Anyone who’s had (or even known) twins has experienced how solidly they weigh in on the “nature” side of the nature/nurture debate. Same womb, same food, same schedule, same home and parents, and yet how different their gifts and inclinations turn out to be!
In the case of Jacob and Esau, we find a fairly predictable division. The older boy Esau is a “man’s man,” and his dad’s favorite. Together they spend hours in the field tracking animals and doing all the things guys do when they get to be guys. Jacob, in turn, lives out the stereotype of a “Momma’s boy”—even emerging from behind her apron strings to cook the family meal. Just my guess, but she probably scratches his back at night.
But in the reversal that is so typical of good storytelling, it’s the “weaker” twin, the second born, the domestic one, who manipulates Esau out of his birthright. The details are sparse, but he basically appeals to his older brother’s appetite to exert his own “soft power”—a bowl of lentils—and emerge victorious.
In my reading this time, I’m torn between two responses to this story. Does it bring a word of encouragement to those on the underside of systemic power in our own setting? Does it wink at those who’ve been been denied opportunity or inheritance in our world because they’re ill-equipped with the “strength” our society values?
Or does this story bring more of a message for the Esaus among us—those who’ve been told we’re entitled to have it all. Might Jacob’s cunning serve as a reminder that even our birthright is marked with vulnerability? Might we do well to know our appetites—the ones that might get us in trouble?
- Do you relate more to Jacob or to Esau in this story? Why?
- Where does your power lie? What’s your greatest vulnerability? How do you deal with it?
- What other details did you notice in today’s reading?
Prayer: We take much for granted, O God—our health, our relationships, our well-stocked pantries. Show us where we’re vulnerable, that by your spirit we might find strength. Amen.
Breath Prayer: One shall // be stronger.
