Focus: Two Characters (Pt.1)

Text: Gen.25:27

"And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a MAN OF THE FIELD; and Jacob was a PLAIN MAN, dwelling in tents."

Let us examine two characters from the same womb and of the same parents, Esau and Jacob. From character studies in the Bible we learn vital lessons, moral and otherwise. We learn a whole lot of human psychology and spiritual principles from the stories of biblical individuals.

Today, we will focus on Esau. For twenty years Isaac and Rebekah prayed and waited for their children, and finally God favored them with twins.

*Error from the womb

In the gestation period Rebekah experienced great pains because of the twins. Her suffering was both severe and strange. She felt intense pain as the twins struggled with each other right in her womb. It was such a strange feeling that she had to pray to God for a revelation. She needed to know exactly what was happening inside of her. Then the Lord revealed to her about the fight between them, and the fact that the two individuals were not compatible or agreeable. They turned their mother's womb into a war zone and made her suffer beyond measure.

In the delivery room it was found out that while Esau was coming out, Jacob was grabbing his heel. Apparently, he didn't want his brother to come out before him, but Esau prevailed and got out first.

*Error of favoritism

The two brothers started growing up in an unhealthy atmosphere of parental favoritism, internal wrangling and rancor. No thanks to their parents! Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah was fond of Jacob. It was a grievous moral blunder and a dangerous domestic politics. It worsened the already existing bad blood between the two boys.

*Error of lifestyle

Let's narrow it down to Esau. Prophet Obadiah describes Esau and his descendants as violent. He was violent against his own brother, Jacob. In Gen.27:41, we read that "Esau HATED Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him."

In our text, Esau is described as a man of the field. The word 'field' refers to the uncultivated and uninhabited areas where the wild plants and animals are found.

Esau as a man of the field means he was a man in love of wild life. Everything 'wild' gave him utmost pleasure. He fought humans and killed animals. He was not refined in character - not a man of culture and civilization. Our text also says he was a cunning hunter. That means he was in the killing business. He was a skillful hunter of wild animals. He took great pleasure in hunting them down and eating them. I guess he was also making money from them and bringing some home to his father. And Isaac loved him for that.

In lifestyle, Esau was wild and violent. Nothing homely or cultured about him.

*Error of materialism

The Scripture says, "And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and WHAT PROFIT SHALL THIS BIRTHRIGHT DO TO ME?"

Esau lived for the moment. He was a hedonist. He had a low view of the family birthright and a low sense of value. In his thinking and judgment, stomach infrastructure was more important than any family inheritance in the name of birthright. As far as he was concerned, birthright could go to hell for all he cared. It meant nothing to him. His philosophy was: eat today and die tomorrow. He could be counted among those Paul refers to in his writing, those "whose end is destruction, whose GOD IS THEIR BELLY, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." Esau could be described as belonging to the class of Christians who cannot endure hardships and who can easily give up their faith in the face of persistent pressure.

Gen.25:34 says, "Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau DESPISED his birthright." What an error of judgment for a person to despise the lasting and treasure the passing! We should be wary of what we look down upon.

*Error of marital aberration

Esau made marital choices that unleashed hell on his parents. It is written, "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a GRIEF of MIND unto Isaac and to Rebekah." As soon as he noticed that his parents were not pleased with his marriages with the daughters of Canaan, he proceeded to marry more, but this time he married from Ishmael, Abraham's son. It got to a breaking point when Rebekah complained about it to Isaac, saying, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth…" He made the life of his parents a living hell through his marital choices, and he did it intentionally.

*Error of secularism

Finally, let's take note of what is said of Esau in Heb.12:16: "Lest there be any FORNICATOR, or PROFANE person, AS Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright."

Esau was godless and wayward. His philosophy was that of humanism, secularism, materialism, worldliness, and hedonism. The word 'profane' is of Latin origin. It is 'pro,' which means 'outside,' and 'fanus,' which is the word for 'sanctuary.' Esau was a man outside of the sacred space. He was far away from the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. He was not a man of faith. His thinking and lifestyle were secularistic and humanistic. Perhaps, Isaac and Rebekah did not leave a good taste of God in his mouth. It's likely that they showed him little or nothing of God, or it could be that he just chose on his own to steer clear of anything God. Or perhaps, he ignored the godly ways of his parents and preferred a life of desecration over that of consecration. God, help us!

I pray God that we learn our lessons and live better.

Scriptures: (Gen.25:22,26,32; Obad.1:10; Phil.3:19; Gen.26:34-35; 27:46; 28:8-9.)

by Bishop Moses E. Peter