Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: Two nations are in your room. Two people will come
Speaker 2: from you and be separated. One people will be stronger
Speaker 2: than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.
Speaker 1: Esau was a bare, large, hairy, and strong, living by instinct. Jacob, however,
Speaker 1: was a cat, smooth, controlled, and cunning. Unlike his brother,
Speaker 1: Jacob craved more than sustenance. He sought influence, wealth and power.
Speaker 3: Give me some red read. I am starving for your dessy.
Speaker 3: I have made it for you, dear brother, but I
Speaker 3: won't give it for free. What do you want? I'll
Speaker 3: give you this stew for Oh, you're both right. Your
Speaker 3: status as the firstborn son.
Speaker 4: He saw sold you his birthright. What do you mean
Speaker 4: for what price?
Speaker 3: You know as well as I do that this family
Speaker 3: is doomed, and he saws hangs. I'm doing you our herdsman,
Speaker 3: workers and craftsmen a favor. What are you scheming, my son,
Speaker 3: Nothing you haven't already thought.
Speaker 1: Of of mother.
Speaker 5: In the shadows of his blindness, Isaac's blessing falls not
Speaker 5: on the firstborn, but on the schemer, cloaked in deceit. Celloh,
Speaker 5: my friends, from here in the Holy Land, of Israel
Speaker 5: I'mya l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Speaker 5: Welcome to the Chosen People. Let's begin in the twilight
Speaker 5: of a father's life. As his sight grows dim and
Speaker 5: his whispered words hold great meaning. There unfolds a tale
Speaker 5: of longing and deceit, a story of ambition and desperation.
Speaker 5: The echo of a mother's voice shape's destiny, and a
Speaker 5: brother's cunning hand reaches for what's not his to hold.
Speaker 5: How Dewy defined justice in a world where deception masquerades
Speaker 5: as truth. Prepare your hearts, my friends, for this is
Speaker 5: the story of Genesis twenty seven one to forty six,
Speaker 5: the story of Jacob and Esau, the story of the
Speaker 5: stolen blessing.
Speaker 6: My dear Iseul, come here, my son.
Speaker 1: Come. Esau stepped lightly and knelt at his father's bedside.
Speaker 1: He observed his shaking hand reaching out to him, and
Speaker 1: the folked gaze of age. The eyes that had beheld
Speaker 1: the wonders of God were dimming. Years had not been
Speaker 1: kind to Isaac's body. Isaac held out his hand and
Speaker 1: touched Esau's arm. It was coarse with hair than tough.
Speaker 1: Isaac held it firmly.
Speaker 6: Here, I am, my son. I do not know the
Speaker 6: day of my death, but I do know my days
Speaker 6: are numbered. I don't want to spend what little time
Speaker 6: I have left eating dried lentils and almonds. Take your
Speaker 6: quiver and bow and hunt me some game. Go and
Speaker 6: make me that delicious stew, the one with the meat
Speaker 6: and the barley, something hardy for these weak bones of mine.
Speaker 1: Yes, Father, I will kill a deer for you, and
Speaker 1: we will eat together.
Speaker 6: I would love nothing more. When you return and bring
Speaker 6: me my meal, I shall give you a final blessing,
Speaker 6: the blessing of my father Abraham.
Speaker 1: Esau's eyes glistened with hope. His unfortunate deal with Jacob
Speaker 1: had left him wondering if he had lost all his privileges.
Speaker 1: The first born, Yet, Isaac was determined to give his
Speaker 1: favorite son anything he could. Esau ran out of the
Speaker 1: tent to retrieve his bow. Each stride was heavy with joy.
Speaker 1: He did not see Rebecca standing at the entrance, her
Speaker 1: eyes sharp and calculating, My sweet.
Speaker 4: And foolish Esau, my innocent and loving Isaac. Neither of
Speaker 4: you understand what these blessings mean.
Speaker 1: Rebeccah had watched Isaac's resources multiply without effort, and witnessed
Speaker 1: him narrowly escape peril. Isaac walked like a man touched
Speaker 1: by the Creator himself, but knew nothing about how to
Speaker 1: leverage such a blessing. She knew their family needed a
Speaker 1: steward of cunning and ambition, someone who could harness such
Speaker 1: blessings and turn them into tangible power. With a determined step,
Speaker 1: she moved towards Jacob's tent.
Speaker 4: This family needs a wiser steward, or else how will
Speaker 4: it reach its full potential.
Speaker 1: Ambition and cunning were Rebecca's hidden traits. To her, the
Speaker 1: only way you could truly be ambitious and cunning was
Speaker 1: to keep such things hidden, something her son Jacob had
Speaker 1: yet to learn from her. He soon would. Rebecca softly
Speaker 1: stepped away from Isaac's tent and sauntered to Jacob. Jacob
Speaker 1: was in his tent, sitting with his legs crossed, fiddling
Speaker 1: with a small box he'd made for his tools.
Speaker 4: Now is the time for you to tell me your plans.
Speaker 1: Jacob turned to his mother and gave a wry smile.
Speaker 3: What plans, mother, My only plans are to do the
Speaker 3: will of my Lord father and his God.
Speaker 4: No games, Jacob, tell me what you've been scheming.
Speaker 3: I don't scheme, I prepare. Scheming makes me sound so villainous.
Speaker 3: I love this family and I would never jeopardize it
Speaker 3: for my own gain. You know, father and Esau have
Speaker 3: treated me like an ishmaelite ever since I bought Esau's birthright.
Speaker 3: But that's only because they don't see the bigger picture.
Speaker 3: I love my brother, but he's a brute, and if
Speaker 3: this family is going to survive into the next generation,
Speaker 3: I need to see enough.
Speaker 4: Jacob, I understand all this before you is an opportunity,
Speaker 4: but you need to listen to me.
Speaker 1: Rebecca leaned in closely and met her son eye to eye.
Speaker 1: Her gaze was knowing and intense, reflecting the same spark
Speaker 1: of opportunity that Jacob had. They were the same, bonded
Speaker 1: by blood and ambition.
Speaker 4: I just overheard your father. He sent Esau on a hunt.
Speaker 4: When he returns with food, your father plans on blessing
Speaker 4: him with the blessing.
Speaker 3: Of course, Esaw is father's favorite, even though I have
Speaker 3: the birthright, he would never yield the blessing to me.
Speaker 4: True, but what if he didn't know it was you?
Speaker 4: Go on, go into the flock and bring me two
Speaker 4: young goats. I'll prepare a delicious stew for your father,
Speaker 4: that kind with a wild barley. He loves. Oh, he's
Speaker 4: too old to know the difference between a goat and
Speaker 4: a stag. I could feed him moss, and I doubt
Speaker 4: he'd recognize it. Bring him the stew and disguise your
Speaker 4: voice as Esau's. He'll think it's him and give you
Speaker 4: the blessing.
Speaker 3: It's an interesting plan, but I fear there are some holes. First,
Speaker 3: I was able to take Esau's birthright through a handshake.
Speaker 3: That way, nobody can say I stole it. If I
Speaker 3: do this, then I risk the eye of my father
Speaker 3: and my brother. Secondly, my brother is harry as a bear.
Speaker 3: What if Father reaches from me and feels my smooth skin,
Speaker 3: He'll know I'm mocking him, and I'll get a curse
Speaker 3: instead of a blessing.
Speaker 4: You won't be cursed, Jacob, And if a curse comes,
Speaker 4: let it befall me instead of you. Trust your mother
Speaker 4: and go fetch those goats.
Speaker 1: Jacob paused and looked at his mother. Her chin was
Speaker 1: slightly tilted upward and her shoulders were rolled back She
Speaker 1: was a force of a woman. Jacob loved his mother,
Speaker 1: but moments like these also made him fear her. Jacob
Speaker 1: went to the flocks and retrieved two goats. All the
Speaker 1: while he daydreamed about what it would be like to
Speaker 1: follow the line of Abraham and Isaac. He fantasized about expansion, power,
Speaker 1: and prominence. He imagined a lovely bride at his side,
Speaker 1: with seven sons at his beck and core. He imagined
Speaker 1: the heavens opening before his lush and vibrant land, and
Speaker 1: God Most High bestowing favor upon him. In all his dreams,
Speaker 1: he never thought of Esau. He didn't consider him at all.
Speaker 1: Jacob brought the goats to his mother. They skinned and
Speaker 1: butchered them. Rebecca was careful to preserve the goat's coarse hair.
Speaker 1: She laid it out on the tanning table, drying and
Speaker 1: smoothing it like fine fabric. After preparing the stew, Rebecca
Speaker 1: brought some of Esau's garments and dressed Jacob.
Speaker 4: Remember when you bring your father his stew, disguise your voice.
Speaker 3: Are you sure this will work? What if he feels me,
Speaker 3: my son?
Speaker 4: Have you learned nothing from me? I swear you're as
Speaker 4: dull as your brother sometimes think things through.
Speaker 1: Rebecca grabbed the goatskins and carefully wrapped them around Jacob's
Speaker 1: hands and neck. Jacob's eyes widened and he laughed.
Speaker 3: I should have known this is brilliant.
Speaker 4: Don't laugh. This isn't funny or brilliant. It's important you
Speaker 4: who been toying with this idea of being the favorite son.
Speaker 4: But have you thought about what it means if you are.
Speaker 4: Have you thought about the responsibilities and the weight of
Speaker 4: such a mantle. Your father is dull, yes, but he's
Speaker 4: responsible and takes his birthright seriously. When you go in there,
Speaker 4: do not play like a child. Be a man and
Speaker 4: seize what's yours and when you finally have it, except
Speaker 4: whatever comes after with courage. Yes, mother, good boy, Now go.
Speaker 1: Jacob entered loudly. He couldn't afford to be timid. He
Speaker 1: had to be esil lumbering, straightforward and loud. He looked
Speaker 1: down at Isaac, who was lounging in his bed, staring
Speaker 1: at the flickering lamp beside him.
Speaker 6: My father, here I am. But who are you, Esau?
Speaker 3: You're first born Esaw.
Speaker 2: Yes, I have done and you told me and killed
Speaker 2: deer eat my game and bless me.
Speaker 6: You hunted the game so quickly?
Speaker 1: How Jacob paused, throat tight, jaw clenched. He knew what
Speaker 1: he was about to say was wrong. Evoking the name
Speaker 1: he was about to evoke came with weight.
Speaker 3: God Most High gave me success.
Speaker 6: God most High, you say, come here, my son, Come
Speaker 6: come close so I may touch your arm. I'm having
Speaker 6: a bit of trouble believing it's really you.
Speaker 1: Jacob nervously stepped forward. He feared that Rebeccah had underestimated Isaac.
Speaker 1: Isaac's trembling hand reached out and felt the goatskin wrapped
Speaker 1: around Jacob's hands. His foggy eyes were wide with surprise.
Speaker 6: Jacob's voice, but Esau's hands, Are you truly my son, Esau?
Speaker 1: There was that term again, my son Esau. No matter
Speaker 1: what Jacob did or contributed to the family, Esau would
Speaker 1: always be his son. Isaac's favoritism affected Jacob in ways
Speaker 1: he wasn't even aware of. It was burrowed like a
Speaker 1: worm in the depths of his heart, slowly eroding his potential.
Speaker 1: Jacob was determined to rid himself of it all. If
Speaker 1: he couldn't have his father's love, he would be content
Speaker 1: with his blessing and resources. With a final word, Jacob replied.
Speaker 3: I am Esau.
Speaker 6: Then bring me the game you prepared. I would like
Speaker 6: to eat my son's game and bless him.
Speaker 1: Jacob handed him the bowl and barley loaf. As Isaac
Speaker 1: ate Jacob, his father's enthusiasm for the meal was almost pathetic.
Speaker 1: He saw Isaac's frailty, the once mighty patriarch reduced to
Speaker 1: this vulnerable state. His body had grown soft with age,
Speaker 1: no doubt, from days of sitting nights of second helpings.
Speaker 1: His beard was unkempt, and his brows were like frayed twine.
Speaker 1: It was hard for Jacob to believe that God's greatness
Speaker 1: could be upon him. Jacob couldn't see the inner world
Speaker 1: beyond the frail, portly exterior. Behind those failing eyes lay
Speaker 1: a soul of unwavering faith, a man who trusted God's providence.
Speaker 1: Jacob's journey would be marked with lessons. Having a childlike
Speaker 1: faith like his father would be one of them.
Speaker 6: Well done, he saw, well done. I am satisfied. Now
Speaker 6: it is time to prophesy and to offer you the
Speaker 6: same blessing as my father offered me. Come here and kiss.
Speaker 3: Me, my son.
Speaker 1: Jacob leaned forward and kissed his father on the head.
Speaker 1: Isaac smiled and nodded his head.
Speaker 6: Ah, yes, you smell like Esau. You are a man
Speaker 6: of the wilderness. May God give you the doo of heaven,
Speaker 6: the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine.
Speaker 6: May people and.
Speaker 7: Nations bow down to you and serve you. You will
Speaker 7: be lord over your brothers, and your mother's son will
Speaker 7: bend a knee to you.
Speaker 1: Jacob tried not to WinCE at the words. He was
Speaker 1: robbing Esau of this blessing and saving himself from bow
Speaker 1: a knee to his brother, a prize worth almost as
Speaker 1: much as the status.
Speaker 6: Curse it be everyone who curses you, and blessed be
Speaker 6: everyone who blesses you.
Speaker 1: Isaac removed his hand from Jacob's head and released a
Speaker 1: content sigh.
Speaker 6: There you are, my son, Esau, go in peace. Let
Speaker 6: this old man rest his bones.
Speaker 1: Jacob said nothing. He bowed his head and left with
Speaker 1: heavy steps. When he exited the tent, he let out
Speaker 1: a sigh of relief, guilt, and excitement. He looked at
Speaker 1: his hands and ripped off the goat skin. They were
Speaker 1: trembling shaking with a mixture of shame and satisfaction, Isaac
Speaker 1: leaned back and looked around the inside of his blurry,
Speaker 1: undefined tent. Losing his sight had provided him with more
Speaker 1: attention to turn inwards. To the best of his ability,
Speaker 1: he assessed what had just happened. All of his working
Speaker 1: senses had told him that it was Esau, but he
Speaker 1: couldn't shake the feeling that something else had happened. The
Speaker 1: suspicion didn't bother Isaac things rarely did. Instead, Isaac felt
Speaker 1: the premonition that whoever had just received this blessing was
Speaker 1: the recipient of something greater than his own. Whatever was
Speaker 1: stated would truly come to pass. Isaac was sure of it.
Speaker 1: The lids of his eyes grew heavy, and Isaac blissfully
Speaker 1: fell asleep, bellyful and heart content. This moment of peace
Speaker 1: was swiftly interrupted by heavy steps.
Speaker 3: Father, I have come back with meat, eat, and bless me.
Speaker 3: What is this about?
Speaker 6: Who are you?
Speaker 3: It is me, sire, your firstborn, I brought food.
Speaker 1: Isaac's body trembled with rage and confusion.
Speaker 6: If if, if you were my son, Esau, then who
Speaker 6: was it that brought me my meal? Who came before you.
Speaker 6: Who did I just bless you?
Speaker 3: Was not me for father, you h you have made
Speaker 3: a mistake.
Speaker 6: A mistake. No, I don't believe it was. I did
Speaker 6: not intend to bless anyone but you, Esau. But it
Speaker 6: was not a mistake. He shall be blessed. Yes, the
Speaker 6: blessing remains a prophecy. No, no, no, please, Father, I
Speaker 6: can't bear this life without your blessing.
Speaker 1: Esau's large frame shook with grief as he groveled on
Speaker 1: his knees in front of Riser.
Speaker 6: I am sorry, my son. Your brother came deceitfully and
Speaker 6: took your blessing away. The promise has been given to Jacob.
Speaker 1: Esau's hairy and large body convulsed with a mixture of
Speaker 1: rage and sorrow. He continued to shake his head in disbelief.
Speaker 1: It was all coming into focus for him. Jacob's play
Speaker 1: at his birthright was only the beginning. He wasn't after resource.
Speaker 1: Jacob wanted to usurb Esau altogether.
Speaker 3: Can you still bless me?
Speaker 1: Esau reached for Isaac's hand, but it was pulled away
Speaker 1: and he turned his head. Esau clenched his fist and
Speaker 1: pounded the floor.
Speaker 3: That snake, you were right to name him Jacob. He's
Speaker 3: auch aceiver, He's jenner ate rice.
Speaker 1: Esau stood and kicked over a pot, he scrubbling rage.
Speaker 3: He turned to his again, is there anything for me?
Speaker 3: What do I have?
Speaker 4: Now?
Speaker 6: I have made Jacob lord over you. He will have
Speaker 6: the servants, the livestock, the grain, and the winden. What
Speaker 6: left would I have for you?
Speaker 1: My son, he saw, wasn't a clever man like his brother.
Speaker 1: He lived with his belly and whims. He was impatient
Speaker 1: or creative. He was an honest brute. He wore his
Speaker 1: confusion and frustration. He bowed again, asking his father the
Speaker 1: same question, as if there would be a different answer.
Speaker 1: Tears rolled down his rugged face. If Isac could see anything,
Speaker 1: it would be a pitiful sight.
Speaker 3: Who you have at least one las thing for me?
Speaker 6: Love him? Away from the fatness of the earth your
Speaker 6: dwelling will be. You will be distant from the door
Speaker 6: of heaven. You will live by the sword and serve
Speaker 6: your brother. When you grow restless, you shall break his
Speaker 6: yoke from your neck and move on.
Speaker 1: The words were a final seal, a decisive declaration that
Speaker 1: Jacob was now the inheritor of Isaac's promise. Passed down
Speaker 1: from Abraham through Jacob, the blessing of God most High
Speaker 1: would endure.
Speaker 6: Ah.
Speaker 3: I you will hunt and kill him like the stag.
Speaker 1: Esau stormed out of the tent and looked around, his
Speaker 1: eyes narrowed with a hunter's intensity. He grabbed his bow
Speaker 1: and arrow, searching frantically for his twin.
Speaker 3: Jacob one, calm out your cold.
Speaker 4: You the.
Speaker 6: You don.
Speaker 1: Esaor drew out his blade and cut his hand. He
Speaker 1: raised his fist to the air, blood dripping from his palm,
Speaker 1: down his arm and onto the dirt.
Speaker 3: When father is gone and I put him in the dirt.
Speaker 1: I will have my revens.
Speaker 6: I will kill that trest tardy.
Speaker 1: Leaning on a beam beside the tent was Rebecca. Her
Speaker 1: eyes widened with panic. She fled to the edge of
Speaker 1: the hills near the pastures where Jacob would often wander
Speaker 1: to think. She had to warn him before it was
Speaker 1: too late. It was late, and the faint glow of
Speaker 1: dusk dissolved, giving way to the brilliance of the night sky.
Speaker 1: Jacob couldn't stop trembling. His calm, cool demeanor was replaced
Speaker 1: by an anxious excitement, or perhaps excited anxiety. Jacob wasn't
Speaker 1: sure which. His body all of a sudden seemed foreign
Speaker 1: to him. He felt as if he were still wearing
Speaker 1: the clothes of another man, and they didn't quite fit.
Speaker 8: Not yet.
Speaker 3: What Now? I have the birthright and the blessing? But
Speaker 3: what do I do with them? Where do I go
Speaker 3: from here?
Speaker 1: Jacob heard stories of Abraham's encounters with God most High.
Speaker 1: He remembered hearing tales by the fire, sagas of visions,
Speaker 1: angelic visitations, and meteors falling from the sky.
Speaker 3: Will you show me yourself? Will you speak with me
Speaker 3: as you did with my forefathers?
Speaker 1: Jacob gazed at the stars longingly, awaiting an answer. The
Speaker 1: reeds rustled softly to the breeze. The faint scent of
Speaker 1: jasmine wafted up. Jacob breathed it all in, sure that
Speaker 1: he would hear something. Then, cutting through the silence, he
Speaker 1: heard a voice Jacob. Jacob felt violated by the sound
Speaker 1: of his mother's voice. Annoyed, he turned back and shouted,
Speaker 1: what is it?
Speaker 3: This is my place to think, mother? What are you
Speaker 3: doing here?
Speaker 4: Esau knows he is beside himself.
Speaker 3: I suppose we should have expected that. I'm sure he'll
Speaker 3: hate me for a time and didn't find comfort in
Speaker 3: the arms of his Hittite bride.
Speaker 4: He's finding comfort in his plans to kill you what
Speaker 4: heesaw would never He's made a vow to kill you, Jacob.
Speaker 4: I heard it.
Speaker 1: Panic jabbed at Jacob's legs. He was shaking, agitated, ready
Speaker 1: to run.
Speaker 8: What do I do?
Speaker 3: Mother? What do I do? Mother? What do I do? Mother?
Speaker 3: Tell me what to do?
Speaker 4: Flee to Laban, my brother in heron. You can stay
Speaker 4: with him until your brother's fury does Maybe with time
Speaker 4: he'll forget what you've done to him.
Speaker 3: To come this far and to have it end with
Speaker 3: me fleeing like a dog. It just doesn't seem right.
Speaker 3: Should I just stay and fight him?
Speaker 4: You think you can fight that man.
Speaker 3: He may be a bear, but I am no lamb.
Speaker 3: We're twins, and I have just as much fight in
Speaker 3: my bones as he does.
Speaker 4: Out of the question, I won't be bereft of both
Speaker 4: of you. Go to Laban. I will send word to
Speaker 4: you when I feel it safe.
Speaker 1: Jacob looked past Rebecca's shoulder and down to camp torches
Speaker 1: illuminated the quiet, serene atmosphere. Household members prepared the meals.
Speaker 1: Children danced around the lamp stands, and the faint sound
Speaker 1: of liars hummed along side crickets. It was all his,
Speaker 1: but he couldn't have it.
Speaker 3: He had to flee. Will it be here when when
Speaker 3: I return?
Speaker 4: If the promise made to Abraham stands.
Speaker 1: It will Jacob wrapped his mother in his arms. They
Speaker 1: remained locked and embraced for a long while, knowing that
Speaker 1: there was a chance it was their last time seeing
Speaker 1: each other. Jacob wiped his eyes and puffed out his chest, then,
Speaker 1: without looking back, fled into the wilderness. Rebecca slowly entered
Speaker 1: her husband's tent. He recognized her scent as she walked,
Speaker 1: in the aroma of jasmine and rosemary. But Isaac could
Speaker 1: send something else in the air. Rebecca was disquieted and agitated.
Speaker 1: He could hear her pacing the room. Anxiety leaked from her.
Speaker 1: It made the air hard to breathe in.
Speaker 3: What is trup you?
Speaker 1: My love?
Speaker 4: Jacob's gone?
Speaker 3: What?
Speaker 6: Why? After all that has happened?
Speaker 4: He knows I loathe my life because of the hit
Speaker 4: eyed woman Esau married. He's left to go find a
Speaker 4: bride of his own. If he marries one of those
Speaker 4: hitt eyed women, one of those dust dwellers, then there's
Speaker 4: no use in living at all.
Speaker 1: Rebecca was diverting Isaac's attention.
Speaker 6: Come here, my love, my sweet Rebecca.
Speaker 1: Isaac innocently reached for her. She sat by his side.
Speaker 1: He lifted a trembling hand to her hair and stroked
Speaker 1: her cheek.
Speaker 6: No matter what comes, I trust to God Most High
Speaker 6: will provide. He always provides. Sometimes in the final hour
Speaker 6: he responds to our our silent prayers. Have faith, my
Speaker 6: little dove, just as I have.
Speaker 1: Rebeccah's face softened. She loved Isaac. She loved his innocence,
Speaker 1: his trust, his faith. Her world was filled with spiderwebs
Speaker 1: and lies, woven to trap and coerce. Yet his world
Speaker 1: was one of truth and trust. It was a simple world,
Speaker 1: one of blessings and gratitude. Even though he had just
Speaker 1: been deceived by his son to slight another, Isaac didn't
Speaker 1: have the slightest bit of worry on his face. Jacob
Speaker 1: was out there in the cold wilds, running for his life.
Speaker 1: But if the blessing of Isaac was true and trustworthy,
Speaker 1: then Rebeccah had no need to fret. God Most High
Speaker 1: went before him, paving the way for him. To be great.
Speaker 5: Have you ever read a Bible story that means makes
Speaker 5: you uncomfortable, that makes you squirm, that leaves a not
Speaker 5: in your stomach. This dramatic story inspired by Genesis twenty
Speaker 5: seven is one of those for me. It's a tale
Speaker 5: of trickery, family dysfunction, and betrayal in ancient drama that
Speaker 5: could easily be a modern day soap opera, and it
Speaker 5: makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable.
Speaker 3: This is the Bible.
Speaker 5: Isaac, old and nearly blind, wants to bless his eldest
Speaker 5: son Esa. This blessing is more than just words. It's
Speaker 5: a sacred, powerful act that will define the future forever.
Speaker 5: But Jacob, with his mother's help, steps in with deceee.
Speaker 5: Can you imagine the weight of that moment? Esa, the
Speaker 5: one who should have received the blessing, is left with
Speaker 5: tears and anger, begging for something, anything from his father.
Speaker 5: But the deed is done. The blessing, irrevocable, has been
Speaker 5: given to the wrong son, and it makes me think
Speaker 5: about the messiness of families. We often romanticize Biblical families right.
Speaker 5: We imagine them as paragons of virtue and faith, But
Speaker 5: the truth is they're just as flawed and broken, as
Speaker 5: families are today as families have always been. Isaac's favoritism,
Speaker 5: Rebecca's scheming, Jacob's deceit, Esau's bitterness. These are all real,
Speaker 5: raw human acts and human emotions, and this story makes
Speaker 5: me think about consequences, most specifically the consequences of deceit.
Speaker 5: We know that everything is divined, that the stories and
Speaker 5: the scripture and the words of the Bible are God's will.
Speaker 5: They're not just by chance, but we also have to
Speaker 5: look at it with eyes that we have today. Jacob
Speaker 5: gets what he wants, but at what cost. He gains
Speaker 5: a blessing, but loses his brother and compromises his character.
Speaker 5: He wins his father's favor, but he must flee his home,
Speaker 5: and Jacob's actions have ripple effect that affect generations to
Speaker 5: come that still.
Speaker 3: Affect the world.
Speaker 5: So what do we do with a story like this, Well,
Speaker 5: it deserves a reminder of God's grace. Despite the deception
Speaker 5: and dysfunction, his plans move forward. He works through broken
Speaker 5: people and messy situations to bring about his purposes, and
Speaker 5: this story reminds us that while our actions do have consequences,
Speaker 5: redemption is always possible, even when we've messed up, even
Speaker 5: when we've heard those we love most. This story from
Speaker 5: the Scriptures reminds us that God can still work in
Speaker 5: and through us. Now, let's dig a little deeper into
Speaker 5: this Bible story that's both unsettling and very helpful. The
Speaker 5: one question everyone asked when they read the story is
Speaker 5: didn't Isaac see that wasn't deserving of this blessing, the
Speaker 5: blessing of ensuring the continuity of the Chosen People. In
Speaker 5: the thousands of years since this biblical blessing was made,
Speaker 5: many answers have been suggested to this question, but maybe
Speaker 5: the simplest answer is the best one, certainly the one
Speaker 5: I connect to most. It says that Isaac blessed the
Speaker 5: son he thought was Esa because Isaac loved Esa very much,
Speaker 5: and sometimes left can blind us to reality, can't it.
Speaker 5: We see this in the very first verse of this
Speaker 5: story too, when Isaac was old and his eyes were
Speaker 5: so weak that he could no longer see. Maybe Isaac's
Speaker 5: physical vision wasn't the only thing that was impaired. Maybe
Speaker 5: his emotional vision was also clouded as he looked at
Speaker 5: the situation with his Tupel of its sons. This is
Speaker 5: a hard lesson for all of us to learn, isn't it.
Speaker 5: But we need to try to try and face reality
Speaker 5: even where love to see the hard things also in
Speaker 5: people that we love, to be able to see the
Speaker 5: flaws and shortcomings also in people we love and decide
Speaker 5: what to do in it. Even if a holy man
Speaker 5: like Isaac struggled with being blinded by emotion, then all
Speaker 5: of us need to work on thinking and seeing clearly
Speaker 5: and logically as well. Maybe that's just one of the
Speaker 5: many lessons that you can take out of this story.
Speaker 5: But despite Isaac's vision being clouded, we do see that
Speaker 5: he is suspicious from the star. First, Isaac asks how
Speaker 5: his son was able to hunt food to eat so quickly,
Speaker 5: and then Isaac asks to touch his son to make
Speaker 5: sure that the sun before him is the correct son.
Speaker 5: The Jewish sages have a beautiful insight into Isaac's suspicions.
Speaker 5: They point out that when Jacob, disguised as Esau, answers
Speaker 5: his father question about the speed of his hunt, he
Speaker 5: replies with this quote, The Lord, your God gave me
Speaker 5: six says end quote. The sages note that Isaac finds
Speaker 5: it strange that esa who had never mentioned God would
Speaker 5: give God thanks for a successful hunt. And Isaac also
Speaker 5: finds it strange that in verse thirty one, Esau says,
Speaker 5: and I quote, please sit up and eat some of
Speaker 5: my game end quote, because Isaac knows his son Esa,
Speaker 5: and he knows that Esa would never say please.
Speaker 3: You hear it in that verse.
Speaker 5: The verse says, please sit up and eat some of
Speaker 5: my game, But Isaac knows Esa would never say please,
Speaker 5: so it was kind of a sign that it wasn't
Speaker 5: really him. This is a wonderful and deep lesson for
Speaker 5: all of us. Isn't it that we can often tell
Speaker 5: a godly person by how they speak, by the words
Speaker 5: that they use, that we have to pay attention to
Speaker 5: detail that we have to go with our gut. A
Speaker 5: godly person will speak of God with thanks for what
Speaker 5: they have. Godly person will speak pleasantly and say please
Speaker 5: and thank you. Let's all of us, my friends, as
Speaker 5: people who strive to be like God. Let's try to
Speaker 5: acknowledge God with our speech. Let's reflect His image in
Speaker 5: our godly words. But when it comes down to it,
Speaker 5: the story of Jacob andisa is one of birthright. In
Speaker 5: Bible times, birthrights were more than an inheritance, they were
Speaker 5: an identity and a destiny. In Hebrew tradition, the birthright
Speaker 5: belonged to the firstborn son, who received a double portion
Speaker 5: of the inheritance and assumed leadership of the family upon
Speaker 5: his father's death. The youngest child often played a secondary role,
Speaker 5: living in the shadow of the firstborn. The resulting tension
Speaker 5: between oldest and younger sons is a reoccurring theme in
Speaker 5: the Bible.
Speaker 3: Have you seen it?
Speaker 5: From Cain and Abel to Joseph and his brothers to David,
Speaker 5: the youngest of Jesse's sons anointed king over his older brother.
Speaker 5: When you read scriptures, it's filled with sibling rivalry, and
Speaker 5: Jacob's story is part of this reoccurring biblical theme. He's
Speaker 5: the younger son who, through questionable means, steps into the
Speaker 5: role traditionally reserved for the firstborn. And Jacob's story isn't
Speaker 5: just about family rivalry. It's about divine sovereignty. God's choice
Speaker 5: of Jacob over Esau aligns with his larger plan and
Speaker 5: his conventional promises. Let's expand on that with the trusted
Speaker 5: voice of Bishop Paulineer.
Speaker 8: Thank you y'all, well, I'm gonna go ahead and warn
Speaker 8: you that this chapter twenty seven is really wrenching. Isaac
Speaker 8: was really a non confrontational kind of person, onen't he.
Speaker 8: And yet his boys, his twins, they were contending violently
Speaker 8: against each other, even in their mother's belly. And this
Speaker 8: sibling rivalry is really somewhat of a constant theme or
Speaker 8: motif we find in the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian scriptures. You,
Speaker 8: of course know we've talked about Cain and Abel and
Speaker 8: Isaac and the smile, and this Jacob and Esau and
Speaker 8: with daughters sisters. We'll see Rachel and Leah, Joseph and
Speaker 8: his brothers. In that chapter, we'll read multiple times that
Speaker 8: his brothers hated Joseph. Of course, Moses had issues and
Speaker 8: drama with his sister Miriam, and his brother Aaron and
Speaker 8: David with his brothers. And when we get to the
Speaker 8: Christian scriptures, John the Apostle, one of the sciples of Jesus,
Speaker 8: one of the writers of a gospel. This John shares
Speaker 8: with us that Jesus' own brothers didn't believe in him
Speaker 8: for a while. And here, when we are looking at it,
Speaker 8: seems like Isaac is thinking about his own legacy. Read
Speaker 8: the first words of chapter twenty seven, you'll get the
Speaker 8: feeling he's starting to feel perhaps a bit of his
Speaker 8: own mortality. But he actually lives on into chapter thirty five.
Speaker 8: I wonder, when I look at this story, could these boys,
Speaker 8: these twins have actually been intended by God to be
Speaker 8: a double portion of blessing through Isaac that the spiritual
Speaker 8: enemy of our souls was determined to sabotage. Later on
Speaker 8: we'll see this. Jacob lay his own hands on his
Speaker 8: own sons, two sons, Jacob ul lay his hands on
Speaker 8: his grandsons, Ephraim and Manassa in a blessing moment, and
Speaker 8: together they become heirs of land.
Speaker 3: Together.
Speaker 8: To the Christians listening, Jesus prophesied something very painful, and
Speaker 8: I'm going to share with you that characteristics of complete
Speaker 8: surrender is when intimacies become enmities.
Speaker 4: Wow.
Speaker 8: Now this is really painful. But Jesus says in Matthew
Speaker 8: chapter ten that we shouldn't even imagine that he came
Speaker 8: to bring peace, though we claimed the words that he
Speaker 8: is the Prince of peace, and he loved the children
Speaker 8: in all these sweet moments. But he shares with us
Speaker 8: that devotion to him will inevitably bring division against some
Speaker 8: of the most precious relationships of our life. That some
Speaker 8: of the greatest anguish and most bitter disagreements will come
Speaker 8: with people with your last name, some who believe exactly
Speaker 8: what you believe, just not as much as you believe it.
Speaker 8: Jesus said, entire families will be bitter and broken against
Speaker 8: one another, but that is part of our complete surrendered
Speaker 8: to him. Well, I want to pause and pray. I
Speaker 8: want to pray for my own family, your family, our legacy,
Speaker 8: our generations, our descendants and posterity, that they will continuously
Speaker 8: search out ways to oh undergird one another and not
Speaker 8: under mine one another.
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 5: One of the lines from the Story That Always Struck
Speaker 5: Me finds Isaac confused. It says, he hears Jacob speak,
Speaker 5: but he feels Esau's hairy arm, and he utters the
Speaker 5: famous words quote the voice is the voice of Jacob,
Speaker 5: but the hands are the hands of Esau.
Speaker 3: End quote.
Speaker 5: I leave you today, my friends, with a bit of
Speaker 5: insight from the ancient teachers.
Speaker 3: The power of.
Speaker 5: Jacob's voice is because it's a voice of prayer. But
Speaker 5: the power of Esau's hands, the hands of the ancestor
Speaker 5: of oppressor's who destroyed the temple and exiled the Chosen People.
Speaker 5: The power in Esau's hands was the power of destruction.
Speaker 5: From these two brothers, we see the choice to use
Speaker 5: our voice in prayer or our hands in destruction. How
Speaker 5: often do we see this still today, this conflict between
Speaker 5: the power of prayer and the power of evil, the
Speaker 5: power of destruction. Let us all continue to be on
Speaker 5: the side of that holy voice who calls out in
Speaker 5: prayer to the God who always did and always will
Speaker 5: bless his Chosen People.
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with y Isle
Speaker 1: Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey
Speaker 1: dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only
Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike ray Wigan, Stephen Ringwold,
Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore,
Speaker 1: music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin,
Speaker 1: kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship
Speaker 1: of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot
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