Deliver Us from Us: Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23; 28:10-17 - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

For as much as Christians talk of “biblical family values,” the chaos and dysfunction we encounter in many biblical families is enough to give even the most seasoned TV talk show host a run for the money. 

The most common form of family dysfunction is the is sibling rivalry. The first of these is between Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, with Cain murdering Abel out of jealousy. The next rivalry was between Esau and Jacob, the fraternal twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau is born first with Jacob clutching at his heel. Their differences were stark: Esau’s tiny body was covered in red hair. He would grow up to be a skilled hunter and man of the woods, while Jacob kept close to home. Esau’s strength was physical, while Jacob’s strength was in his wits and cunning. From a very young age, Jacob exploited every relationship to his advantage, such as when he convinced Esau to sell his birthright for a bowl of red stew. 

Photo by Thor Schroeder on Unsplash

Unsurprisingly, the parents played favorites. Isaac favored Esau for his physical strength and hunting skills. Rebekah favored Jacob because he stayed close to home. Things went on like this for years until Isaac fell deathly ill. He asked Esau to go hunting and bring him back something good to eat, after which he would give him the divine blessing which he received from his father, Abraham.

Once Esau leaves, Rebekah sees an opportunity: she dresses Jacob in Esau’s clothing and hairy goatskins and tells him to give his father the food she prepared. Isaac is blind at this point. Even though he recognizes Jacob’s voice, once when he feels the hairy garment Jacob is wearing, he unwittingly gives Jacob the blessing. 

When Esau learns of the deception, he’s enraged. Isaac can’t take the blessing back and give it to him, just like you can’t unbaptize someone. Esau vows to kill Jacob, forcing Jacob to run for his life with only the clothes on his back. 

His first night on the run, he’s in the desert of Paran, where he falls asleep on the ground with a stone for his pillow. This is when the Lord appears to him in a dream. The Lord assures Jacob of his promise to his parents and grandparents to make them a great nation and bless the world through them. Jacob awakens and with confidence says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!” This God-forsaken desert was not so God-forsaken after all. Nor was Jacob

And that’s quite a gift for Jacob, considering that this is a crisis of his own making. In Jacob’s defense, it isn’t exactly fair that firstborn sons inherit the lion’s share of their parents’ property, but that’s the way it was. But that doesn’t make it right for Jacob (and his mother) to scheme Esau out of what was his. And I would add that Esau gets the short end of the stick even with God. Why did God choose Jacob over Esau? I wouldn’t have judged one to be morally superior to the other until Esau vowed to kill Jacob, though he never followed through with his threat. Overall, this whole situation is one gigantic mess.

This whole situation reflects our need for God to save us from our sin—and not just from its eternal consequences, but from the rivalries we create by our self-seeking ways. Yes, we need to be saved from evildoers, but we need to be saved from the self-righteousness and greed that make us enemies to each other. 

When you pray “deliver us from evil,” that includes the evil without and the evil within. 

Thankfully, God does not leave us to perish in the messes we make. Rather, God is present with us. God still calls us. God still uses us. And God still blesses. 

You are not a child of God because you are great. You are a child of God because God is great. The only way you can become who you are called to be is by God breaking your pride, shattering your illusions of superiority, and by disciplining you for the wrongs you commit. You and I need repentance just as much as “those people,” whoever they may be. Christianity is pointless if we profess God’s love for all people, but hold grudges, harbor prejudices, and treat others as though we’re better than them. The love of God cannot abide in the heart of one who treats the other as an enemy to be conquered and exploited.

Jacob is about to get a taste of his own medicine when he agrees to serve Laban for seven years, in exchange for marrying his younger daughter, Rachael. Once those seven years are up, Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah, and makes him work for another seven years before he can marry Rachael. He also learns Esau has become too powerful a man to have as an enemy. Therefore, Jacob must make amends with Esau. 

Actions have consequences, but so do our attitudes and dispositions towards each other. 

In the same way, we all are going to have to deal with the enmity and resentment we have for people. Some people are enemies because they are evil. Reconciliation with such people may be impossible, and often dangerous. But if you see life as war with us versus them, you do not have the mind of Christ.

The Kingdom of God is not a triumph of us versus them. It’s a triumph of righteousness over evil; of peace over war; of justice over selfish gain. It is inclusive, not exclusive. It’s about reconciliation, not rivalry. 

Jacob never needed to exploit and deceive those closest to him to experience blessing. All he needed to do was to trust God and the promise God made to his grandparents, his parents, and now to him. What about you? If God is for you, who can be against you? Christ died for you. Your sins are forgiven. Your life is in God’s hands. The neighbor is not the enemy. Sin and death are. Thanks be to God for Christ who give us the victory and makes us one body in him.