Day 11: Genesis 31, 32 and 33

Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. (Genesis 33:4)

Let’s face it, Jacob was the nerd and Esau was the jock. While Esau was out hunting, Jacob leveraged a bowl of soup against his brother’s hunger for a double portion of the inheritance. Then Jacob – mama’s boy all the way – cooperated with his mother’s plan to cheat Esau out of his blessing too. No surprise, his wheeling and dealing led to a death sentence of sorts, and he hightailed it out of Dodge to save his life. He found a safe haven working for his uncle, which gave him not only room to breathe, but also time to start a family and amass considerable wealth of his own.

Now, twenty years after cheating Esau out of his birthright, Jacob returns home. How will he be received by the brother who swore to kill him?

In reading this chapter, one might be tempted to say, Happy ending! But this is not the end of the story. Esau settled his extended family in the hill country of Mt. Seir, near the southern tip of the Dead Sea, to the south and east of Israel. Esau got a bowl of soup; Jacob got an inheritance, and their descendants were enemies for a thousand years. Was it worth it?

Ever congratulate yourself for taking advantage of a sweet deal only to find out later the price was higher than you originally thought?