? The practice of prayer at length made Jacob the better man. He overcame evil. Esau degenerated. Learn: You are all growing bodily: are you growing mentally? Do you grow in wisdom and in grace, and in the favour of God and man? Are you growing like Christ, growing up into Christ, growing more fit for heaven?
Constancy and inconstancy in the two brothers
It has been pointed out that the weakness in Esaus character which makes him so striking a contrast to his brother is his inconstancy.
That one error Fill him with faults; makes him run through all the sins.
Constancy, persistence, dogged tenacity is certainly the striking feature of Jacobs character. He could wait and bide his lime; he could retain one purpose year after year till it was accomplished. The very motto of his life was, I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me. He watched for Esaus weak moment, and took advantage of it. He served fourteen years for the woman he loved, and no hardship quenched his love. Nay, when a whole lifetime intervened, and he lay dying in Egypt, his constant heart still turned to Rachel, as if he had parted with her but yesterday. In contrast with his tenacious, constant character stands Esau, led by impulse, betrayed by appetite, everything by turns and nothing long. To-day despising his birthright, to-morrow breaking his heart because for its loss; to-day vowing he will murder his brother, to-morrow falling on his neck and kissing him; a man you cannot reckon upon, and of too shallow a nature for anything to root itself deeply in. (M. Dods, D. D.)
Life revealed in its progress
One ship is as good as another in the harbour. It is outside of the harbour that the comparative merits of different vessels are made to appear. There their qualities, whether superior or inferior, show themselves. It is what ships do on the sea that determines that one is better or worse than another. And as with ships, so with men. Two men start about alike on the morn of life. They go along at first about together. But follow them five or ten years, and about the fifth, the sixth, or the seventh year, the one–a man of pleasure, a godless man, a man that does not believe in a Divine supervision of the affairs of this world–begins to degenerate; while the other–a sober Christian man, who believes that God controls the world and all that are in it–in the beginning lays his foundation, going down so deep that he seems for a time to burrow like a marmot; but then, little by little, he begins to work upward, and he builds so that every hour men see that he is building strongly and surely. (H. W. Beecher.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 27. A man of the field] ish sadeh, one who supported himself and family by hunting and by agriculture.
Jacob was a plain man] ish tam, a perfect or upright man; dwelling in tents – subsisting by breeding and tending cattle, which was considered in those early times the most perfect employment; and in this sense the word tam, should be here understood, as in its moral meaning it certainly could not be applied to Jacob till after his name was changed, after which time only his character stands fair and unblemished. See Ge 32:26-30.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Esau was a hunter of wild beasts, and afterwards an oppressor of men. Compare Gen 10:9. This course of life was most agreeable to his complexion, fierce and violent.
A man of the field; one that delighted more in conversing abroad than at home, whose employment it was to pursue the beasts through fields, and woods, and mountains, who therefore chose a habitation fit for his purpose in Mount Seir.
A plain man, a sincere, honest, and plain-hearted man; or a just and perfect man, as the word is used, Gen 6:9;
dwelling in tents, quietly minding the management of his own domestic affairs, his lands and cattle, and giving no disturbance either to wild beasts or men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27. the boys grewfrom thefirst, opposite to each other in character, manners, and habits.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the boys grew,…. In stature, became strong and fit for business, and betook themselves to different employments:
and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field: whose business lay in tilling and sowing it, which his father Isaac followed sometimes; or rather he chose to range about the field and hunt after beasts and birds, in which he was very expert, and contrived traps and snares to catch them in; and this course of life was most agreeable to his temper and disposition, being active, fierce, and cruel; according to the Targum of Jonathan, he was also a hunter and slayer of men, Nimrod and Henoch his son:
and Jacob was a plain man; an honest plain hearted man, whose heart and tongue went together; a quiet man, that gave no disturbance to others; a godly man, sincere, upright, and perfect, that had the truth of grace and holiness in him, as well as the perfect righteousness of his Redeemer on him:
dwelling in tents; keeping at home and attending the business of the family, as we afterwards find him boiling pottage, Ge 25:29; or rather this denotes his pastoral life, being a shepherd, he dwelt in tents, which could be removed from place to place for the convenience of pasturage: Jarchi’s note is,
“in the tent of Shem and in the tent of Eber;”
agreeably to the Targum of Jonathan,
“a minister in the school of Shem, seeking doctrine from the Lord;”
a student there, where he resided awhile, in order to be instructed in the doctrines of truth and righteousness.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Esau became “ a cunning hunter, a man of the field, ” i.e., a man wandering about in the fields. He was his father’s favourite, for “ venison was in his mouth, ” i.e., he was fond of it. But Jacob was , “a pious man” (Luther); , integer, denotes here a disposition that finds pleasure in the quiet life of home. , not dwelling in tents, but sitting in the tents, in contrast with the wild hunter’s life led by his brother; hence he was his mother’s favourite.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
27. And the boys grew. Moses now briefly describes the manners of them both. He does not, indeed, commend Jacob on account of those rare and excellent qualities, which are especially worthy of praise and of remembrance, but only says that he was simple. The word תם ( tam,) although generally taken for upright and sincere, is here put antithetically. After the sacred writer has stated that Esau was robust, and addicted to hunting, he places on the opposite side the mild disposition of Jacob, who loved the quiet of home so much, that he might seem to be indolent; just as the Greeks call those persons οἰκόσιτους oikositous, who, dwelling at home, give no evidence of their industry. In short, the comparison implies that Moses praises Esau on account of his vigor, but speaks of Jacob as being addicted to domestic leisure; and that he describes the disposition of the former as giving promise that he would be a courageous man, while the disposition of the latter had nothing worthy of commendation. Seeing that, by a decree of heaven, the honor of primogeniture would be transferred to Jacob, why did God suffer him to lie down in his tent, and to slumber among ashes; unless it be, that he sometimes intends his election to be concealed for a time, lest men should attribute something to their own preparatory acts?
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHARACTERS OF ESAU AND JACOB. ESATU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT.
(27) The boys grew.With advancing years came also the formation of their characters. Esau became a skilful hunter, a man of the field: not a husbandman, but one who roamed over the open uncultivated wilderness (see Gen. 4:8) in search of game; but Jacob was a plain man. This is a most inadequate rendering of a word translated perfect in Job. 1:1; Job. 1:8; Psa. 37:37, &c, though this rendering is as much too strong as that in this verse is too weak. On Gen. 6:9, we have shown that the word conveys no idea of perfection or blamelessness, but only of general integrity. Both the word there and in Gen. 17:1, and the slightly different form of it used here, should in all places be translated upright.
Dwelling in tents.Esau equally had a tent for his abode, but Jacob stayed at home, following domestic occupations, and busied about the flocks and cattle. Hence he was the mothers darling, while Isaac preferred his more enterprising son. Thus the struggle between the twins led also to a divergence of feeling on the part of the parents. Throughout his history Jacob maintains this character, and appears as a man whose interests and happiness were centred in his home.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
SALE OF ESAU’S BIRTHRIGHT, Gen 25:27-34.
27. The boys grew And their diverse dispositions and tendencies early developed themselves .
Esau was a cunning hunter A man knowing the chase, or skilled in hunting . We are to think of him as the hairy man, rough, impulsive, desperate; loving the dangers and excitements of the chase .
Jacob was a plain man , a complete man . The word is generally used of moral uprightness and integrity . The kindred word is used in Gen 17:1, where Jehovah says to Abraham, “walk before me and be thou perfect . ” Here the word seems to mean simplicity, mildness, and inoffensiveness of disposition, in contrast with the wild and daring character of Esau . Jacob was a complete man in the simplicity and regularity of his temper and domestic habits .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Sale of the Birthright ( Gen 25:27-34 ).
Gen 25:27-34
‘And the boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the open country, and Jacob was a perfect man, dwelling in tents.’
The two boys, different in birth, grew up as very different people. Esau was the outdoor type, interested in hunting in the woods and the wide open spaces, away for days on end, never long at home. But Jacob was ‘a perfect man’, meaning that he was more ‘respectable’, more in keeping with the expectations of the family tribe, an established farmer tending the sheep and the crops and living in a ‘civilised’ fashion and remaining in the family tribe encampment.
Gen 25:28
‘Now Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his venison. And Rebekah loved Jacob.’
Sadly both parents had their favourites. The one because Esau brought him luxuries to enjoy. He overlooked the fact that Jacob remained at home assisting with the main work. He probably just took that for granted. The other for reasons not given, but it may well partly be because Jacob was there and helpful in domestic affairs and was more responsive to her love.
Gen 25:29
‘And Jacob boiled pottage, and Esau came in from the open country, and he was faint.’
Esau was a tough hunter. If he felt faint and hungry we can be sure it was something quite severe. He had possibly been out for many days and had not taken anything, and now famished and totally exhausted he is returning to the camp. He feels literally on the point of death. He may have been out in the scorching sun, and having run out of water, be feeling completely dehydrated. And in such a state he comes across Jacob in the act of preparing food and liquid.
Gen 25:30
‘And Esau said to Jacob, “I beg you. Feed me with the red stuff, this red stuff, for I am weak.” That is why his name was called Edom (red).’
It has been suggested that Esau saw the red stuff cooking and thought it was a blood soup or red meat concoction. If he had a special liking for such things it helps to explain the comment about why he was called red, i.e. because of his liking for such things. But he may well not have been too bothered what it was. He was so desperately hungry and thirsty that anything would do. He genuinely felt as though he was dying. Thus it may be that his nickname Edom came from this incident of the red pottage.
Gen 25:31
‘And Jacob said, “Sell me this day your birthright”.’
That Jacob was taking advantage of the situation cannot be doubted. But it is very probable that there is a past history to this suggestion, for the writer certainly does not moralise on it. The ‘birthright’ in mind was the elder son’s portion (probably a double portion as later) and would include leadership of the family tribe and responsibility for its possessions and wealth. We cannot really doubt from what has been said that Esau had no particular desire for such a position. He wanted to be free to hunt and venture far and wide. And there can be no doubt that Jacob was more suitable for the position.
It is probable too that Esau had often lamented to Jacob about the fate that would eventually tie him down to his responsibilities. Indeed this was probably what gave Jacob the hope that he might succeed in what he was doing. Thus what Jacob was asking him to give up was not something he greatly desired.
Yet we cannot admire the trait in Jacob’s nature that prompted him to take advantage of the situation. It was not a transaction that Esau had thought out but one arising on the spur of the moment, and he knew he had caught Esau at a time when he was most defenceless. But the final truth is, as the writer later points out, that Esau despised his birthright. It was, in fact, not what he wanted from life at all. Pleasure came before duty. So neither can be exonerated from blame.
Gen 25:32
‘And Esau said, “Look, I am at the point of death. And what profit will the birthright do to me?”.’
Many subconscious factors no doubt brought him to this decision, including the wish to be free from something burdensome, the desire to enjoy full liberty to do his own thing, his scorn at those who could make do with camp life, all now brought to a point by his present condition of thirst and starvation.
Thus at a moment of great need like this he could dismiss his birthright as irrelevant. What good was a birthright to a dead man? It must be said in Jacob’s favour that had he been put in that position he would have died rather than yield it.
Gen 25:33
‘And Jacob said, “Swear to me this day.” And he swore it to him. And he sold his birthright to Jacob.’
The seriousness of this transaction must not be underestimated. It was a genuine transaction carried out quite legally and not under duress. And it was established by an oath. Once that had been sworn the position was legally and permanently fixed. The birthright legitimately belonged to Jacob. And we cannot doubt that Jacob soon committed it to writing as permanent evidence of the contract which had taken place without witnesses (unless witnesses were brought in to witness the oath).
Gen 25:34
‘And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil pottage, and he ate and drank, and rose up and went his way. Thus did Esau despise his birthright.’
Jacob fulfils his part in the transaction. And it is noteworthy that any disapproval of the transaction by the writer is directed at Esau. He treated lightly what was so valuable, including his responsibilities to the tribe. Jacob merely took advantage of his contempt for his birthright. From now on Jacob can carry on knowing that the leadership in the family tribe will one day be his, and he can happily bide his time.
“He ate and drank and rose and went away.” This suggests that at this point Esau could not care less about his birthright. To him Yahweh’s covenant with His people mattered little. Future events suggest that to Jacob at least it was of more importance. But his methods demonstrated that his own trust in Yahweh was minimal at this point. He did not believe God’s promise could be fulfilled without his own intervention. Like many he sought the right things by the wrong methods.
An interesting example of a similar transaction to this is found at Nuzi coming from the second millennium BC. “On the day they divide the grove … Tupkitilla shall give it to Kurpazah as his inheritance share. And Kurpazah has taken three sheep to Tupkitilla in exchange for his inheritance share.”
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
How like was Esau to Nimrod! A man of the field, in scripture language means, a man of the world, carnally minded: But dwelling in tents, describes a pilgrim, one who hath here no continuing city: such was the Patriarch Jacob. See Heb 11:8-10 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 25:27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob [was] a plain man, dwelling in tents.
Ver. 27. And the boys grew. ] Nature, art, grace, all proceed from less perfect to more perfect. “Grow in grace,” saith Peter: 2Pe 3:18 grow “unto a perfect man,” even “unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,” saith Paul. Eph 4:13
And Esau was a cunning hunter.
A plain man.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Genesis
A BAD BARGAIN
Gen 25:27 – Gen 25:34
Isaac’s small household represented a great variety of types of character. He himself lacked energy, and seems in later life to have been very much of a tool in the hands of others. Rebekah had the stronger nature, was persistent, energetic, and managed her husband to her heart’s content. The twin brothers were strongly opposed in character; and, naturally enough, each parent loved best the child that was most unlike him or her: Isaac rejoicing in the very wildness of the adventurous, dashing Esau; and Rebekah finding an outlet for her womanly tenderness in an undue partiality for the quiet lad that was always at hand to help her and be petted by her.
One’s sympathy goes out to Esau. He was ‘a man of the field,’-by which is meant, not cultivated ground, but open country, which we might call prairie. He was a ‘backwoodsman,’-liked the wild hunter’s life better than sticking at home looking after sheep. He had the attractive characteristics of that kind of men, as well as their faults. He was frank, impulsive, generous, incapable of persevering work or of looking ahead, passionate. His descendants prefer cattle-ranching and gold-prospecting to keeping shops or sitting with their lungs squeezed against a desk.
Jacob had neither the high spirits nor the animal courage of his brother. He was ‘a plain man.’ The word is literally ‘perfect,’ but cannot be used in its deepest sense; for Jacob was very far indeed from being that, but seems to have a lower sense, which might perhaps be represented by ‘steady-going,’ or ‘respectable,’ in modern phraseology. He went quietly about his ordinary work, in contrast with his daring brother’s escapades and unsettledness.
The two types are intensified by civilisation, and the antagonism between them increased. City life tends to produce Jacobs, and its Esaus escape from it as soon as they can. But Jacob had the vices as well as the virtues of his qualities. He was orderly and domestic, but he was tricky, and keenly alive to his own interest. He was persevering and almost dogged in his tenacity of purpose, but he was not above taking mean advantages and getting at his ends by miry roads. He had little love for his brother, in whom he saw an obstacle to his ambition. He had the virtues and vices of the commercial spirit.
But we judge the two men wrongly if we let ourselves be fascinated, as Isaac was, by Esau, and forget that the superficial attractions of his character cover a core worthy of disapprobation. They are crude judges of character who prefer the type of man who spurns the restraints of patient industry and order; and popular authors, who make their heroes out of such, err in taste no less than in morals. There is a very unwholesome kind of literature, which is devoted to glorifying the Esaus as fine fellows, with spirit, generosity, and noble carelessness, whereas at bottom they are governed by animal impulses, and incapable of estimating any good which does not appeal to sense, and that at once.
The great lesson of this story lies on its surface. It is the folly and sin of buying present gratification of appetite or sense at the price of giving up far greater future good. The details are picturesquely told. Esau’s eagerness, stimulated by the smell of the mess of lentils, is strikingly expressed in the Hebrew: ‘Let me devour, I pray thee, of that red, that red there.’ It is no sin to be hungry, but to let appetite speak so clamorously indicates feeble self-control. Jacob’s coolness is an unpleasant foil to Esau’s impatience, and his cautious bargaining, before he will sell what a brother would have given, shows a mean soul, without generous love to his own flesh and blood. Esau lets one ravenous desire hide everything else from him. He wants the pottage which smokes there, and that one poor dish is for the moment more to him than birthright and any future good. Jacob knows the changeableness of Esau’s character, and is well aware that a hungry man will promise anything, and, when fed, will break his promise as easily as he made it. So he makes Esau swear; and Esau will do that, or anything asked. He gets his meal. The story graphically describes the greedy relish with which he ate, the short duration of his enjoyment, and the dark meaning of the seemingly insignificant event, by that accumulation of verbs, ‘He did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright.’
Now we may learn, first, how profound an influence small temptations, yielded to, may exert on a life.
Many scoffs have been directed against this story, as if it were unworthy of credence that eating a dish of lentils should have shaped the life of a man and of his descendants. But is it not always the case that trifles turn out to be determining points? Hinges are very small, compared with the doors which move on them. Most lives are moulded by insignificant events. No temptation is small, for no sin is small; and if the occasion of yielding to sense and the present is insignificant, the yielding is not so.
But the main lesson is, as already noted, the madness of flinging away greater future good for present gratifications of sense. One cannot suppose that the spiritual side of ‘the birthright’ was in the thoughts of either brother. Esau and Jacob alike regarded it only as giving the headship of the family. It was merely the right of succession, with certain material accompanying advantages, which Jacob coveted and Esau parted with. But even in regard to merely worldly objects, the man who lives for only the present moment is distinctly beneath him who lives for a future good, however material it may be. Whoever subordinates the present, and is able steadily to set before himself a remote object, for which he is strong enough to subdue the desire of immediate gratifications of any sort, is, in so far, better than the man who, like a savage or an animal, lives only for the instant.
The highest form of that nobility is when time is clearly seen to be the ‘lackey to eternity,’ and life’s aims are determined with supreme reference to the future beyond the grave. But how many of us are every day doing exactly as Esau did-flinging away a great future for a small present! A man who lives only for such ends as may be attained on this side of the grave is as ‘profane’ a person as Esau, and despises his birthright as truly. He knew that he was hungry, and that lentil porridge was good, ‘What good shall the birthright do me?’ He failed to make the effort of mind and imagination needed in order to realise how much of the kind of ‘good’ that he could appreciate it would do to him. The smell of the smoking food was more to him than far greater good which he could only appreciate by an effort. A sixpence held close to the eye can shut out the sun. Resolute effort is needed to prevent the small, intrusive present from blotting out the transcendent greatness of the final future. And for lack of such effort men by the thousand fling themselves away.
To sell a birthright for a bowl of lentils was plain folly. But is it wiser to sell the blessedness and peace of communion with God here and of heaven hereafter for anything that earth can yield to sense or to soul? How many shrewd ‘men of the highest commercial standing’ are making as bad a bargain as Esau’ s! The ‘pottage’ is hot and comforting, but it is soon eaten; and when the bowl is empty, and the sense of hunger comes back in an hour or two, the transaction does not look quite as advantageous as it did. Esau had many a minute of rueful meditation on his bad bargain before he in vain besought his father’s blessing. And suspicions of the folly of their choice are apt to haunt men who prefer the present to the future, even before the future becomes the present, and the folly is manifest. ‘What doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?’
So a character like Esau’s, though it has many fine possibilities about it, and attracts liking, is really of a low type, and may very easily slide into depths of degrading sensualism, and be dead to all nobleness. Enterprise, love of stirring life, impatience of dull plodding, are natural to young lives. Unregulated, impulsive characters, who live for the moment, and are very sensitive to all material delights, have often an air of generosity and joviality which hides their essential baseness; for it is base to live for flesh, either in more refined or more frankly coarse forms. It is base to be incapable of seeing an inch beyond the present. It is base to despise any good that cannot minister to fleeting lusts or fleshly pleasures, and to say of high thought, of ideal aims of any sort, and most of all to say of religion, ‘What good will it do me?’ To estimate such precious things by the standard of gross utility is like weighing diamonds in grocers’ scales. They will do very well for sugar, but not for precious stones. The sacred things of life are not those which do what the Esaus recognise as ‘good.’ They have another purpose, and are valuable for other ends. Let us take heed, then, that we estimate things according to their true relative worth; that we live, not for to-day, but for eternity; and that we suppress all greedy cravings. If we do not, we shall be ‘profane’ persons like Esau, ‘who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 25:27-34
27When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; 30and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” 33And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Gen 25:27 “When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents” The focus of this passage is that they were very different in personality. Esau was content to be away from home; Jacob was content to be at home. Jacob is the one who fulfilled the normal expectations of a nomadic, patriarchal figure.
The term “peaceful” (NKJV “mild”; NRSV and TEV “quiet”) is actually “complete” (BDB 1020). Here, it seems to mean a complete, normal, or regular nomadic leader. The same ADJECTIVE is used to describe Job’s integrity (cf. Gen 1:1; Gen 1:8; Gen 2:3; Gen 8:20; Gen 9:20-22, also note Psa 37:37; Pro 29:10).
Gen 25:28 “Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game” Isaac was a quiet, peaceful individual and it may be that his son, Easu, was all that he was not. It is surprising that Esau was his favorite, when obviously he knew the divine word from Gen 25:23.
“but Rebekah loved Jacob” This favoritism is going to cause great problems in the family as it always does. But, it seems that Rebekah was trying to hold on to the divine promise of Gen 25:23.
Gen 25:29 One wonders if this event was premeditated and had been repeated. Was Jacob looking for an occasion like this? The use of the term “cooked” (lit. “boiled,” BDB 267, KB 268, Hiphil IMPERFECT) may be a hint. The term regularly means to presume to have rights that are not legally theirs (NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 1094).
Apparently this meal was prepared some distance away from the main campsite. The meal is called
1. “stew,” Gen 25:29, BDB 268, a boiled pot of beans, cf. 2Ki 4:38
2. “red stuff,” Gen 25:30, BDB 10
3. “lentil stew,” Gen 25:34, BDB 727, cf. 2Sa 17:28; 2Sa 23:11; Eze 4:9
Gen 25:30 “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished” This is a strong term for “eat.” It literally means “to gulp down” (BDB 542, KB 533, Hiphil IMPERATIVE). Surely, Esau was not at the point of starvation, but he was weary (BDB 746, cf. Deu 25:18; Jdg 8:4-5). This is the first of several clues which show that Esau was not a bad man, but a secular-minded man (see Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 347-348). The things of faith and the responsibilities of home life were simply not a concern to him.
Gen 25:31; Gen 25:33 Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright. . .first swear to me”
1. “sell,” BDB 569, KB 581, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. “swear,” BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal IMPERATIVE
It is obvious Jacob took advantage of Esau’s weakness. The question is, was it because of (1) the prophecy (cf. Gen 25:23), (2) the well being of the family, or (3) self interest?
Gen 25:32 “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me” This has been interpreted basically in three different ways: (1) an exaggeration; (2) that he really expected to die (BDB 559, KB 562, Qal INFINITIVE) at a young age; or (3) another example of his lack of concern for spiritual things. From the Nuzi Tablets of the same period we understand that the transfer of birthright was possible legally. We also see that it must have been a common occurrence because it is prohibited in Deu 21:15-17. Later, Reuben will be replaced by Judah. Jacob may have been following in an inappropriate way the divine command of Gen 25:23. It is hard to read the mind of Jacob in these accounts for he often comes across as a sincere but manipulative person.
Gen 25:34 This verse describing Esau’s actions may be a way of describing his solitary and anti-social personality.
1. “he ate,” BDB 37, KB 46, Qal IMPERFECT
2. “he drank,” BDB 1059, KB 1667, Qal IMPERFECT
3. “he rose,” BDB877, KB 1086, Qal IMPERFECT
4. “he went on his way,” BDB 229, KB 246, Qal IMPERFECT
5. “he despised his birthright,” BDB 102, KB 117, Qal IMPERFECT
“Thus Esau despised his birthright” The verb (BDB 102, KB 117, Qal IMPERFECT) denotes “to view as worthless” or even “view with contempt.” The rabbis depict Esau as a very evil person. Heb 12:16 shows him as being spiritually immature. He took his spiritual and family life lightly.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. What does Gen 25:8 say about the ancients’ view of death?
2. Why were so many of the patriarchs’ wives barren?
3. Why is Gen 25:23 so significant?
4. What is the popular etymology contained in Gen 25:25?
5. Can we know the psychological motives and characteristics of Esau and Jacob? How?
6. List the ways the book of Hebrews interprets this account in chapters 11 and 12.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
cunning = knowing or skilled in.
a man of the field. “The field is the world. “
plain = upright or pure. Job 1:1, Job 1:8; Job 2:3, &c.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a cunning: Gen 10:9, Gen 21:20, Gen 27:3-5, Gen 27:40
a plain man: Gen 6:9, Gen 28:10, Gen 28:11, Gen 31:39-41, Gen 46:34, Job 1:1, Job 1:8, Job 2:3, Psa 37:37
dwelling: Heb 11:9
Reciprocal: Gen 4:20 – dwell Gen 13:5 – tents Gen 25:23 – two manner Gen 27:12 – a deceiver Gen 34:13 – deceitfully Jer 35:6 – Ye shall Jer 35:7 – all Hos 12:9 – yet
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jacob, a Prince with God
Gen 25:27-34
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
Our study centers around Jacob, one of the ancient heroes of the faith.
1. Jacob was an Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was, in fact, the head of the Hebrew nation, because from his loins came the twelve sons whose families formed the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob was not only an Hebrew of the Hebrews in his headship of the nation, but he was an Hebrew of the Hebrews in the characteristics which unto this day dominate the race.
2. A Jew is a Jew. We just spoke of the fact that the characteristics of Jacob can be traced down through the ages, and be found to culminate in the Jews of this present hour. This is a matter worthy of pondering.
There is something about the Jew, beside his facial makeup, which tells us that he is a son of Abraham. There is an unchanging mode of action and sense of vision which distinguishes him from all other men.
3. A message for us. When we think of Jacob, we think of his dreams and visions and aspirations. We think of his yearnings for his father’s blessing, and for the coveted birthright. All of these things should spur us on to press toward the mark for the prize of our upcalling.
When we think of Jacob we think of the sorrows which followed him, and of the struggles which overtook him by the way. We are reminded of the nation of Israel that they too have known much of sorrow and much of sighing. During the centuries they have been driven from their homes, as Jacob was driven from his. They have often cried, as Jacob cried, “All these things are against me.” We, too, are children of sorrows, for in the world we have tribulation.
When we think of Jacob we think of a man guarded and guided by Jehovah. The God of his fathers led him in the way. He guided him, and brought him through many dangers, trials and tears, into ultimate and glorious triumph. God is now leading His people Israel, and He will lead them on until, in the triumphs of His grace, He brings them back and restores them.
4. A man loved of God. The Bible says, “Jacob have I loved.” We know that he had his faults, but God loved him. God loved Jacob before he was born, and He loves him still. The Children of Israel are pre-eminently a people of God’s love. He chose them out of the nations, and He set His love upon them. He loved them, not because they were more in number than any other people, but because He loved them.
I. THE PURCHASE OF THE BIRTHRIGHT (Gen 25:33)
1. A contrast in two boys. Jacob and Esau were twins, and yet how different they were in many ways! Jacob was smooth and ruddy of appearance, Esau was rough and hairy. Esau was a man of brawn who loved the wilds of the woods and delighted in the open air, the fields, and the chase. Jacob was a man who loved the indoors: he was, no doubt, slighter in build, and more retiring in disposition. In the sports of youth in which most boys delight, Esau would have led the way.
Perhaps, the most striking contrast in the two men was in their character. Esau lived for the carnal, desiring to satisfy his earthly appetite; Jacob lived for the spiritual, desiring to inherit the promises.
2. The meaning of the birthright. Esau came first into the light of day, and Jacob followed almost immediately after. The few moments of time, however, which elapsed in the birth of the two boys, gave Esau the claim to the birthright.
In the case of Esau and Jacob, the birthright meant more than the primal heir to Isaac’s fortune. It meant more than inheriting the place of authority and headship, the one over the other. The birthright was preeminently a spiritual heritage, carrying with it the privileges of the line of descent to “the seed of the woman who was to bruise the serpent’s head.” That “line” in One destined to set up the Millennial Kingdom, reigning on David’s throne.
3. The birthright despised. Esau, coming in hungry from the hunt and smelling the pottage which his brother Jacob had cooked, sold his birthright to appease his carnal appetite.
Jacob, quick to see his opportunity, proposed to buy Esau’s birthright. Esau, crying out that he was ready to die, said, “What profit shall this birthright do to me?” He sold out cheap. Jacob realizing the eternal values at stake was happy to give the paltry temporals for the priceless and eternal spirituals.
II. THE TRICKERY OF JACOB (Gen 27:6-7)
1. Isaac getting old. We are almost sorry as we think of Isaac in his old age. He seems to have lost much of the spiritual vision that marked his younger life. We remember how he once went as “a lamb to the slaughter” with undaunted faith and courage.
The time had come for Isaac to make his last will and testament, and to hand down his blessing to his sons. That blessing would naturally fall to Esau. Jacob, and Rebekah the mother of Jacob, both were fearful lest Isaac should pass and pledge his blessing to Esau.
2. Rebekah’s scheming. Rebekah was partial to Jacob. She knew a mother’s love, and she was determined at any cost to make her favorite son the heir of his father. In this Rebekah failed to believe God, and to trust God to work out His purpose and His plan.
Reckless of consequences, she took matters into her own hands, and, calling her son, she told him how he might steal from Esau the blessing. While Rebekah was altogether wrong in her trickery, yet we can but admire her self-sacrifice in behalf of the one she loved. From that day she was robbed of the very one for whom she cared: inasmuch as Jacob was soon forced to flee from the wrath of Esau, and his mother never saw him again.
3. The entangling web. When Jacob, dressed in skins, approached his father, he did not know to what extent his deception would lead. He not only acted out a falsehood, but he told a positive untruth. He said, “I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: * * eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.” Not alone did Jacob lie, but he dragged the Name of the Lord his God into his deception. He said in answer to Isaac’s query as to how he found the venison so quickly, “The Lord thy God brought it to me.”
III. THE RESULTS OF RUNNING AHEAD OF GOD (Gen 27:43)
1. Esau’s wrath. When Esau heard that Isaac had blessed Jacob, he wept sore. He found, however, no place of repentance with his father. The aged Isaac knew that he had been deceived by Jacob, and yet, realizing that God had spoken, he dared not change his blessing. From that day Esau hated Jacob and took an oath to slay him.
2. Sending Jacob away. When the mother saw what she had done, and that her son’s wrath was so intense, she urged Jacob to depart to a place of safety. She assured herself that Esau, who was of a fiery disposition, would soon pass over his period of wrath and be willing for Jacob to return. Thus, under the plea of departing to get a wife, she obtained Isaac’s command for Jacob to go.
3. A mother’s sorrow. Many years passed by in a fruitless yearning for her boy. Jacob was far away serving Laban. Jacob, also, yearned for his mother, but he never saw her again.
As we read the story in Genesis, we readily agree that God purposed that Jacob should receive the blessing; and yet, we cannot but know that Jacob would have obtained a fuller blessing under God’s own guiding hand, had he and his mother kept their hands off, and allowed God to work out His own plan.
IV. THE HEAVENLY LADDER (Gen 28:11-12)
1. A vision. Jacob was wearied and worn. He was also borne down by a sense of loneliness and of fear. Jacob hurried away, he knew not at what moment Esau might pounce upon him.
Jacob was standing now upon his own dependency. Heretofore, he had been under the guide and instruction of his father, and of his mother. Now thrust upon his own resources, he was forced suddenly to face his responsibilities alone. It was then that God drew near to Jacob, and Jacob saw a ladder reaching from earth to Heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it.
2. A voice. As Jacob marveled at the vision, God spoke to him, saying, “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father * * the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed.” Thus did God encourage Jacob and promise to go with him, and to keep him and to bring him again into the land.
It is in the time of need that Christ comes to us. Upon the troubled waters that smote the ship, the Lord came walking to His own. He still comes. He comes, saying, “It is I; be not afraid.”
3. A vow. When Jacob had awakened out of sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” He saw that far from home and human friends he was still in the house of God, and at the gate of Heaven. Then Jacob arose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had used for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it, and he called the name of that place, “Bethel.” Then he vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, * * then shall the Lord be my God: * * and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.”
V. AN ANCIENT LOVE STORY (Gen 29:18)
1. A genuine love. Our verse tells us, “And Jacob loved Rachel.” This love was real. It was Heaven-planned and Heaven-blessed.
2. A love in the Lord. To be unequally yoked, can spell nothing but disaster. God does not sanction the marriage of a Christian to a non-Christian, “Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.” Such an unholy alliance will only turn the hearts of God’s children away from following after Him.
3. A love of sacrifice. Jacob was willing to serve seven years for Rachel. How remarkable does the Scripture read, when it says that those seven years “seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her”!
Love makes work light. No task is too great, ho sacrifice too strong for a pure and holy love. There is Another whom we love:
VI. WRESTLING WITH AN ANGEL (Gen 32:24)
1. The fears of the flesh. Years have passed by since Jacob left his home.
At last, however, Jacob turned his face toward home. As he went along the way, he went with fear. The wrath of Esau had not worried him during the years of his absence, but now, that he was returning to take his place at the head of his father’s house, the fuller meaning of his birthright lay before him, and as he thought upon it once more, the old-time dread of Esau bore down upon him.
2. The wrestling of the angel. As he went along the way Jacob rose up and went by night over the brook, and he was there alone. It was then that there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. Jacob had not yet come to the end of himself, and God was meeting him in order to crush out his self-life. As God’s ambassador strove with Jacob, Jacob resisted with all the vigor of his being.
3. The coveted blessing. Finally, the angel touched Jacob’s thigh and the sinew shrank. From that hour Jacob halted upon his thigh. It is useless to cavil and to argue that the Lord’s wrestling with Jacob was a spiritual one. Not so. The Lord came in physical form and wrestled with a physical man. Jacob’s thigh literally was touched. Unto this day the Israelites commemorate that act as a physical fact, and refrain from eating from that part of the animal which stands for the sinew which shrank.
It was when Jacob, weakened, ceased struggling and began only to cling, that the Lord said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” It is when we cling, and not when we strive, that God will bless us even as He blessed Jacob there.
VII. IN THE SHADOWS (Gen 47:9)
When the aged Jacob stood before Pharaoh, he said, “Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.” Jacob had been a man of many sorrows. Struggles had beset him by the way, but when the Lord had tried him, he came forth as gold.
1. There was the news of his mother’s death. That had come to him from across the plains. Jacob loved his mother, and yet now, she was gone, and he could see her no more.
2. There was the death of Rachel. The one whom Jacob had loved, and with whom he had walked so many years, had gone. Unto this day travelers step aside to shed a tear at the tomb of Rachel.
3. There was the supposed, death of Joseph. The three dearest to the heart of Jacob were torn away, one at a time. When the brothers brought to their father the news that Joseph was dead, and when they showed him the coat of many colors all stained with blood, then the grief of Jacob knew no bounds. He fully believed that the son of his love had perished. The Bible says, “He refused to be comforted; and said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.”
4. There was the death of Isaac. When Isaac died and was gathered unto his people, then Esau came to his burial; Jacob, too, was there. How different the men appeared! Esau, the mighty, the man proud of his rank; and Jacob, the humble, limping, broken, and stricken son. That day Jacob felt indeed bereaved, and doubtless he said, “Ye will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave.”
As we think of Jacob’s sorrows, we must not wrongly judge him. He was a mighty man of God. His sorrows only perfected him, as a prince of the Highest.
AN ILLUSTRATION
RIPENING CORN
Jacob became a “prince with God” through many a trying experience.
“‘Before corn be ripened it needeth all kinds of weather. The husbandman is glad of showers as well as sunshine; rainy weather is troublesome, but sometimes the season requireth it.’ Even so the various conditions of man’s life are needful to ripen him for the life to come. Sorrows and joys, depressions and exhilarations, have all their part to play in the completion of Christian character. Were one grief of a believer’s career omitted, it may be he would never be prepared for Heaven: the slightest change might mar the ultimate result God, who knows best how to ripen both corn and men, ordereth all things according to the counsel of His will, and it is our wisdom to believe in the infallible prudence which arranges ail the details of a believing life. ‘All things work together for good.'”
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
Gen 25:27. Jacob was a plain man This probably means, that he was of a mild and gentle nature, of a contemplative turn of mind, and delighting in a pastoral life.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2. The sale of the birthright 25:27-34
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Abraham died when the twins were 15 (Gen 25:7), so they grew up knowing their grandfather and undoubtedly hearing his stories of God’s promises to their family. Esau became a nomadic hunter, but Jacob remained in his tents.
". . . they became the personification of the two different ways of life which would have been typical for Palestine at this period of history: that of hunter and nomad (Esau) and that of shepherd and semi-nomad (Jacob) . . . Esau is described as a ’skilled hunter,’ ’a man of the outdoors;’ Jacob, on the other hand, is portrayed as ’a simple man,’ one ’remaining in his tents,’ that is, a man of stable life in contrast to the rootless life of the nomad." [Note: Donald B. Sharp, "In Defense of Rebecca," Biblical Theology Bulletin 10:4 (October 1980):165.]
"The two characters are utter opposites, as the two nations will eventually be." [Note: Kidner, p. 152.]
The Hebrew word tam, translated "plain," probably means civilized and domesticated, a homebody. [Note: Hamilton, The Book . . . Chapters 18-50, p. 181. Cf. Nichol, 1:369; and Carl D. Evans, "The Patriarch Jacob-An ’Innocent Man,’" Bible Review 2:1 (Spring 1985):32-37.] Translators have rendered it "perfect" and "blameless" elsewhere (Job 1:1; Job 1:8; Job 8:20; Psa 37:37; Pro 29:10). It may imply a quiet, self-contained, detached person, complete in himself. [Note: Wenham, Genesis 16-50, p. 177.] The NET Bible translators translated it "even-tempered."
"Descriptions of Jacob’s early life in the Scriptures paint an interpersonal portrait of a highly narcissistic individual who grew up in a family of origin ripe for producing such pathology." [Note: Vance L. Shepperson, "Jacob’s Journey: From Narcissism Toward Wholeness," Journal of Psychology and Theology 12:3 (1984):180.]
Adam failed in eating, Noah in drinking, and Isaac in tasting. Isaac became a gourmand, one who loves certain types of food.
"A marriage made in heaven (see Gen 24:1-67) can end in dysfunction when a spouse gives priority to taste in the mouth over a voice in the heart (see Gen 26:35)." [Note: Waltke, Genesis, p. 363.]