She groaned. It was as though the twins within her were jockying for position. Her nights were sleepless. Even her servant girls could not comfort her with pillows, potions and warm concoctions. There was a war going on within her and she was concerned that she would be the next victim in this eternal fight.
It grew worse as the days grew shorter. In desperation, she cried out to God for help.
"Oh God, what is going on within me? I cannot bear this pain any more. Just kill me or save me. One or the other right now!"
She heard that voice she knew so well breathe within her as he assured her there was nothing to fear. For within her growing and wrangling were two nations. Two nations where the younger would rule the elder. The fight, he said, would extend beyond the womb.
Her days soon came to an end and she bore two baby boys. The elder, covered in hair and red...the younger was born holding onto the heel of the first.
As is in many families the first born who was a hunter became the favorite of the father, while the younger became the favorite of the mother. The story is familiar.
There came a day when this mother and her younger son orchestrated a deception to take the first-born blessing from the elder who had already sold his birthright to his brother for a pot of stew. Using the failing eyesight of the father to his advantage, the younger was passed off as the elder and received the elder blessing. When the oldest brother came in to his father for the blessings (to become head of the tribe) all he received was word that he would be a servant to the younger.
If we took this story into our day and time, the fact that they were "attached" coming out would give creedence to a joint headship. But not so in a time where first was first and words had weight and what was said was firm and binding.
The rest of the story is filled with more drama than any daytime soap opera and can be read in the book of Genesis.
As I was reading this story this morning, I had compassion on Esau, the elder brother for he wept bitterly when he went into his father for a blessing. "Not fair" rings out when reading this story, but he HAD despised his birthright according to scripture and Jacob desired to have the blessing of the first born and the blessing of the father more than Esau.
Here was Esau, his daddy's favorite. Day in and day out I am sure the talk from Isaac was about what a great hunter Esau was and what a great Man's Man he turned out to be. For Jacob, who was not the hairy hunter type, the desire to have his father love him in the same manner he loved Esau grew stronger each day.
Esau knew he was Daddy's favorite and the fact he had sold his birthright to his brother was a deal made in private between the two brothers...not between he and his father. So, in essence, Esau would not have to live up to his word because there were no witnesses...or were there.
I thought about my own words and how glibly I have made promises and said words I didn't really mean, not realizing that my witness to each promise and word is my Father. To become so accustomed to just saying whatever meets my needs in the circumstance is not right. To realize that my word, my promises have weight and are not ordinary and light is important.
Perhaps, part of the lesson in this story of two brothers is understanding that our words will have a bearing on the rest of our lives even if they are whispered under our breath away from the listening ears of others. The God of covenant and promise will always hear even if no one else does and it is He, I desire to please...hopefully above myself.
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