And the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,?Two peoples shall be separated from your body;?One people shall be stronger than the other,?And the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. Genesis 25:23-27
God specifically told Rebekah that she will bear two sons, and the older (Esau) shall serve the younger one (Jacob). God had already chosen Jacob to take the lead in his family.
In the time of delivery, Jacob grabbed the heel of his brother in his mother’s womb as he was being born. His personality as a grabber was already coming through. A grabber is one who tries to push others aside to take their place or steal the attention. As we see through the scriptures, Jacob had a competitive nature that made him driven and impatient with God’s plan for his life, and that became more evident as he grew older.
But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” Genesis 25:31
Esau came home famished one day, and Jacob took advantage of the opportunity by making an agreement with him to sell his birthright. This was the first time that Jacob took the matters in his own hands and tried to get something that God would have eventually given him had he been patient. The fact that Esau didn’t value his birthright allowed Jacob to get away with his action and snatch the birthright without a fight or an argument!
Jacob was a shrewd man who knew how to seize the moment and ensure his interests were served in a particular situation, but just with most opportunists one victory made him more bold in his future endeavors!
When is the line crossed from being diligent to being an opportunist?
If we try to take something that rightfully belongs to another we have crossed the line. If we are only working harder, so we can outshine others, then we are in a competitive mode. That’s when we are not working as unto the Lord but as unto man because we want to take the first/best place. Sometimes we make the excuse that we are smarter, more capable, and more diligent than someone else, but none of those reasons justify taking something that doesn’t belong to us. Stealing someone’s reputation or creating doubt about the person in other people’s hearts is just as bad as stealing something from them.
The Lord has his way of fulfilling his promises that will make us be at awe of Him! On the other hand, if we try to make them happen in our own efforts, we can open the door to the demonic realm and create much evil in the atmosphere!
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
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