The characters of Jacob and Esau were entirely different. Esau was a skilful hunter and man of the field. Generous and warm-hearted, he attracts our sympathy. He cared only for the pleasures of the moment; was worldly, irreligious, indifferent to parents' wishes, uninterested in the Divine Covenant and unmindful of its privileges and responsibilities. Heb. 12.16 says he was profane and Weymouth renders this 'ungodly'. Esau was the favourite with Isaac.

Jacob was 'mother's darling '. He stayed at home, followed domestic occupations and busied himself with flocks and cattle. His interests centred in his home. Although crafty, subtle, mean and deceitful he showed strength of character, patient endurance and warmth of affection. Long years of discipline and suffering were needed to purify him and make him worthy of the Divine Covenant and Blessing and to turn him from a schemer into a saint. He believed in and sought after his father's God and held spiritual things in reverence. At Bethel, Haran and Penuel he showed his conviction that God was with him to guide and bless. He conquered himself at last and proved himself a "Prince with God".

Esau was in some respects the better man; a fine country gentleman popular with all. But he never prayed. He was a secular soul who never built an altar and never felt the need of one. He was just a man of the world. Jacob on the other hand was a bargainer and incites our contempt, but he had a redeeming feature; deep down in that clever calculating heart there was devotion. Wherever he went he seems to have built an altar and prayed to God. The result was that Jacob grew finer and better while Esau grew coarser and sank into obscurity. Jacob became one of the outstanding figures in Jewish history. The passion for spiritual things proved to be Jacob's salvation. All lives to be successful must be lives of one desire; the greatest desire of all is worship and service.

One day, weary after the chase and faint with hunger, Esau found Jacob preparing a pottage of lentils. He cried, "Give me a helping of that red broth". The verb expresses extreme eagerness (Gen. 25.30 REB). Verse 34 says, "he ate and drank and went his way; Esau showed by this how little he valued his birthright ". These words describe graphically Esau's complete indifference to spiritual privileges. There was no regret, no sad feeling that he had prolonged his life at too high a cost. If Jacob was cunning and mean in taking advantage still it must be said he valued the privileges which Esau despised.

God had marked out Jacob as the heir to the promises but Isaac struggled against God's will and his assent was obtained by craft. Is there any excuse for Jacob's subtlety? Jacob sought no earthly good; it was not the elder brother's share of the father's wealth that he wanted. All that was Isaac's he resigned to Esau and went away penniless. But Rebekah and Jacob should have trusted God to bring about what He had predetermined. Had Rebekah's faith been pure and exalted she would have known that God would somehow fulfil His word without her help, but the fault began with Isaac and Rebekah probably considered she was preventing a grievous wrong.

In order to obtain Isaac's blessing Jacob impersonated Esau, but he did not keep up his acting well for when Isaac asked how he had obtained the venison so quickly he replied, "Because the Lord your God put it in my way". It was not Esau's character to see anything providential in his success in hunting and this as well as the short delay, may have aroused Isaac's suspicions.

When, later, Esau revealed what Jacob had done, we read (Gen. 27.33), Isaac was "greatly agitated. ". This was not mere vexation at having been deceived but he felt he had been resisting God. He persisted no longer in his sin; acknowledging the Divine purpose he had no word of blame for Rebekah and Jacob but confirmed to him the blessing.

"He is not called Jacob for nothing. said Esau, This is the second time he has supplanted me" and in thus playing upon his brother's name Esau has had a lasting revenge, for the bad sense which he put upon the name has clung to it. Originally the name "Jacob " meant one who follows at another's heels (Gen. 25. 26).

Rebekah, advising Jacob to flee to Laban at Haran, said, "stay with him for a while until your brother's anger cools" but she saw Jacob no more for he was away forty years. Evidently on the way Jacob's thoughts were very full. Would God confirm him in the possession of that which he had secured by fraud and cunning? Thus meditating he had drawn near to God. Then he had a dream that assured him that though in distress and fleeing for his life yet he was the object of God's love and care. He was to learn that all that was to happen was a part of the working out of Divine Providence. One object of the dream was to show that God watches over the whole earth and that messengers come from Him and return to Him, to and fro. Jacob vowed a vow (Gen. 28. 20 REB), "If God will be with me, if he will protect me on my journey and give me food to eat and clothes to wear, so that I come back safely to my father's house, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone which I have set up as a sacred pillar shall be a house of God. And of all that you give me, I shall allot a tenth part to you." Surely a vow of gratitude!

The Divine care and blessing promised at Bethel are shown in the account of his sojourn at Haran, whence Jacob returned blessed with numerous family and rich in goods. Equally marked is the severe discipline in order that the darker features of his character might be purified and that he might learn to put his reliance not in unworthy scheming but in simple faith in the love and blessing of God. While at Haran, Jacob the deceiver was deceived; he served fourteen years for his wives and stayed another long period without any settled hire. At the end of this period Jacob's trust and faith in God are seen in Gen. 31.5, "The God of my father has been with me ".

On the homeward journey God gave Jacob another vision of angels (Gen. 32. 1). What a sense of protection they must have afforded; yet when approaching Esau he took all reasonable precautions and prayed. His message to Esau was humble; he called Esau his lord and himself a servant and enumerated his wealth and thus showed he required no aid nor need claim even a share in Isaac's property, but Esau made no answer. Jacob's extreme distress in spite of Divine encouragement repeatedly given him shows his faith was very feeble, but it was real, and he sought refuge in prayer.

His prayer was a pattern of humility, earnestness and faith and shows grateful acknowledgment of past mercies, confessions of unworthiness, believing and pleading of God's promises and a plea for protection. Having quieted his mind by prayer he used his best judgment. Gen. 32.14 says that he sent five hundred and fifty head of cattle in five droves as a present.

A crisis in his life was approaching. Jacob was to receive the final lesson which humbled him, broke down his self will and convinced him that he could not snatch the blessing from God's hand but must accept it as a gift of grace. Jacob was alone and there wrestled a man with him. (Gen. 32. 34.) A man, such he seemed to be to Jacob but Hosea (12.4) calls him an angel and in verse 30 Jacob recognised in him a manifestation of God.

We often speak of Jacob wrestling with God but this is only a half truth; at the outset it was God wrestling with Jacob. He had come to the land God had covenanted to give him and was about to enter into possession. All his life long Jacob had leaned on his own cleverness; his quick mind had already planned how best Esau's wrath might be appeased. Suddenly he was caught by an antagonist, someone he did not know but who evidently meant to humble him. God could not allow Jacob to think that his cunning was winning the land; God must resist Jacob till he was willing to receive the land as a gift. The angel disabled Jacob by touching the hollow of his thigh (the socket into which the end of the thigh bone is inserted). Probably the muscle was strained but Jacob had a persistent nature and fought on doggedly though he was practically defeated.

We cannot doubt that the angel who had the advantage could have hurried away from the man he had humbled but God does not act that way. Jacob, emptied of self, clung to his antagonist and God took pleasure in Jacob and lingered in his presence. So long as Jacob in self satisfaction demanded the surrender of Canaan, God barred his progress but as soon as Jacob acknowledged his powerlessness and became a lowly suppliant God stayed in his company. His sole quarrel had been with Jacob's arrogance which would seize as a prize what could only be bestowed as a gift, but when arrogance was smitten the Victor remained to bless. Jacob's wrestling began where God's finished but it was no more the wrestling of self confidence. Jacob would not let Him go without obtaining from Him a blessing. He who was beaten back in his wealth now carried all before him in his poverty. The old name which commemorated his crooked dealing was changed to Israel, "Perseverer with God ". "As a prince have you prevailed."

As he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him. Why this small detail? It was bright full day within and without. To Jacob, nature had a radiance it never had before because the breach was healed between himself and God. The shadows had fled and there was sunlight in nature and sunlight in his soul.

AOH