I’ll tell you, I really like the picture on the cover of the bulletin this morning but not just because of the story it represents. You see, it’s a drawing of two brothers; therefore, it kind of reminds me of my brother and me. Of course, if this represents Gary and I, I would definitely be the one on the right, but only in my dreams. No, I’m the little guy on the left, because as the world knows, my brother is taller and bigger and certainly better looking than me. As a matter of fact, he even has hair like the guy on the right. That’s Gary. And you know, this is something I’ve been aware of my whole life. I remember, back at least forty years ago, when we were leaving church one Sunday morning, Mrs. Gaddrow, a little bitty Brazilian woman, came up to us as we were walking down the hall side by side. And with a thick Portuguese accent she said, “Gary, you’re so beautiful. You have such beautiful eyes and skin and hair and on and on and on.” And then she looked at me standing there, and her face kind of dropped, because she knew she had to say something good about me, right? And so she said, “And Eddie, you have nice teeth.” Nice teeth, that was it. And you know something, these teeth are the result of about $1,000 worth of dental work. Before braces, I had a mouth like Quasimodo and not the cute one in the cartoon. Now that was my life.
And I’ll tell you, looking back, sometimes I used to wonder why God had done this. I mean, I loved my brother then and I love him now and for me to be beautiful might be a real challenge, even for God. Still, I would have liked to have had nice eyes and nice skin and nice hair, along with my orthodontically engineered teeth. Now, that would have been nice, and maybe, when I have the chance some time in the future, I might ask God why he didn’t do it. But in the meantime, I’ve got to accept the fact that I’m the one on the left.
And I’ll tell you, this is what we’ll be talking about this morning, you know, how we can deal with situations when the world just doesn’t seem to be going in the direction we think it should and we’re left wondering why. And to do that, we’re going to look at our sixth story about the Patriarchs found in Genesis. Of course, to this point, we’ve already talked a lot about Abraham, you know, like how the Lord chose him and how God promised him and Sarah a son. And then we considered how Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away and how the Lord tested Abraham up there on a mountain. And then, last week, we discussed everything that happened when Abraham sent out his servant to find Isaac, Abraham’s son and the next patriarch, a wife. Now, in the last five weeks, we’ve covered all those stories, and if you’re interested, you can find them all on the Sligo Presbyterian Church Facebook page, our Youtube channel or posted in our church blog, the addresses of which are in the bulletin.
And this morning, we’re going to consider our next story about the Patriarchs, this one dealing with the two brothers pictured on the cover of the bulletin: Jacob and Esau. And even though we’re going to do what we’ve done before, you know, to look at the story from Genesis and apply it to ourselves, we’re going to do three things today that are a little bit different. I mean, first, instead of looking at the whole story and then applying it to ourselves, this morning we’re going to break it down into three parts, with each one focused on something about God that might help us when we’re kind of confused about why certain things seem to be happening. That’s one. And second, in the last part, we’re going to move away from what’s written in Genesis and consider a passage from the Apostle Paul in which he uses this story to make a point. That’s two. And third, we’re going to read from both the
Contemporary English translation of the Bible as well as the
New Revised Standard. And I’ll tell you why. Although I really like the
Contemporary English because it’s a good translation and easy to read and understand, in a couple of the passages we’ll look at, the
New Revised Standard is closer to the original Hebrew and Greek in a way that, I think, makes a difference. Now that’s how we’re going to approach this story of Jacob and Esau.
And so, with that in mind, let’s look at what happened in Genesis. I mean, just listen to how this story about these two brothers begins:
Isaac was the son of Abraham, and he was 40 years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel. She was also the sister of Laban, the Aramean from northern Syria.
Almost 20 years later, Rebekah still had no children. So Isaac asked the Lord to let her have a child, and the Lord answered his prayer.
Before Rebekah gave birth, she knew she was going to have twins, because she could feel them inside her, fighting each other. She thought, “Why is this happening to me?” Finally, she asked the Lord why her twins were fighting, and he told her:
“Your two sons will become
two separate nations.
The younger of the two
will be stronger,
and the older son
will be his servant.”
When Rebekah gave birth, the first baby was covered with red hair, so he was named Esau. The second baby grabbed on to his brother's heel, so they named him Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when they were born. [Genesis 25:19-26, CEV]
Now, that was what happened, and I think this first part of the story shows us that God is in control. I mean, not only did he did he answer Isaac’s prayer for a child and in particular a son after he and Rebekah had been childless for forty years, in other words, not only did God do for them the same kind of thing he’d done for his mom and dad, you know, Sarah and Abraham, not only did God do that, before they were even born, he also told Rebekah how her twin boys would relate to one another, didn’t he: The younger would be stronger, and the older would be his servant. Of course, when the Prophet Malachi wrote about what happened here, he said the status of the two boys was even deeper than what we read in Genesis. You see, this was what he said, and I’m reading it from the New Revised Standard Version:
“I have loved you,” says the Lord.
But you say, “How have you loved us?”
“Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” says the Lord.
“Yet I have loved Jacob,
but I have hated Esau;
I have made his hill country a desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals.” [Malachi 1:2-3, NRSVUE]
Now that was what the last prophet recorded in the Old Testament said. And file these words away, because you’re going to hear them again.
And you know, even if we might question whether or not this was fair, there’s no question who was in control. It wasn’t Isaac. And it wasn’t Rebekah. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t even Jacob and Esau. No, God was in control. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something we need to remember every time we’re confused by a world that seems to be going crazy and things are happening that we can’t understand, much less explain. In other words, every time we look at what’s going on and find ourselves asking “why this,” “why now,” “why me,” I think we need to remember that, even if we don’t have a clue, God is still in control. And I think that’s the first thing we can learn about God from this story. But of course, that’s not all.
Because, second, as we move forward, I think we learn something else about God that’s also important, especially when we’re confused by what’s going on. Now, remember what we just read: Rebekah was told that the older would serve the younger, because, using the words of Malachi, the Lord loved Jacob and hated Esau. And because of that, we also know that, of the two, Jacob is going to come out on top. And so knowing that, just listen to how the story continues:
Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom. [which, in Hebrew, sounds like the word “red.”]) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. [Genesis 25:29-34, CEV]
Now that’s what happened in the second part of the story, and I think it shows us that God has a plan, one that’s working itself out in ways that are unexpected and may even seem a little arbitrary. Let me explain. Remember how the main reason Abraham needed to get his son and Isaac’s half brother out of town was because, if he didn’t, they both would have a right to a share of the inheritance, something that would be impossible if Isaac was going to be the only one to carry the promise. Well, the same thing is happening here. You see, for Jacob to receive the whole inheritance, he would need to get the birthright from his brother, which he did. Of course, this really isn’t a surprise, because we know what Rebekah knew, that according to God, Jacob was going to be the one to carry the promise and not his older, bigger, better looking, more athletic, beautiful brother. In other words, when Jacob was able to buy Esau’s birthright for a bowl of red stuff, God’s plan was working itself out, wasn’t it? And I’ll tell you, the same thing’s going to happen a little later when Rebekah and Jacob pull a fast one on poor, old, blind Isaac and steal the blessing that Esau should have received because he was the oldest son. I’ll tell you, regardless of how we may feel about what happened or about the character of Jacob, God certainly had a plan, and it was accomplished in a very questionable way by some very flawed people.
And you know, I think that’s something we need to remember too, especially when we see some ethically challenged people throwing around all kinds of weight and enjoying all kinds of success, while good, solid, moral men and women seem nowhere to be found. Good night nurse, as a Christian, when we see this sort of stuff happening, man, that’s really confusing. But instead of just throwing up our hands or hiding behind stained glass, I believe it’s crucially important for us to remember that, if God can work out his intentions through the likes of Jacob, man, he can do it through anybody and he’s going to do it whether they know it or not. You see, in spite of rumors to the contrary, God still has a plan, and I think that’s the second thing this story can teach us about God.
But you know, before we go to the third point, I think we need to pause for just a minute, because I’ve got to tell you, even though it may show us two qualities about God that might help us when we’re confused, frankly, I’m really uncomfortable with this Jacob and Esau story. It just doesn’t seem fair, does it? For example, even though I understand that choosing to bless one and not the other shows that God is in control, it just doesn’t seem like a fair thing to do; especially when you start talking about loving one and hating the other. And given the fact that in our passage and beyond, Jacob proved to be a pretty sketchy person, it sure doesn’t seem fair that God is using him to accomplish his plan and that he’s the one blessed rather than his older brother whose biggest flaw may have involved loving red stuff too much. You see, even though it might help us better understand God, for me personally, it’s really hard to get past what looks like blatant and undeserved favoritism. I mean, if this reflects God’s justice, I have a problem. And frankly, I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way.
But I’ll tell you, because of that, it’s right here where I think we need to read a third passage related to this story, one that I believe will ease some of our discomfort while also helping with some of our confusion. But like I said a little while ago, this one isn’t from Genesis. Instead, it was written by the Apostle Paul to the Romans. Just listen to what he said, and again, I’m reading this from the
New Revised Standard and before he wrote this, he was talking about what God had done for Abraham and Sarah:
Nor is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac: even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose of election might continue, not by works but by his call) she was told, “The elder shall serve the younger.” As it is written,
“I have loved Jacob,
but I have hated Esau.”
What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
So it depends not on human will or exertion but on God who shows mercy. [Romans 9:10-16, NRSVUE]
Now that’s what Paul wrote. And I don’t know about y’all, I’m kind of glad that Paul understood what I was feeling. I mean, when I think about how God chose one brother over the other and he did it without considering any good they’d done or would do, that really seems unfair and unjust, something we’ve just been talking about. But for Paul, before we make that judgement, we need to consider God’s intention. And I’ll tell you, that intention was expressed in what God said to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” [Romans 9:15b, NRSVUE]
Now I think this is really important. God didn’t say, on one hand, I show mercy and compassion on those I’ve decided to love, but on the other hand, I show anger and wrath on those I don’t. That’s not what he said. Rather, for God, it’s all about mercy and compassion. As a matter of fact, I think it’s a lot like what Jesus said to Nicodemas:
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! [John 3:16-17, CEV]
You see, this is the intention of God: mercy and compassion for his creation, mercy and compassion for his children, mercy and compassion for us. That’s it. And you know, when you look at it this way and accept that his intention for creation never changes, God chose Jacob rather than Esau before either had done anything, in order to show mercy and compassion to Esau and to his children. How? Because it was through Jacob that God’s son and our savior entered the world. And I’ll tell you, that’s something else we need to remember. You see even though we may not understand it, God’s intention is always mercy and compassion. And that’s the third thing the story of Jacob and Esau can teach us about God.
Now, last Sunday, when I was talking to my dad, he said something that really brought back some uncomfortable memories. You see, since my mom passed about five years ago, some of the widow ladies in my dad’s church have been making him supper from time to time. In fact, this one woman has been bringing dad about one meal a week. Well, during our conversation, he told me that she’s started to cook for my single brother as well. And as he was telling me this, he said, “Well, you know Dee thinks Gary’s a real hunk.” I’m sixty-six and he’s fifty-nine, and yet some things never change.
But you know, as it relates to the story of two other brothers we find in Genesis, well that can certainly change our understanding of God. I mean, thanks two these two sons of Isaac and Rebekah, when we’re confused by what’s going on in our world, we can remember that God is in control. And when we’re confused by how he could allow certain things to happen and why certain very flawed people are so successful, we can remember that God has a plan. And when we’re confused about whether that control and that plan has any purpose at all, we can remember that God’s intention is always mercy and compassion. Now, I think we can believe this about God, because we know the story of Jacob and Esau.
