There seems always to be a hitch. Here Isaac and Rebekah were having a great time serving the Lord, Isaac prayed, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. Pretty storybook, right. Well, turns out, that those two boys would do more to drive their folks crazy than any other trial god allowed them to experience.
God knew Jacob the younger would be His chosen one, while Esau the older would have no interest in God or holiness. Esau was in fact, the real live version of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. God laid that out to Isaac and Rebekah before the twins were born. Still, Isaac loved his “Man’s man son and pushed to see him excel. Rebekah, conversely, seemed to be on track with God’s plan and always helped Jacob to become what God had planned.
We begin to see the issue as Jacob buys Esau’s birthright for a big bowl of soup. Clearly a lack of understanding of the worth of a birthright by Esau. Jacob knew exactly the worth and the responsibility of leading the family and was by far the better choice. Still, he deceived his brother and in effect stole the birthright. This could not have been a happy subject around the campfire.
God’s plans often deviate from our desires. Personally, and as parents, we want all we are due and usually just a little bit more. Isaac as the dad needed to follow God’s lead and not be smitten with his Man’s man. Rebekah should have encouraged her husband to follow God’s lead and ignored personal feelings. Still when dealing with the kids it is always a challenge.
We must seek God first in all things. We need to be prepared for the very real possibility that the Lord’s plans may not line up with ours. In that event, it is still better to follow God’s lead rather than to try to help him out to see it our way. We are not perfect though; and sometimes God will work all things together for good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.
The key is to follow God’s lead and allow Him to do what is best for us through plan and power.
God Bless You
The Birth of Esau and Jacob
19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?”[b] So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you[c] shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”
24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob.[d] Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau Sells His Birthright
29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore, his name was called Edom.[e]) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.
Walking With God 