Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "the days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living." Genesis 27: 41-46 NIV
Esau is angry with his brother, and rightly so, but not right to the point of murder. He made his own choices. He despised his birthright, and on that matter he should blame no one but himself. His father should have made God's will and purpose clear to him from the beginning. Esau is in no way upset that his father would favor him over his brother, but probably resents the favoritism his own mother shows towards Jacob. He has been deceived, and Isaac has also. The actions of mother and younger brother are deplorable and wretched, but murder will not be the answer. Be angry and sin not. There is no way to justify anyone in this story by actions. They are all equally depraved.
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. Matthew 18:15 NIV
I'm not saying that all Jacob needed to do was talk to his brother; it would have been better to confront him in love, and if he did not agree then there was still no need for the deceit. Jacob needed to learn the sort of wisdom that none of us is born with. The wisdom that would suggest to and from our hearts that God is greater than this issue, and that He has forgiven much more than I will ever have to forgive. The soap box of self righteousness and the delusion of entitlement will not hold your weight. Those who seek closure and find it necessary to hear over and over again that I was wrong; you are chasing rainbows. You think far too highly of yourself, and you have not forgiven me. Why do we want those who hurt us to pay a penalty a hundred times greater than the infraction. Who am I?
Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:28 NIV
I know what you're thinking, you're not a door mat, and you are working on your self esteem. You are trying to find yourself and promote yourself, but your eyes are on yourself. You are not on the path to fulfillment but rather the path that opposes God's word. It is all to be placed in God's hands.
