Wrestling with Esau (The Jacob Within Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Jacob was the grandson of Abraham. He was Isaac’s second son, but God chose him above his older brother Esau, before he was even born, to carry on the lineage of his grandfather (Romans 9:10-13). Yet Jacob spent his entire life wrestling with his brother, his uncle, and even God Himself. Jacob’s epic wrestling match with his brother is where we will pick up today.

Background

Jacob and his brother Esau were twins, born minutes apart. But by virtue of being the firstborn, Esau inherited the familial birthright. The value of the birthright included headship over his siblings, an inheritance far larger than his brothers, and many other benefits. But from the day of his birth, grasping the heel of his older brother, Jacob sought to usurp Esau.

First, he exacted Esau’s birthright from him in exchange for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-33). Then Jacob pretended to be his older brother and robbed Esau of Isaac’s deathbed blessing for him (Genesis 27:1-40)! These acts sent Esau into an insatiable rage that he only controlled by vowing to murder Jacob once their father passed away (Genesis 27:41).

Jacob was forced to flee to a far away country and stay with his uncle for twenty years. On his way back to his family and his homeland, he sent word to Esau that he was coming back, and Esau marched out to meet him with four hundred warriors galloping in his wake.

This story resonated with me during our present-day situation. We have two parties divided by deep wounds: one side filled with quaking terror, the other with burning anger. The only natural resolution seems to be violence, but I believe we can glean some knowledge about the right path to reconciliation from Jacob’s encounter with his older brother.

Appeasement

Jacob’s first response was to send his brother a bribe. He sent Esau “two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, ‘Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds'” (Genesis 32:14-16 NIV).

The gift that Jacob sent Esau was of immense value back then. It was like the twelve days of Christmas with the first present being a priceless, gold Rolex and it only getting better from there! But Esau didn’t send a messenger ahead to thank Jacob for this lavish gesture. As these presents arrived, he set them in tow behind him as his warriors galloped closer.

In parallel manner, neither trinkets nor tokenism can heal the damage of hundreds of years of slavery nor can it fix decades of police brutality. At worse, these gestures can inflame those they are trying to appease.

Damage Control

Next, Jacob divided all he had into two camps thinking, “‘If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape'” (Genesis 32:8 NIV).

This strategy may possess a shred of hope in an open space where one has room to flee. But where do you run when your locked in the same cell as your executioner? Black people, white people, and police officers are all Americans. We are bound by our shared heritage. Further, the riots and property damage that have already bubbled up show that mitigation can only go so far in quelling the furious masses.

Conclusion

At this point in the story, it seems like Jacob was just waiting to be slaughtered. Esau arrived the next morning with his army of warriors, and Jacob went out to meet him. He bowed before his brother seven times, not sure if he’d live to see the next hour, but Esau’s response is remarkable. He ran to his brother and hugged him (Genesis 33:4)! The Bible never explicitly says what transformed Esau’s boiling rage to gushing affection, but it is clear he needed to see his brother face-to-face.

If these past several weeks, these past several decades even, have revealed anything, it’s that the ugly beast of racism cannot be ignored, appeased, or contained. We must come to one another, face to face, and dialogue if we are to ever embrace brotherhood.

“’Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.'”

(Matthew 5:23-24 NIV)