Greed And Envy Damage Families: A Look At Jacob
Every family has experienced some level of sibling rivalry, but Esau and Jacob are the poster children. In the womb, these boys could not get along. In life, the fighting continued. Genesis 25:31-34 show us how dangerous greed and envy can be.
Esau was the older of the two boys. As the eldest son, tradition held that he would get the family birthright. He was considered second to his father, Isaac, and he had special privileges. Upon his father’s death, he was also entitled to a double portion of the family estate.
Since Isaac was also an heir to God’s promise to Abraham, this also put Esau and his descendants in line to inherit God’s promises.
While the temporal benefits held some value, God’s promise was priceless. This promise was a great honor, and even Jacob could see the value of such an inheritance. He was determined to …