“Now Isaac loved [and favored] Esau, because he enjoyed eating his game, but Rebekah loved [and favored] Jacob.” Genesis 25:28 (AMP)
Oh when parents favor one child over another nothing works out right. Those not favored know they’re not and those who are favored know they are. In this situation it was worse because one parent favored one twin and the other favored the other twin.
However, sometimes it seems that the very nature of the child matches one parent easier than the other parent. I know in my own family, I tended to want to spend more time with my father because he loved books and so did I. Mom was more practical and concerned with meeting the physical needs of the family. I wasn’t as thrilled to spend time pulling weeds from the lawn if reading a book was an option! Did they both love me? YES! Did I respond to them differently? YES! After they passed away, I missed them both very much. They both loved me in their own way.
Looking at Jacob and Esau’s situation, Esau enjoyed hunting for game and providing his family with fresh meat to eat. That pleased Isaac. However, Jacob liked staying closer to home and we know he cooked (Genesis 25:29). I’m not sure that in Bible times a woman’s and man’s role were as defined as in Western culture. However, in America and many other parts of the world, cooking is considered to be a woman’s work (although many famous chefs are men!). Jacob at some level met the needs of Rebekah and they connected more than she did with Esau.
The reality is that because each parent favored one of the twins the situation became a struggle as they were growing up. God’s prophecy that one would be stronger than the other and the older would serve the younger stayed in Rebekah’s mind. The Bible does not indicate that she shared with Isaac God’s answer to her prayer while she was pregnant and sensing the struggle between the babies.
We have a perfect Father without prejudice. Listen to Kathryn Scott as she sings “Child of God“
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 1/10/24, 5:00 pm