What is really going on in the story of Jacob and Esau, and selling a birthright for a bowl of soup?
QUESTION:
What is the meta narrative behind Jacob stealing Esau’s birthright and blessing through deception? (Gen 25:35-36). How does Jacob’s “deception and trickery” inform us about God or Christ? (In other words, what’s the deeper point of that story?)
ANSWER:
This story is one of those that just makes me smile about God’s character and how he works. Understanding the application requires some serious context study. It’s a great example of a story that totally gets robbed of it’s meaning because folks typically just parachute in the middle of the story and don’t set the scene or backdrop in their minds before grabbing on to application. This is WAY easier to explain in person, but let me try to jot down some bread crumbs for you to follow to your own revelation:
Backdrop historically: Isaac (Abrahams son) has a promise from God that he will inherit the land that God has him in someday for eternity. However, they the whole is in a huge famine and drought.
One chapter earlier you can see that Isaac decided to plant crops to try (Presumably under God’s direction) and he is able to keep is flocks alive and feed his family with a huge harvest. It freaked everyone around out. (very similar to Noah)
Esau: Chose to become a farmer, unlike his Dad - a nomad. This indicated his view of God’s ability to make good on his promises. (FAITH) There are indications along the way since his birth to indicate that Esau was not able to see past the here and now and place his stake in God’s promises. He saw his father as a fool for staying in the land despite the famine. Everyone else had moved away so to speak, but they stayed because of God. SO… Esaus view of his fathers land was pretty much valued at $0.00. He was the first born, so he was supposed to receive the birthright. However, God told Rebekah that Jacob would be the one who receives it. So we are caught in the middle of the story (told by Moses) anxious to see how God will work this out to happen despite ALL indications that Esau would, of course be the one to inherit. Esau was the father of a nation just like Jacob. He was the the founder of the Edomites (word comes from the name of the soup Jacob gave him… and later became his disgrace). Edom was a nation that plagued Israel in later years and was finally judged by God (Obadiah 1:1-21)
Jacob: you also see a the story start to unfold and expose Jacobs take on the land and God’s promises. Jacob knows better… he actually has extreme faith that the land that God was talking about in the covenant with his fathers fathers was to be a land that comes on this earth AFTER Christ’s 2nd coming and reign. This land will of course be the land that will be ground zero for Jesus’ actual throne and the place where all of Israel will be given like he promised. Jacob = faith - Esau = no faith
The bowl of soup: it’s called “Adom Edom” which translates in english “red red”.
The soup was certainly not the only source of food in the camp. I’ll leave you to figure that one out
Jacob essentially knew that Esau would forfeit his birthright (legally) for an earthly temporary pleasure because he literally thought of it as worthless. “What good is it to me when i’m dead”. He was looking for God to make him prosperous in THIS life. He was not interested in anything to come.
We see this story being just one in a dozen others reflecting or foreshadowing the coming messiah who would solidify our birthrights/inheritance post this life in new bodies and repurposed land.
“Trickery” is an interesting word, but I don’t know if that’s the word I would use because there was no indication in the test that Esau felt like he got the bad end of the deal ever or ever felt “tricked”. He ate, and got up and walked away. I would use the word “Cunning”. Jacob pre-mediated his move to keep hold of God’s promises and keep it in the family.