LIFE SCRIPTS

39 His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.” 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Genesis 27:39‭-‬41 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.27.39-41.NIV.

Isaac’s pronouncements over his son Esau were indeed harsh. It’s the desire of any loving parent to wish the best for their sons and daughters. So any well meaning parent would spare some last words before departure to bless the children they leave behind. Not so with Isaac. But before we judge him too harshly, let’s reflect on a spiritual fact. When God called Abraham, he gave him a promise. That promise was two fold: to give him descendants as many as the sand on the seashore and through his descendants, to bless others. This promise would be perpetuated through Abraham’s descendants but not just any of his descendants but through the lineage chosen by God Himself. That’s why when Abraham persuaded God to consider blessing Ishmael instead, God still heard him but chose to bless the lineage of Isaac, the one He had chosen from before time. So Ishmael separated from his brother, Isaac who was the son of the promise, chosen of God before his time. In this situation also, God had made a sovereign choice before time. He had chosen Jacob over Esau. That choice was not based on Jacob’s goodness, wisdom or love for God but it was purely a sovereign choice made by a sovereign God. The lineage of the promise would flow through Jacob. Esau, his brother would have his ways separated from those of his brother Jacob. Isaac’s pronouncements were not just the pronouncements of a parent towards his son but were a prophecy over the life of Esau because of the sovereign choice God had made preferring Jacob over Esau. Indeed as stated in verse 39, Edom or the land of the children of Esau was located in a parched area. It lacked arable land, minerals and robust trade activity. Edomites made their income through taxation of trans border trade caravans passing through their country as one secular historian put it. Edomites would also like other enemies of Israel such as the Ammonites, Amalekites and Moabites fight the nation of Israel as they sought to settle in the promised land. In the old testament, inhabitants of Mount Seir were often considered to be Edomites. They occasionally formed leagues with surrounding nations to fight Israel. This animosity and misunderstanding would exist between Israel and Edom for ages as prophesied by Isaac himself. In verse 41, Esau allowed bitterness to get the better of him. He held a grudge against Jacob and sought to wait for the days of mourning his father to end before planning to kill him. This mirrors the story of Cain and Abel. However wheras Cain sought to kill Abel for nothing, Esau sought to kill Jacob for the injustice he committed against him. Bitterness towards others pushes us farther away from God. Esau was a man who had been wronged. He had the right to be angry and to seek vengeance. However, was it godly? Certainly not. His heart alienated him from God. We see this even more from the kind of women he married. He chose to associate with Hittite women who walked in sin. Even though this displeased his parents he still chose to follow his heart and do as he pleases. God is not calling us to follow our hearts. Our hearts are deceptive. Our hearts are self-seeking and vengeful. God’s calling on us to follow Him. His yoke is lighter than the burdens, grudges and results of selfish decisions we take in life. Grudges and bitterness pushes us farther from God. Forgiveness leads us towards Him. Christ, our ultimate example faced injustice of every kind. However, He chose to forgive. Injustice meted on us produces bitterness. However, as Peter states, we must learn to ‘…cast our burdens unto Jesus for He cares for us.’ The Lord’s prayer says, ‘…forgive us our sins as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us.’ Forgiveness produces peace and a lightness of heart. Above all, it gives us favour before God and others.