JACOB VERSUS ESAU IN THE ARENA OF WIFE SELECTION
GEN 28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman.
GEN 28:2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
GEN 28:6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman,"
GEN 28:7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.
GEN 28:8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
GEN 28:9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
Here we have a little account of the conditions under which Jacob left home in search of his wife-to-be, and came back with 2 times wife i.e. Rachel and Leah plus 2 times maidservants, and 13 sons by them. Now I'm trying to rack my brains to come up with something useful for this little account, and it's fairly difficult to not be totally obscure. I don't want to be superficial with this little account and come up with something ridiculous like God doesn't want us to marry foreign women, but i do believe there's something spiritual that we can make of this account.
Esau, despite being the older brother, firstborn and favoured by his father had already lost his birthright and his blessing- a twofold loss by the time this account presents itself in chapter 28 of the book of genesis. At this point, the Book makes a clear distinction between the two sons, and the directions they were to take. Esau, robbed/bereft of his birthright, was married to two canaanite women, whom rebekah refers to as "driving her to her grave" as it were, so much so that she begged isaac to send jacob away to get a wife. Esau, clearly the non-favoured one by now, was really making mom angry. jacob, by contrast, now in possession of his mother's favour, the birthright sold to him over a bowl of stew and his father's blessing, by way of his craftiness, seemed to be the now favoured in the eyes of the Lord, was pretty much poised to be successful, it seems.
imagine his surprise then, when his father bid him to leave home and travel to his distant relative's home, a relative whom he probably had never seen his entire life. jacob always struck me as a gentle man, a Sensitive New Age Guy type. the bible refers to him as a "man of the tents" in contrast to his rugged older brother. perhaps he had never left home? it wouldn't be hard to imagine a scrawny jacob, somewhat bookish and more gentle than his brother, and literally a "momma's boy". having to travel to search for a wife might not have been the easiest thing for the "man of the tents"
i do believe that in a metaphorical sense, the man of god had to go in obedient search for the woman god had intended for him. he was literally sent on a pilgrimage to find his wife. imagine- it would have been so much more convenient for him to to be like his brother, a man of self gratificiation, to marry a local woman- a canaanite woman. but god had plans for him to leave home and search, and subsequently struggle for the woman he was meant to be with. (c.f. jacob working 14 years to earn rachel's hand in marriage) but jacob was meant to struggle and search for the right woman, in accordance to the directions and boundaries established by his parents. the verses in the above make it clear that jacob was to choose a wife from a select group of women- women of his same god-fearing heritage i.e. his family. as a point of reflection: have we limited our selection choice to the persons who fear god, and share the same spiritual heritage as we do? or instead do we open up the scope of selection to anyone who comes our way?
i can't help but think also, of the reference in genesis that describes isaac when he came out of the fields to see rebekah coming home with jacob's servant. the bible notes that he was busy with his "meditations". and i always wonder- what WAS he meditating on? perhaps praying for that potential mate? how apt it was that the man of god was meditating on the thoughts of god when his life partner appeared- a companion and co-labourer jsut as eve was to adam.
(GEN 24:63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.)
regardless, he, like jacob, had a woman specially intended for him and meant for him and him alone.
jacob was sent out by his parents, perhaps another learning point for us- that our mates should ideally be pre-approved by our god-placed authorities who know us, and care for us, and have been empowered with godly wisdom and experience to discern what our youth and emotions sometimes blind us from seeing. godly counsel from parents is indeed, invaluable and important, and it is EVEN more important, in a NIKE generation like ours, to abide by those rules and instructions that have been put in place over us by our parents, whom god in turn has commanded us to obey in love.
by contrast to both his brother and father, esau, married 2 canaaanite women, in disregard for the holy discretion and separateness of god's select, instead welcoming the almost pagan and non-god-fearing customs and cultures into his life and family. if he had truly desired to marry, he too, could have gone in search of one whom his parents and God would have approved, but just as he sold his birthright to fill his instant hunger, he too, traded it for instant gratification, in accordance with his modus operandi. interestingly enough, esau tried subsequently to "make up" for his mistake by marrying the daughter of his uncle ishmael, in attempt to earn his parents favour, as the verses 6-9 in chapt28 indicate for us. to esau, the issue of a wife was not having the single life partner with which to share the god-given institution of marriage with. to esau, a wife was a commodity, and if it was the wrong one he had, all he had to simply do, was try again.
doesn't this aptly represent the men and women of today? we view relationships as trial and error, as games, as an elimination system of seeing what will please our parents and social conventions without truly asking and considering, who has god intended to be the one special person we were meant to share everything with. truly, we should be cautious in learning from esau's example; who quickly dropped out of favour with god and his parents for his foolishness and seeking the easy way out.
in conclusion, this may seem like i'm kicking up a big fuss over nothing. but friends, let us consider the value and importance of having a mate, a life-partner with whom we are to stick with through thick and thin, till death do us part. let's pray for the right person god has for us, not who we WANt selfishly, lest we deny ourselves the blessings of being in His favour, and displease Him with our wilful disobedience. perhaps a point to ponder upon.
-a prayer-
dearest lord Jesus,
you have the greatest foresight anyone could ever have. throughout the history of the bible you've empowered kings to see into the future through dreams and predictions, enabled men of god to interpret dreams and visions. Lord, you know the future, both the macro future of the world at large, and the micro future of a man such as me.
you said in Your Word lord, that you have plans for us all, for each one of your children who call you Abba, Father. in jeremiah 29:11 and in psalm 139 you make it so clear that in your grand plan, you have pre-ordained, or that you know whatt lies ahead in the unknown days of tomorrow.
lord, i believe that you have someone planned for me to be with someday, that the affairs of companionship and of a mate are in your hands, and YOurs hands alone. there are so many times god, when I want to rely on the self and make decisions based on impulse, that may make me happy for now, but will not do so in the long run. please give me faith to trust you, to believe in you. sometimes lord, the spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak. that as much as we want to trust you for taht one life-partner, it's incredibly difficult. dear jesus, pls teach me to trust you and have faith to see beyond the pressures of this world which call us to get attached NOW and look for the best looking, coolest persons around who make us feel good about ourselves and teh world we live in.
Lord, you have a plan for each one of us, and you only have the best in store for us. even if it means being single forever like paul, i want to believe that that is YOUR plan for my life, so that i can best serve you. i consecrate myself into your service, and offer you everything i have. be the Lord of my life in all areas, including my lovelife and emotional life. make me a pure vessel for your purposes only. i want to trust in you lord, show me how.
in jesus' name,
Amen.
GEN 28:2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
GEN 28:6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman,"
GEN 28:7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.
GEN 28:8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;
GEN 28:9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
Here we have a little account of the conditions under which Jacob left home in search of his wife-to-be, and came back with 2 times wife i.e. Rachel and Leah plus 2 times maidservants, and 13 sons by them. Now I'm trying to rack my brains to come up with something useful for this little account, and it's fairly difficult to not be totally obscure. I don't want to be superficial with this little account and come up with something ridiculous like God doesn't want us to marry foreign women, but i do believe there's something spiritual that we can make of this account.
Esau, despite being the older brother, firstborn and favoured by his father had already lost his birthright and his blessing- a twofold loss by the time this account presents itself in chapter 28 of the book of genesis. At this point, the Book makes a clear distinction between the two sons, and the directions they were to take. Esau, robbed/bereft of his birthright, was married to two canaanite women, whom rebekah refers to as "driving her to her grave" as it were, so much so that she begged isaac to send jacob away to get a wife. Esau, clearly the non-favoured one by now, was really making mom angry. jacob, by contrast, now in possession of his mother's favour, the birthright sold to him over a bowl of stew and his father's blessing, by way of his craftiness, seemed to be the now favoured in the eyes of the Lord, was pretty much poised to be successful, it seems.
imagine his surprise then, when his father bid him to leave home and travel to his distant relative's home, a relative whom he probably had never seen his entire life. jacob always struck me as a gentle man, a Sensitive New Age Guy type. the bible refers to him as a "man of the tents" in contrast to his rugged older brother. perhaps he had never left home? it wouldn't be hard to imagine a scrawny jacob, somewhat bookish and more gentle than his brother, and literally a "momma's boy". having to travel to search for a wife might not have been the easiest thing for the "man of the tents"
i do believe that in a metaphorical sense, the man of god had to go in obedient search for the woman god had intended for him. he was literally sent on a pilgrimage to find his wife. imagine- it would have been so much more convenient for him to to be like his brother, a man of self gratificiation, to marry a local woman- a canaanite woman. but god had plans for him to leave home and search, and subsequently struggle for the woman he was meant to be with. (c.f. jacob working 14 years to earn rachel's hand in marriage) but jacob was meant to struggle and search for the right woman, in accordance to the directions and boundaries established by his parents. the verses in the above make it clear that jacob was to choose a wife from a select group of women- women of his same god-fearing heritage i.e. his family. as a point of reflection: have we limited our selection choice to the persons who fear god, and share the same spiritual heritage as we do? or instead do we open up the scope of selection to anyone who comes our way?
i can't help but think also, of the reference in genesis that describes isaac when he came out of the fields to see rebekah coming home with jacob's servant. the bible notes that he was busy with his "meditations". and i always wonder- what WAS he meditating on? perhaps praying for that potential mate? how apt it was that the man of god was meditating on the thoughts of god when his life partner appeared- a companion and co-labourer jsut as eve was to adam.
(GEN 24:63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.)
regardless, he, like jacob, had a woman specially intended for him and meant for him and him alone.
jacob was sent out by his parents, perhaps another learning point for us- that our mates should ideally be pre-approved by our god-placed authorities who know us, and care for us, and have been empowered with godly wisdom and experience to discern what our youth and emotions sometimes blind us from seeing. godly counsel from parents is indeed, invaluable and important, and it is EVEN more important, in a NIKE generation like ours, to abide by those rules and instructions that have been put in place over us by our parents, whom god in turn has commanded us to obey in love.
by contrast to both his brother and father, esau, married 2 canaaanite women, in disregard for the holy discretion and separateness of god's select, instead welcoming the almost pagan and non-god-fearing customs and cultures into his life and family. if he had truly desired to marry, he too, could have gone in search of one whom his parents and God would have approved, but just as he sold his birthright to fill his instant hunger, he too, traded it for instant gratification, in accordance with his modus operandi. interestingly enough, esau tried subsequently to "make up" for his mistake by marrying the daughter of his uncle ishmael, in attempt to earn his parents favour, as the verses 6-9 in chapt28 indicate for us. to esau, the issue of a wife was not having the single life partner with which to share the god-given institution of marriage with. to esau, a wife was a commodity, and if it was the wrong one he had, all he had to simply do, was try again.
doesn't this aptly represent the men and women of today? we view relationships as trial and error, as games, as an elimination system of seeing what will please our parents and social conventions without truly asking and considering, who has god intended to be the one special person we were meant to share everything with. truly, we should be cautious in learning from esau's example; who quickly dropped out of favour with god and his parents for his foolishness and seeking the easy way out.
in conclusion, this may seem like i'm kicking up a big fuss over nothing. but friends, let us consider the value and importance of having a mate, a life-partner with whom we are to stick with through thick and thin, till death do us part. let's pray for the right person god has for us, not who we WANt selfishly, lest we deny ourselves the blessings of being in His favour, and displease Him with our wilful disobedience. perhaps a point to ponder upon.
-a prayer-
dearest lord Jesus,
you have the greatest foresight anyone could ever have. throughout the history of the bible you've empowered kings to see into the future through dreams and predictions, enabled men of god to interpret dreams and visions. Lord, you know the future, both the macro future of the world at large, and the micro future of a man such as me.
you said in Your Word lord, that you have plans for us all, for each one of your children who call you Abba, Father. in jeremiah 29:11 and in psalm 139 you make it so clear that in your grand plan, you have pre-ordained, or that you know whatt lies ahead in the unknown days of tomorrow.
lord, i believe that you have someone planned for me to be with someday, that the affairs of companionship and of a mate are in your hands, and YOurs hands alone. there are so many times god, when I want to rely on the self and make decisions based on impulse, that may make me happy for now, but will not do so in the long run. please give me faith to trust you, to believe in you. sometimes lord, the spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak. that as much as we want to trust you for taht one life-partner, it's incredibly difficult. dear jesus, pls teach me to trust you and have faith to see beyond the pressures of this world which call us to get attached NOW and look for the best looking, coolest persons around who make us feel good about ourselves and teh world we live in.
Lord, you have a plan for each one of us, and you only have the best in store for us. even if it means being single forever like paul, i want to believe that that is YOUR plan for my life, so that i can best serve you. i consecrate myself into your service, and offer you everything i have. be the Lord of my life in all areas, including my lovelife and emotional life. make me a pure vessel for your purposes only. i want to trust in you lord, show me how.
in jesus' name,
Amen.
posted by leb at 8:24 PM
1 Comments:
i start work tmr =-) but my body clock is kinda screwed so i couldnt sleep. and when i came, i saw this. and i must say, it was lovely to read and it edified much. =) all i can say to that is AMEN! =)
Post a Comment
<< Home