Jacob and Esau are the most controversial twins.
Jacob and Esau quarreled before they were born. When Esau was born, Esau fought to get out, and Jacob held on to his heel to get out;
Because of Jacob's deceitfulness Using a bowl of red bean soup, he defrauded Esau of his birthright;
Jacob teamed up with his mother to deceive the blessings of heaven;
Jacob used a trick at the ford of Jabbok Obtain Esau's forgiveness.
This is the general understanding of Jacob and Esau. From this series of events, we usually see Jacob as more deceitful, while Esau is relatively tolerant. Except for the bowl of Red bean soup sold his birthright. We can’t see anything wrong with him, but God doesn’t love him. But Jacob had many obvious faults, yet God loved him. How could this be?
To look at the problem, you must stand from God’s perspective. God said: Jacob is my beloved, and Esau is hated by me. Their attributes and endings have been determined here. Jacob was originally pleasing to God, so Jacob deserved to be blessed. Esau was of flesh and blood, and he who was cursed would not be blessed. Isaac's blessing was about to fulfill God's words: In the future, the older will serve the younger (May you be the master of your brothers, and your mother's sons will bow down to you.), so things developed this way in God's will.
What’s more, the Bible has spiritual meanings. We need to use spiritual words to explain spiritual things. Isaac is a type of Christ. He had two sons. Today, some of the believers in the Lord are natural. And spiritually, the endings of the two kinds of people are also different. He who relies on the law will live by it, but he will not inherit the promised heavenly blessing. Isaac is old and his eyes are dim and cannot see. Here he represents the law. He loves Esau. Rebekah was originally a beautiful woman, spiritual, and she understood God's will;
< p>Genesis Chapter 27Before reading the Bible, you must first understand God’s will for choosing people. God once said of Jacob and Esau: Romans 9:11 (Before the twins were born, good and evil It has not yet been done, just because it is to show that God’s purpose of electing people does not depend on people’s works but on the Lord who calls them,). 12 God said to Rebekah: "The older will serve the younger." 13 As it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
< p>Malachi 1:2 "I have loved you," declares the LORD. But you say, "How have you loved us?" declares the LORD, "Isn't Esau Jacob's brother? But I loved Jacob, 3 evil Esau made his mountains desolate and gave his inheritance to the wild dogs of the wilderness."Moses, who wrote Genesis hundreds of years later, had no genealogy and was not raised in an Israelite family. , he wrote this thing completely inspired by God. He wrote this story so that we people in the last days can understand God’s will. It is not a matter of what a man does, but of Him who calls. Today we should stand from God’s perspective and see what God wants us to know.
What happened to Isaac’s family predicts the situation of the church today. Esau and Jacob seem to be two persons, but they actually refer to one person in our Lord today.
Here we must first get to know Isaac. Isaac represents three identities. 1. He typifies Christ and represents God; 2. The husband in the first covenant typifies the law. Here he represents Satan represents the law, and those who belong to him cannot inherit spiritual blessings. 3. Today the law has no effect on salvation, so Isaac also refers to flesh and blood. He is the head of the church today, a pastor and elder. He only sees flesh and blood and pays attention to appearance.
Rebekah is the wife and represents the church. She is a beautiful woman and is spiritual.
Esau is the eldest son and is of the flesh. There is a law in the Bible that everything that is greater is of the flesh, because the older must serve the younger.
Esau: 1. The body of the first born was red and hairy like a coat of fur, so they named him Esau when he was seen.
2. Esau was good at hunting and was always in the fields.
From these two points, we can see that Esau is of the flesh.
Jacob: 1. His body was smooth; 2. Jacob was a quiet man and always lived in a tent.
The tent refers to our physical body; Jacob is the younger brother and is spiritual, which refers to the spirit within us. The two merged into one, and we are who we are today.
If you read the Bible on this basis, you can see its essence.
Esau went to hunt game, which meant he went outside to preach the gospel.
The pastors and elders of the church look at people’s behavior.
Isaac was old and unable to see, so he called his eldest son Esau and said, "My son." Esau said, "Here I am."
Isaac typifies Christ, who called us first (1 Corinthians 15:46), that is, us flesh and blood, who turned his face away from our transgressions and called us into his presence, calling : My son, we say: I am here. In this way, our flesh comes first to God.
2 He said, “I am old now, and I don’t know when I will die. 3 Now take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go into the fields to hunt for me, 4 and make them what I love. Bring me some delicious food so that I can bless you before you die."
In this last time, when the world is about to end. When Isaac sent Esau out to hunt game, he sent us out to preach the gospel.
Only when we come to church and listen to God’s word can we have spiritual life. It is the church that shapes us and brings us into the presence of God.
The blessings Jacob received: May God give you dew from heaven, fat soil from the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine. May many people serve you, and nations bow down to you; may you be the lord of your brothers, and your mother’s sons bow to you. Whoever curses you, let him be cursed; whoever blesses you, let him be blessed. ”
It is today’s spiritual blessing in the Lord.
The blessing that Esau received: His father Isaac said: “You will live in the rich soil of the earth, and in heaven.” The dew will be yours. You will live by the sword, and you will serve your brother; when you become strong, you will break his yoke from your neck. ”
Those who rely on the law today live for earthly things and pray for earthly things. They serve and fight according to their flesh and blood. When the flesh becomes strong, it strangles its younger brother, the spirit.
After people read the story of Jacob and Esau, they still don’t understand themselves clearly, and they can’t distinguish spirituality from flesh and blood. This is not beneficial to them at all, and they don’t understand God clearly. They think that Jacob was deceitful and deceived Esau; when he was young, he used a bowl of red bean soup to defraud him of his eldest son's title, and when Isaac was old, he teamed up with his mother to defraud his father's blessing. These people only read stories. plot, but do not look at God’s will. They only see God saying: “In the future, the older will serve the younger. ” As it is written: “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.” "We can't say that God is unreasonable and dictatorial, so we have to talk nonsense. We start by talking about how Jacob is not good, then talk about how God loves Jacob, and then end in a hasty manner, explaining nothing clearly. But we can't talk about the ending. Saul was carnal, Jacob was spiritual.
Esau looked at his inheritance from a human perspective. Esau came to the world first and was called great by men, but from God’s perspective. Look at Jacob as the elder. The two brothers together are what we are now, with a fleshly body and an inner spirit. The union of flesh and spirit must be one as Christ and the church are inseparable, as Adam and Christ are one. From the human point of view, Christ is Adam, with a fleshly body like Esau; from the divinity point of view, He is from above and is the manifestation of God through the flesh, and is called because the flesh is visible to man. Big, the Spirit is invisible to people, and is so small that it is ignored by people, but the Spirit comes from God. It is originally called great before God, but our own eyes have deceived ourselves. The reason why Jesus is superior to all people. , because there is a spirit in him that surpasses all men. Jacob was chosen by God before he was born. Regarding Jacob, he symbolizes that he chose us in Christ before the world was created. Who is greater, Jacob or Esau? Jacob knew that the birthright was his own, and they fought for it in his womb. "Two nations are in your womb": two nations. , two kingdoms, one spiritual and one natural. We must also imitate Jacob and fight for the spirit, because God blesses the spirit. When we fight between the flesh and the spirit today, we must let the spirit prevail. Each one is great, so how can it be said that he is deceitful? Isaac blessed when he was old, and Jacob was wrapped in sheepskins and clothed in the robe of righteousness of Christ. His blessings were also predestined by God, so how can he be said to be deceitful? What? We are blessed because we exalt Christ in the spirit and are justified by faith; the spirit is the truth and the knowledge of the Holy Spirit. The things of the flesh and the things of the spirit must be separated and divided into two bodies, the older one serving the younger one. To serve the spirit, the flesh must obey the spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the flesh and changes the human will. The good things we do are not done by the flesh but by the spirit. Let the spirit control the flesh and serve God. The flesh cannot control the things of the spirit. , the spirit can change the body.
This article comes from the Green Olive Tree Network, the original address: http://www.qgls.org
Among all the ancestors, no one is as silent as Isaac; No one lived so reclusively, so simply, as he did: nor do I know whether he proved himself a better son, or a better husband; in the former case he gave himself up to his father. Under the sword, he mourned for his mother for three years; as for the latter, he did not attempt to have sex with any maid, but remained faithful and patient, leaving twenty years for himself and praying. Rebekah was barred from having children for so long, and her prayers proved to be more effective than any of her descendants. In the end, she became pregnant, not because of her own ability, but because of her husband's faith. It seemed that she was not just giving her son to her Sarah's daughter-in-law.
God often does more good to us than we ask for. Isaac prayed for a son, and God gave him two at once. She now suffered as much from the struggle for the child in her womb as she had suffered from the childlessness before. We do not know when we will be satisfied: the fulfillment of our desires often leaves us dissatisfied; we complain when we are easily full and when we are hungry. Before Rebekah became pregnant, she was at ease. Before spiritual regeneration, there is peace in the human soul: as soon as the new man is formed in us, lust immediately contends with the Holy Spirit. Where there is no turmoil, there is no grace. As long as Esau was alone, there would be no strife. Human nature is always congenial with itself. Rebekah was not pregnant with only one Esau, nor was she so happy to be pregnant with only one Jacob: she must be the mother of both, giving her both joy and trial. The conflict begins early: every true Israelite begins his war as soon as he comes into life. We don’t know how many battles there are without warning or meaning!
These two people are fighters between two countries: the battlefield is in their mother's womb, and what they are fighting for is a battle for seats and superiority. Esau received the rights of the flesh, Jacob the rights of grace; yet when there was some semblance of equality, lest Esau should outrun his brothers into the world, Jacob clung to his heels; and thus One of his hands was born before the other's foot. But because Esau was a few minutes older and the younger wanted better what God had promised, he bought what he could not earn. If we can receive spiritual blessings by fighting, purchasing, or begging, we will be satisfied. Had Jacob been born first, he would not have known how dependent he was on God's providence for his ascension.
Except for the forbidden fruit, there is no such thing as Jacob’s soup, which was bought at such a price; in both cases, whoever eats it is cursed. Every true descendant of Israel is willing to use earthly things to buy spiritual favor; anyone who is not willing to die rather than give up his birthright has too much of the blood of Esau in him.
But if Esau, who did not care, sold his birthright and received blessings, what did he lose? Or if his brother's game offset Jacob's soup, what did Jacob gain? However, this is what the old Isaac is determined to do. Isaac is as emotionally blind as his old eyesight. God had warned him in advance that in the future the older would serve the younger, but Isaac would bless Esau.
Abraham had to reconcile God's promise with the sacrifice of Isaac, just as Isaac had to reconcile Jacob's primacy with his blessing to Esau. It is difficult; because in the former matter, God's hand is in it; in the latter matter, only His own hand is in it. God's most precious saints are sometimes overcome by family affection. Isaac saw that he was favored over Ishmael, even though he was his older brother. He saw his father obeying God's command, deliberately forgetting flesh and blood, and binding him in order to offer him as a sacrifice. He saw Esau marrying a foreigner in an obscene manner, yet he did not want to remember anything except that Esau was my firstborn son. However, God is so gracious that when we want to sin, He does not let us sin! We should arrange our actions in such a way that we do not do what we want to do, but do what we should do!
God has ordained the little master, and also arranged for him to be blessed: when His will is activated, there will be no lack of means. A mother would rather defeat her son and deceive the father than a father who defrauds his chosen son of the blessings he deserves.
To Rebekah, what was better about Jacob than Esau? Which mother does not love her eldest son more? But now God has caused the mother's love to go against the habits of human nature and incline toward the younger, because the father has broken his promise and loved the older. Parental love is divided: In order to make the promise come true, Rebekah must use cunning to respond to Isaac's partiality; Isaac wants to unfairly turn Esau into Jacob, and Rebekah actually cunningly turns Jacob into Esau: Her desires are good, but her methods are unlawful. God does often use our weaknesses to accomplish His righteous will; however, this does not justify our weakness, nor does it cast a stain on His own deeds.
Here is none other than counterfeit; a fake person, a fake name, fake game, fake answers, but behold, there is a real blessing ; But the blessing is blessing the person, not the method. These methods were so perverse that Jacob himself indeed feared the curse they would incur more than he hoped for their success. Isaac was now both naive and old, but if he did discover the deception, Jacob could be more certain of being cursed than he could be certain that he would not be recognized.
Those who are pure at heart hate the deception in others the most. Rebekah, trusting in the word of God and in the innocence of her husband, boldly borne the danger for Jacob, advised him in his conduct, cooked for him, yea, the food and the people were in her hands; and now taught him oral As she said, put the food in his hands, put the clothes on his back, put the sheepskin on the exposed part of his body, and sent him in. Arranged in this way to be blessed, no doubt he stood at the door to see her. How to succeed in your plan. If the aged Isaac had had any sense to discern this ruse, she would have gone in at once to take the blame, and to plead earnestly with the known will of God concerning the mastership of Jacob and the service of Esau, not Old age, that is, pampering, made Isaac forget this purpose.
Now she wished she could borrow both Esau's clothes and his tongue, so that she could safely deceive all his senses, and he His perception puts him in greater danger of being deceived by his emotions. But this was more than she could handle: her son must say he was Esau in the voice of Jacob. It is difficult not only for us to behave but also for our tongue to not reveal our true nature. This was enough to make Isaac doubtful and question, but not unbelieving. It is difficult for a good person to believe in the evil of others. He would rather disbelieve his own feelings than the loyalty of those he trusts. Isaac used all his senses to examine, and none except his ears sustained the judgment made: to deceive Isaac's ears, Jacob had to support his pretense with three lies in one breath: I am Esau;—As you have commanded Mine;—my game. One sin of being welcomed draws another in; if forced to live alone, it neither leaves nor perishes. I love Jacob's blessings, but I hate his lies. What Jacob did weakly in order to receive blessings, I will not do on purpose. God who forgives his weakness will curse my stubbornness.
Good Isaac stretched out his hand to test whether what his ears told him was true; he touched the hand of the man whose voice he doubted: the heart of an honest man would not think of giving skin It's much easier to fake it than to fake your lungs. Even small satisfactions can satisfy those who have not been made cautious by evil. Isaac believed and blessed his younger son, who was wearing the clothes of his older son. If our Heavenly Father smelled the fragrance of our brother's garments on our backs, we could not walk away from Him without being blessed.
I wished I could buy that blessing back with game meat, but it was too late to regret it. The hopes of the wicked will fail in their most fervent moments, but the children of God find comfort in times of crisis that they dare not imagine.
Now he comes in, panting and sweating, asking for his reward, but gets nothing but rejection. When wicked people think they have earned God's reward and proudly come to ask for favor, they will not get any other answer except "Who are you?" Father and Son were amazed at each other, one with fear, the other with sorrow. Isaac trembled, Esau wept bitterly; one because of conscience, the other because of jealousy.
Isaac's heart now told him that he should not plan to give the blessing as he intended, that the blessing was due to the one to whom it was given, not to the one to whom he intended it. Therefore he did not dare to reverse what he had done not only according to his own will but also according to the will of God: for now he saw that he had done justice unintentionally. God will find time and ways to get back what belongs to Him, stop them from sinning, reveal and correct their mistakes. Who would have expected Esau to cry? In other words, who dares to believe these tears when they see them flowing from such unscrupulous eyes?
"My Father, bless me also," is a good saying. Every evil person can seek good for himself. If asking for blessings is enough, then no one will be miserable. Why did he not weep to his brothers over the soup, but instead asked Isaac for a blessing? If he hadn't betrayed, he wouldn't have to beg now. God is righteous in not giving us care that we neglect to protect and ignore when we enjoy it. Esau's tears could not make Isaac regret. Isaac only regretted one thing, that is, Jacob acted deceitfully when he should have done his duty.
No motive can make a good-hearted man regret a good deed. What a blessing it is to know the days of grace and not neglect them! How hopeless it is to know and ignore! These tears are both too late and false; tears of rage, jealousy, carnal desires. Worldly sorrow kills people. While Esau thus wails for a blessing, I hear him cry for his father's reserve, "Have you left no blessing for me?" wailing for his brother's cunning, "Is not his name Jacob? Right?" I couldn't hear him blaming himself. He failed to see that although his father was deceived and his brother was cunning, God was righteous and he himself was disqualified. He knew that he loved the world, but he made claims to receive blessings.
Those who don’t pay attention to please God, but focus on getting God’s external favor, are quick to complain if they don’t get it; as if God owes them and they can do whatever they want And go. However, God is so full of mercy that He has a second blessing to give to those who do not love Him, giving them everything they care about. The blessings of special love were given to none but Israel; but those of common grace were given to those who sold their birthright. This blessing was far more than Esau deserved, yet he was like a second Cain who was determined to kill his brother because he was more acceptable to God. I know not whether he was a worse son or a worse brother; he wished his father dead, planned the death of his brother, and swore blood instead of tears. But the wicked cannot do evil as he pleases: the mighty wrestler with whom Jacob wrestled overcame Esau, and turned his wounds into kisses. A company of men came with Esau, and a company of angels met Jacob. Esau threatened and Jacob prayed; his prayers and gifts melted Esau's heart into love. Now what Jacob saw in Esau's face was not the grim and solemn face of the executioner, but the face of God. Both men and demons are defeated; even the proudest heart cannot withstand God. Those who can earnestly wrestle with God are safe from human harm. Those whose hearts are furious and filled with evil, and whose hearts cannot be turned away by tears, are overcome by love: God will make peace even to his enemies, if his deeds please him.