GENESIS 28
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth. – Genesis 28:1-9
GENESIS 28 ESAU’S JEALOUSY OVER JACOB’S OBEDIENCE
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Jacob obeyed Rebekah’s request for him to leave for Paddan-aram
It was best for him to take a wife from Rebekah’s brother’s clan
Isaac gave all the blessing to Jacob and he was sent off to go
Esau’s jealousy over Jacob’s obedience was so strong
He wanted to please Isaac, so he married Ishmael’s daughter
He was so envious of Jacob’s blessings so he got Mahalath as his wife.
Esau was seething with jealousy and envy for what Jacob’s blessing got from their father before he left for Paddan-aram. Esau didn’t do what is right with God, instead he married two Hittites wives earlier which made it hard for Rebekah and Isaac. So, to please his father, he went to marry Ishmael’s daughter, one of Abraham’s sons.
It is sad to watch people just do what is right to get something back in return. They do not do it out of love and fear of the Lord. It is a transactional relationship.
REFLECTION
- How can jealousy and envy further bring us down the rabbit-hole?
