Genesis 27:30-38

2008.Sep.12 18:00

Esau’s Complaint

Read Genesis 27:30-38 | Full Chapter

Right after Isaac had given Jacob his blessing and Jacob had gone, Esau came back from hunting. He cooked the tasty food, brought it to his father, and said, "Father, please sit up and eat the meat I have brought you, so you can give me your blessing." "Who are you?" Isaac asked. "I am Esau, your first-born son." Isaac started trembling and said, "Then who brought me some wild meat right before you came in? I ate it and gave him a blessing that cannot be taken back." Esau cried loudly and begged, "Father, give me a blessing too!" Isaac answered, "Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing." Esau replied, "My brother deserves the name Jacob, because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing." Then Esau asked his father, "Don't you still have any blessing left for me?" "My son," Isaac answered, "I have made Jacob the ruler over you and your brothers, and all of you will be his servants. I have also promised him all the grain and grapes that he needs. There's nothing left that I can do for you." "Father," Esau asked, "don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!" Then Esau started crying again.
(Genesis 27:30-38, CEV)

Is Esau really surprised by Jacob’s actions? It strikes me as odd that he would not have anticipated this, but then, maybe Jacob only cheated his brother these two times; maybe this wasn’t so obvious as it is in hindsight.

Esau’s response is to whine, more or less. He has a justifiable complaint against his younger brother, but he doesn’t take responsibility for at least his part in the first deal. After all, while Jacob may well have thought through how to get Esau’s birthright, Esau did make the decision to sell it. So, between Esau’s whining and Jacob’s clear deception in this case, I can’t say I feel sympathy for either. Indeed, in the whole story, I maybe feel sorry for Isaac, although it’s a “I’m not impressed with you talents of deduction” sorry. Unless, as I pondered earlier, he was party to the deception.

It’s worth noting that God’s blessings don’t work like Isaac’s in this story. Yahweh is not limited to only giving a good blessing to one of his children. Indeed, the blessings he offers every person are astounding, and they don’t work on a first-come, first-serve basis (a fact which some long-time Christians should note).

But, then, this particular verbal blessing is something of an exception even in Esau’s life with respect to what his father gives him. He’s the firstborn son in a very wealthy family. That he marries at least two women, disregarding for the moment the morality of polygamy, is at least an indication of his own wealth and success. So, maybe he just needs to quit whining, eh?