"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:8-10).

These three verses tell us much about the family of Jacob. We know that he was the second son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. We know how deeply his family was effected years before he was born by an event that, though seemingly small at the time, began the unfolding of the purpose of God in the Christ and the divine plan of redemption for the whole of our race. That event was the call of Abraham, away from his kindred, his country, and his father’s house to dwell as a nomadic shepherd prince in a "land not his own," in a tent. Because of his faith and his desire to obtain a home in the eternal city, Abraham answered that call, and as a result, he received promises from God, that of his seed God would make a great nation, and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through that seed.

Isaac and Jacob shared in that vision of faith, and it was Jacob’s faith in particular that made him an important part in the unfolding of those promises.

Jacob’s birth came during Isaac’s middle age. He was 40 when he married Rebekah (Gen. 25:20), but it was another twenty years before she bore him children (vs. 26). After Isaac prayed on behalf of his barren wife, twins were conceived, and that is where trouble began. The text tells us, "And the children struggled together within her. And she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of Jehovah" (vs. 22). Evidently her discomfort was a sign of things that God planned to do with her sons, for in answer to her inquiries verse 23 says, "And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people. And the elder shall serve the younger." Sure enough, Esau was born first. He came forth red and hairy, and as he grew, he became "a skilful hunter, a man of the field" (vs. 27). Then came Jacob who was fair and smooth-skinned. It is said of him that he "was a quiet man, dwelling in tents." Esau, the outdoorsman, was the favorite of his father, and Jacob was the favorite of his mother.

When Esau was born, Jacob, though still in the womb, had hold of his heel. Though the etymology of the name "Jacob" is not as clear as it we would like it, it is understood to mean either "one that takes by the heel," or "one that supplants." It didn’t take long for Jacob to validate his name. One day Esau came in from the field, he was hungry and faint, so he asked Jacob for a serving of the red pottage that he had been boiling. Jacob agreed if Esau would sell him the birthright of the first born. Esau’s thought was, "Behold, I am about to die. And what profit shall the birthright do to me?" (vs 32). The birthright involved a double portion of the inheritance (Deut. 21:17), and the son who received became the chief of the clan (Gen. 27:29). The last statement of Genesis 25 tells us, "So Esau despised his birthright" (vs. 34).

Esau sold his birthright, but the blessing was stolen from him. In Genesis 27, Isaac asked Esau to kill a deer and fix for him a meal of venison so that he might eat it and give Esau the blessing. Though the blessing was connected to the birthright, it was not the same thing. The blessing was a passing on of the promise made to Abraham, that the recipient would inherit the land that was promised (Gen 27:28-29; 28:4). Esau, feeling the sting of the loss of the birthright, was anxious to do as his father requested. But Rebekah conspired with her favorite to steal the blessing from him. She fixed a platter of goat meat from two kids with the notion that Jacob would pretend to be Esau, and Isaac who was virtually blind would bless him in Esau’s stead. So that Isaac would not feel the smoothness of Jacob and realize that he was being deceived, Rebekah put the hairy skins of the goats on the back of Jacob’s neck and on his arms, then she clothed him Esau’s clothes. The deception worked and Jacob received the blessing of the father from Isaac.

When we look at Jacob and Esau, we see two very different men. At this point in time, I would like to say that Jacob’s heart was good like Abraham’s and Isaac, but I can’t. Jacob’s taking advantage of Esau’s hunger was not an act of goodness, and he recognized the deception involved in stealing the blessing (Gen. 27:12). Why then did God choose Jacob over Esau, the older brother? From the beginning Jacob place a premium on the birthright and the blessing. When he saw the opportunity to obtain that which he treasured, he did what he had to do.

Esau, on the other hand, is described in the scriptures as a profane person. "Lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears" (Heb. 12:16-17). Esau was a profane person, that is, he regarded that which was holy as unholy or common, so that he was willing to trade it for something as little as a bowl of pottage. Because the things of God were not treated as precious, they were lost forever to him. Jacob was chosen over his brother Esau on this account.

Would we sell our birthright? The reason the writer of Hebrews says what he does is that God knows the distractions the devil puts before us. Going to heaven has got to be the most important thing to us. Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field" (Matt. 13:44). Going to heaven is worth anything that we might do to get there. What is so important that it comes before?

Jacob used deceit to obtain the birthright and the blessing. We cannot obtain our birthright except through the truth. We should learn from Jacob, not his sinful method, but his desire to obtain the promise of God. It is only with that desire that we will reach "the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God."