Jacob & Esau
Jesus & Herod
The account in Genesis 25 about the twins, Jacob and Esau goes like this:
Rebekah, Isaac’s wife who had been barren, conceived and bore twins.
The children struggled in the womb signifying that two nations were in the womb, two manner of people. The elder shall serve the younger.
The first child came out red and all over hairy like a garment. He was called Esau.
Jacob came after (having grabbed Esau by the heel).
Esau became a cunning hunter & Jacob was a quiet man dwelling in tents.
One day when Jacob was cooking stew Esau came in from the field (from hunting) and being exhausted said “Let me eat some of that red stew for I am exhausted” (Therefore his name was called Edom) Edom means red or sounds like the word “red” in Hebrew. (Adam is from the same root word as Edom—red earth, but I am no Hebrew scholar).
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he [was] faint:
Gen 25:29-34
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I [am] faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I [am] at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 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. (quoted in Hebrews 12:16).
So Esau sold his birthright for the food.
What is a birthright? In the Old Testament, the firstborn (usually) inherited a double portion of the father’s estate and assumed headship of the tribe.
Adam ate of the forbidden fruit in disobedience to God, thus “selling” the birthright of all humanity; forfeiting the inheritance of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Now we continue the narrative in Genesis 27:
When Isaac (the father of Jacob and Esau) was old he called Esau his eldest son to him and asked him to get venison and said “I will bless you before I die.”
Rebekah heard this and spoke to Jacob (her favorite). She schemed a way to fool Isaac (his eyesight was failing) into thinking Jacob was Esau. The plan worked and Isaac blessed Jacob thinking he was the firstborn, Esau.
Jacob’s blessing was the he would be Lord over all his brethren and all the nations would serve him..
When Esau arrived and realized the deception, he was furious! “. . .he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father”. Gen 27:34
This is the blessing that Isaac bestowed on Esau:
. . .by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, [mg. become restless OR shall break loose] that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Gen. 27:40
And Esau hated Jacob and said “I will slay my brother”. Rebekah sent Jacob away to save his life.
Gen. 36:1
- Esau became the father of the Edomites.
- Jacob became Israel.
To follow their lineage to New Testament times, the Herods descended from Esau and were Edomites from Idumean. Jesus was from the lineage of Jacob (Israel).
The following passage is a Messianic prophecy:
. . . there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Num 24:17-19
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luk 1:31-33
We learn from history that Herod having made friends with Rome, surreptitiously moved into Judea by cunning. He was then appointed as the King of the Jews by the Roman Senate . The Jews themselves considered Herod a usurper as he was an Idumean (Edomite) and not a true Jew.
So we see a scenario being played out. Esau got restless and broke off the yoke of Jacob. He now, through Herod, had dominion over the house of Jacob.
Furthermore continued to carry out the mission to “slay his brother Jacob”. First, Herod the Great ordered all the male children 2-years-old and under to be slaughtered, in an attempt to kill the true King of the Jews.
Then Herod Anitpas, son of Herod the Great, allied with Rome to have Jesus (the star of Jacob) crucified.
So it appears that Esaus’ blessing came to fruition. He threw off the yoke of being a servant to Jacob, achieved dominion over him and accomplished what was in his heart—bitterness—by having Jesus killed.
Little did “Esau” know that he could have ALSO received back his “birthright.” In a divine twist of providence, Jesus’ very death BOUGHT BACK THE BIRTHRIGHT for not only Esau but for all mankind (Adam)—if they would repent and accept Christ’s sacrifice and offer of grace.
Herod and his dynasty, it appears, did not accept the offer. (Read the entire book of Obadiah as it is a prophecy of Edom’s fate, which in my opinion is a prophecy of the Herod dynasty). Herod Agrippa I persecuted the Christians having executed James and imprisoned Peter. Herod Agrippa II helped Rome in destroying Jerusalem in 70 AD.
The literal sons of Esau remained bitter to the end. However, God is not willing that any should perish.
. . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:9
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Eph 1:12-14
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
Jhn 1:12
By the way, Jesus was also tempted with sustenance after which he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights. Satan tempted Jesus in the desert in several ways. But ultimately, he was offering Jesus the Kingdoms of the World if Jesus would worship Him. Had Jesus succumbed to the temptation, it would have been equivalent to Adam selling our birthright. Jesus, the second Adam, was victorious.
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit. … 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:45, 49
Not only did Jesus not lose his birthright; he redeemed back the birthright for all mankind. We are now joint heirs (Romans 8:17) with Christ! What an amazing thought!
