The Tale of Two Brothers
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jul 1, 2023
- 2 min read
For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Romans 9:9-13)
Now, if you don’t read Romans 9:9-13 in context, it sounds as though God chose one child to be born to be evil and one child to be born good. That’s not what it says. God does not create evil; the devil takes what God creates and turns it evil. Paul was addressing the issue of the traditional rights of the firstborn, and that God doesn’t always follow them! For example, Isaac was not Abraham’s firstborn, but he received the inheritance. The same pattern repeated with Isaac’s sons. Esau was the firstborn, but Jacob got the birthright.
Paul quoted Genesis 25:23, where God said He loved Jacob but hated Esau. Esau sold his birthright for a little cup of soup; he let his flesh lead him and didn’t respect his birthright or God’s ways.
Esau’s family became the Edomites; they were also called the Idumaeans. They worshipped a fertility god, not the God of all creation. The Edomites hated Jacob’s descendants, the Jews, and attacked them repeatedly. They wouldn’t allow them to pass through their land when they made their way out of the slavery of Egypt.
Esau and Jacob were twin brothers, but they were completely opposite. One believed God and the other didn’t. One would serve the true and living God and the other wouldn’t. For years, two lines of descendants created two nations. Jacob’s line, Israel, still exists today, but the Edomite line completely disappeared.
Practical Application
Be like Jacob. Don’t let your flesh control you; it will lead you away from God, the way Esau lost his birthright!
