Abraham was a spiritual man, a walking ocean of spiritual influence splashing up on everyone he encountered. Isaac was a spiritual man, but by comparison his tiny cup had a sip of water left in the bottom, evaporating all too quickly. God was a personal friend of Abraham, but Isaac was merely a distant cousin. Which means most of us would struggle to face what he did half so well.
Isaac did manage to stay in the land, and God prospered him for it. However, Isaac liked all the wrong things. We are told Esau was a big game hunter, and his behavior indicated he was barbaric and uncivilized, utterly dead in the spirit. Jacob had a conscience, but was a weasel. That Isaac doted on the big game hunter shows he did not understand God's model of greatness was shepherd, not hunter. Earlier references to Nimrod, the great king and hunter, carried an edge of disgust. It's impossible to imagine Isaac did not know of the prophecy regarding his sons, but he tried to get around it. Had he been obedient, he would vested Jacob with ceremonial covenant rights, and Esau could have kept the earthly blessings of prosperity. Instead, Esau showed contempt for anything beyond his next meal, and forfeited all rights. Isaac still planned to ignore this and vest Esau as his favorite.
Yet, Isaac was spiritual enough to understand he must not let Jacob stay in the land. By custom, Isaac was obliged to execute Jacob for his deceptive dealings, but he finally surrendered to God's will in the end. Jacob left the land no better than Isaac had been.
Jacob was a very carnal man in his own right, and his first approach to God was on the human law level. He would agree to make God his lawful sovereign in exchange for the basic necessities of life. That's pretty much what the Law of Moses was about, and the intent behind the Covenant of Noah. Notice he imagined God was somewhat rooted geographically, as if this was merely his tribal deity, the god of that particular place.
He went away a pretty decent man, somewhat repentant of his slick dealings with his brother. Instead, he was subjected to abuse of a far slicker con man, even as he learned to become honest. His domestic tempests became a fundamental reason God later outlawed any man marrying two sisters. Still, God did not allow all this petty rivalry to hinder His will. The man came back home with a stature of his own, rather like Abraham had when he came down from Haran. He was now ready for an encounter with God to raise him to a spiritual level, and a name change to Israel.
His latter dealings with Esau were not from fear, but a knowledge of Esau's nature. It would have been a sin to entangle his future with such a man. In passing, we note where the troublesome Edomites come from, and why they were so evil. They came from Esau, the epitome of anti-spiritual manhood. Still, Jacob never completely rose to real manhood himself. His sons were awfully rowdy, largely because he was an unwise father, too visibly partial. They suffered from a very uneven quality, on both the human and spiritual levels.
Meanwhile, in the background we note the Canaanites were nearing the climax of their wretchedness. God gave them rope to hang themselves, and it was necessary to move the covenant family away from this filth until they had reached the state they justified another Flood. However, God had promised to use human law to judge sin after Noah's time. First, He had to prepare a lawful people who were fit to wield His Law on the earth. We note the problem was not simply lawlessness, but a very Satanic religious culture.
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By Ed Hurst
13 April 2009
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