Between the title cause and reality
between cause and reality
Genesis 25:19-34, 4th Sunday after Pentecost, July 10, 2011
Jacob was the most prolific among the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Abraham and Joseph were no less than him, but it is difficult to follow Jacob. There are many reasons for this, and one of them is that they had many children. I have 12 sons. These twelve are the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. They must have several daughters, but only one name is Dinah in the Bible. The saying that there are no windy days in a house with many children fits the Jacob family perfectly. He lived while seeing many things that could not be seen, and after many twists and turns, he grew old and went to Egypt to die. The fact that his life was miserable can be seen from Jacob's answer to the question of Pharaoh's question of how old the old man was, saying, "We did not live up to the age of our forefathers' sojourners, but they had a rough time" (Gen. can.
The story of Jacob told in Genesis 25:19-34, the text of today's sermon, can be said to be a harbinger of the harsh years that he will have to live in the future. Two episodes follow one after another. The first story is the story of Jacob's birth. Jacob was born as twins. It is said that a brother and a brother fought in the womb of his mother Rebekah. Whether fighting or playing is up to you to express yourself. It is said that Isaac, who brought this matter to God, had received an answer from the Lord that the older would serve the younger. During childbirth, the younger brother grabbed his brother's heel. This can't actually happen. Like I said that the fetus fights moving in the mother's womb, wouldn't it mean that he grabbed his heel when he saw his brother come out almost at the same time? The biblical writer tells the story of the fact that the hierarchies of older brothers and sisters are reversed.
That fact is embodied in the second episode. The twins grew up to be adults. Esau, who became a hunter, spent most of his life in the fields and mountains, while Jacob, who was a quiet person, spent most of his time at home. There is a lot of work, both inside and outside the house. Each one can live according to his own taste. His father, Isaac, liked Esau, a hunter because he liked meat, and his mother, Rebekah, seems to have liked Jacob, who helped with household chores. It is such a harmonious family. One day something happens. That same day, Esau came back home tired from hunting all day. When Esau saw Jacob making red bean soup, he asked to eat some red bean soup. Then Jacob asked for the birthright instead of red bean porridge and bread. Esau is dying of hunger, so he accepts Jacob's proposal, saying, "What is the need for the firstborn's civilization?" A transaction has been established between the two. Esau went out of the house to eat red bean porridge and rice cake without hesitation. The biblical writer evaluates him this way: “For Esau was light in his birthright” (Genesis 25:34).
potter's authority
What do these two stories mean? The story itself is a bit absurd. It is a funny story about grabbing the twin brother's heels or the brothers selling their birthright with red bean porridge. Moreover, if we compare the older brother Esau with the younger Jacob, Esau is much more attractive as a human being. It seems plausible that he is not attached to the cause of the eldest son. When Jacob intercepted the ceremony of his father giving the eldest son a blessing, Esau shouted loudly that he would kill his younger brother. The Bible does not explain whether he actually intended to kill or if he was merely out of anger. When Jacob escaped from his brother and went to Haran for 20 years, when he returned, Jacob was so worried that his brother's anger might not go away. In fact, when we met Esau, he treated his younger brother like blood and flesh. Jacob is a person who takes advantage of others' weaknesses and is good at deceiving. He also cleverly hijacked his uncle Laban's fortune. These things are proof of what his humanity is like. If I were to be a friend, of course I would choose Esau. But the biblical writer says that God chose Jacob. Why?
What attitude should a man take before God, who acts beyond human thoughts? The answer is clear. It is obedience to open your heart to God's thoughts without falling into your own thoughts. As in Esau, being hungry is not falling into reality, but opening your heart to the birthright. Don't get too hung up on the word firstborn here. The eldest son presupposes the family relationship in ancient society. In the ancient Jewish society, the inscription of the firstborn is directly associated with God's blessing. They thought that the position of the firstborn was the way of blessing. Maintaining the birthright meant maintaining a relationship with God. When Esau took lightly the birthright, it meant that he took his relationship with God lightly. God cannot love such a person. Not because Esau was immoral, nor because his humanity was insignificant, but because he disregarded his relationship with God, he had to be excluded from God's choice. This is the judgment of the biblical writer.
realist
What should I do? It will be difficult for individuals to escape from this trend. This is because even if you know that the birthright's cause is important, only things that are beneficial to reality can be seen right now. There is no other way. The best way is to deepen your spiritual realm. It is religiously fertile. It is a deep realization that the way to true life is to follow God's will, not to be engrossed in the immediate benefits. It points to the way of composition and practice.
Finally, to all of you on this path, I would like to share the words of Jesus. Don't worry about what you will eat, what you will drink, or what you will wear. That is what the Gentiles seek. Gentiles refer to foolish people who seek what God knows all about. Just like Esau. We are not Gentiles, but people who have come to know what is eternal and true life through Jesus Christ, have believed in it, and are waiting for the day when that life is realized. Be courageous, even when the conditions of life are difficult. Live like a courageous person. Don't be arrogant, even if you have enough. Live like someone who is not proud. Whatever our circumstances, we believe that only the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our salvation. Amen.