Double Trouble

“Isaac…loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”    Genesis 25:28

The Battle of the Boys began as babies.  The twins wrestled in the womb and wrangled during birth as Jacob arrived grasping his brother’s heel in an effort to slingshot his way to the front.  But Esau was the firstborn, a position which carried great privilege—Dad’s big blessing for life and double bounty at his death.

As the boys became men, the match continued with the parents picking sides.  Connected by their passion for the outdoors, Papa Isaac preferred the rowdy Esau.  Mom Rebekah was biased to baby Jacob.  Quiet and kind, he hung around the house, helping with the domestic duties. “Isaac…loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”  And trouble was brewing.

It showed up first in a soup cauldron.  Esau, starving after a futile hunting trip, swapped his birthright for a bowl of Jacob’s stew.  In a moment of weakness, he gave away his legacy and gobbled the lentils.

The problems reappeared on a platter. Isaac, old and blind, wished to bless his oldest before he was buried.  He rang for Esau and requested a wild game dinner for the occasion.  Rebekah overheard the opportunity and wanted the best for her beloved.  While Esau stalked, Jacob schemed.  Dressed in his brother’s clothes for smell, with his hands and neck covered in goat hair for feel, Jacob served Dad a deceitful dinner and stole the special blessing.  

 

Enraged at the ruse, Esau made plans to murder his brother after he mourned for his father. 

Homebody Jacob had to run for his life and didn’t return for twenty years.

And nobody won the war.

Favoritism and fraud fare no one—especially families—well.  Deceit never wins the day and neither does a double-standard.  Our love can be expressed differently but should always be shared equally.

Be fair and don’t be false.  Your home shouldn’t be a combat zone.