August 17, 2014

Isn’t it hard to imagine that Esau came out of Rebekah’s womb, covered with hair?

Infants are usually smooth-skinned, perhaps a bit wrinkled, with sometimes hair on their head, maybe some eyebrows. I’ve just never seen a hairy baby before. Also, just the thought of Jacob grasping Esau’s heel, coming out of the womb – just sounds so awesome – a hairy baby coming out, with his brother grasping his heel.

Also, Esau despised his birthright. He sold his birthright to his brother for some lentil stew?

Jacob probably knew that Esau despised his birthright, so, he took advantage of that fact by asking his brother to sell it to him in exchange for the stew.

Was it the Lord’s will for Jacob to do this?

Why couldn’t Jacob simply shared, given his brother something to eat without mentioning the birthright?

On a different note, anybody have a good recipe for lentil stew? I also wonder what was used to season the lentil stew. I wonder how lentil stew tasted when it was made during old testament times. I wonder if we ate it, if we’d think it was good.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

21Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Genesis 25:23-34

23The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will be separated;

one people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

24When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom. )

31Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.