The Red One

There are many fascinating people in the Torah, and their stories are rich in the language of haRuach. Today we will look at Esau, the twin of Ya'akov (Jacob). Esau was the elder son, this means that he was the natural heir to the blessings of Abraham. But, as the biblical firstborn tends to be, Esau was a spoiler. He did not love the birthright blessings more than life itself, nor did he fear alone the God in whose name the blessings were issued. Hence the need for one who would cherish and protect the blessings. Hence the need for Ya'akov, the twin who came clutching the heel of Esau and who lived to inherit the favor of God. According to the narrative the conflict between these two counterparts began well before they were born. The struggle between the two was fierce from the womb. And, with good reason; in the language of haRuach Esau represented the flesh of man while Ya'akov represented the spirit. In this story of twin brothers we are given a look at the the foundational struggle within the life of mankind. It is the tale of flesh warring with the spirit. The name Esau is said to mean 'hairy' and tells us not only of Esau's physical features but of his carnal mindset which had him esteeming and pursuing the natural world. The name tells us of one whose focus is not Spirit but flesh. A reference to this hairy concept can be seen in the story of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who became hairy and beastlike for seven years as a result of his pride and disobedience to God as he valued the natural world over spiritual truth. (Daniel chapter 4) The name Esau comes from the word 'asah' which means: To do, fashion, accomplish, make. And, this points to a person who lives a (religious) works based life. If we are as Esau we will work in order to accomplish, we will hunt and not tend, we will seek to take from our surroundings rather than add to them, and we will not value our birthright gift of God's blessing. In the narrative this firstborn, Esau, is linked to the color red, time and again: He was born reddish. Genesis 25:25 The food he took in exchange of his birthright blessings was red. Genesis 25:30 The land he came to inhabit was primarily red rocky desert. That land came to have a name which means red, the land of Edom. And, interestingly, that land of Edom (red) was also biblically known as Seir (hairy). How would you like to live in a place which could be called Hairy Red Land? Esau himself became know as Edom, red. "Esau... therefore was his name called Edom." Genesis 25:30 So, Esau's life was tied into things red. And for a reason, as we shall soon see. What else can be learned from this new name of Esau's? In Hebrew the name Edom is nearly identical to that of Adam, the first man. Adam was another firstborn spoiler who sold his birthright for a tasty treat. In Adam's case it was a nibble of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil which saw his birthright and standing before God removed. While a reddish pottage was sufficient enticement for Esau. Both firstborns were brought low and lost their birthrights by improperly consuming that which was found in the physical. But, thank God for the supplanters, the ones who were second in line for the blessings are the ones who saved the day for all. In Esau's case it was Ya'akov who valued the birthright ever so highly. And, in Adam's case it was Yeshua, biblically called the "second Adam", who came to redeem the birthright of mankind. When looking at the story of Esau it is impossible to avoid studying his younger twin, Ya'akov. Ya'akov's name means "supplanter" or "heel". He received that name as he was born clutching the heel of Esau. This act has great significance. First of all, God, by allowing Ya'akov to be born clutching the heel of the Esau, allowed Ya'akov to tie himself into the birth of the firstborn. This second point comes hot on the heel of the first and it ties the stories of Adam and Edom (Esau) tightly together. After Adam and Eve had their run-in with the serpent and the three were being judged by the Almighty God had the following to say to the serpent: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:15 God was saying the redeeming 'second Adam" would one day come to crush the head of the serpent with his heel. But, Ya'akov was born holding the heel of Esau. The Lord was showing us that Esau's (portraying the flesh) heel would not be the the one to crush the serpent. Ya'akov was withholding him. The crushing of the serpent's head was to be Ya'akov's (portraying the spirit) job. In holding Esau's heel Ya'akov was saying, "No brother, the serpent is mine to crush." And, the Messiah did, indeed, come from Ya'akov's line. And, the name Ya'akov does mean 'heel' remember? How amazing is that?

In both names 'Edom' and 'Adam' we see the Hebrew word for blood present, that word is 'dam'. This word is a sub-root for both Adam and Edom. And, blood, too, is red. This, in fact, is a very important issue which brings the struggle between the twins into a clearer light as the Bible tells us that the soul is in the blood. "for the soul of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11 DBY The conflict which exists between the twins, Esau and Ya'akov, is the conflict of flesh and spirit warring over control of the soul. The flesh, as portrayed by the 'red blooded' Esau, claims ownership and tries to dominate the soul. But, the one that represents the spirit, Ya'akov, is the one which struggled to receive the blessing of the firstborn and eventually did. Now, according to scripture, the double portion inheritance goes to the firstborn. The scriptures are telling us the spirit receives the double portion and is to control two parts of the triune man, the spirit and the soul. While the body, the physical which lost the struggle, only received control over itself. Praise God! The carnal body will not inherit rulership of the soul! No matter how red (Edom, Adam, dam=blood) the blood may be. Paul alludes to this in Romans 12:1-2 as he tells us to present our bodies (our Esau) to be living sacrifices that we would be transformed by the renewing of the mind (the soul). "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:1-2 However, before we unashamedly bash the firstborns of the Bible we need to look at the circumstances surrounding their falls. Shortly before Adam's sad actions his wife had just committed a suicidal sin. Could we think for even a moment that such an act would have been of no effect on Adam? His wife had just destroyed herself and all that she was. Of course Adam was affected and the resulting actions he took in falling from God following Eve's demise were a direct result of her self destruction. And, what of our Esau? Let's just see what the narrative tells us. "Now Jacob cooked a pottage, and Esau came from the field, and he was faint.And Esau said to Jacob, "Pour into [me] some of this red, red [pottage], for I am faint"; he was therefore named Edom." Breishit (Genesis) 25:29-30 TJPCT "And Jacob said, "Sell me as of this day your birthright. Esau replied, "Behold, I am going to die; so why do I need this birthright?" Breishit 25:31-32 TJPCT The Bible paints the picture of Esau being truly exhausted, spent, famished, and weak. Esau was, in fact, close to physical collapse at the time he met Ya'akov cooking that delicious pottage. Just reread the previous verses. Esau was so weak he even needed help to eat. He asked Ya'akov to, "pour into me now some of this red, red pottage". Esau was so weak Ya'akov had to pour the pottage into Esau's mouth! And, furthermore, when we read Esau saying, "this red, red pottage" we read the words of a man so exhausted and tired that he could barely communicate. He was doubling his words, "red, red" exactly like a parched wanderer in the desert would say, 'water, water'. And, in the original Hebrew text the word 'pottage' doesn't even exist in Esau's supplication. In Hebrew the famished Esau just says, "red... red" being too weak to utter more than the essentials. After Ya'akov puts an outrageously high price on the pottage and basically holds Esau hostage over the meal Esau sells his birthright by saying, "Behold, I am going to die; so why do I need this birthright?". Esau was more than just a little hungry at this point, he was in trouble. And, his thinking honestly was 'What good is a blessing if I won't be alive to receive it?' The narrative doesn't portray Esau as a flippant squanderer or as a nasty sort who had no reason to do what he did, but like the other red one before him (Adam) Esau (Edom) was dealing with a serious matter of a life or death experience at the time his blessing was lost to him. So, let us not be too hasty in judging our dear red friend. What then was the issue which had Esau change from being heir apparent to being 'air' apparent? Alright, here is the crux of the matter, and the reason why Esau lost the blessing: He didn't have faith! Esau didn't have faith in God. If Esau would have had faith in God he would have known beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would not have been killed by any means. The blessing was a multigenerational blessing, and as such, Esau couldn't have died until he had heirs himself. However, by not trusting fully in the Word of God Esau buckled under trial and tribulation. The cares of this world overcame the fleshly minded and good intentions could not save what a lack of faith destroyed. The scriptures tell us without faith we cannot please God. Esau proves the literal application of this fact. The faithless man gave up the promises and the blessings which were his inheritance. Don't be like Esau! No matter how difficult the situation may appear to be hold fast to the grace and blessings of God promised to you in Moshiach Yeshua. Scorn not your birthright in Yeshua. Yes, the way to the birthright may entail challenges and obligations, but the blessing will be seen manifest in the life of the believer, but not in the life of the quitter. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6 Esau's twin, Ya'akov, on the other hand, had a huge trust and faith in the Word of God. Ya'akov went to great lengths and extreme measures to both receive and conform to the blessings of God. This is seen in the way he went to the extremely odd measure of placing the appropriate type of wooden boarding before Laban's mating flock to help himself believe that God would bless him in increase. Genesis 30:30 Ya'akov wrestled with the angel to receive his blessing. Only a man with a trusting faith in God's life preserving power would dare to wrestle an angel! Genesis chapter 32 The fact that Esau and Ya'akov are twins and are in various ways reflections and completions of each other, being images of body and spirit, is also a central feature in the story; as is the fact that Esau’s nature is linked by word origin to blood, soil, and the food for which he exchanged his birthright. Hebrew tradition tells us that the differences and separation of Esau and Ya'akov led to facts that will be resolved in time, after effort, suffering, and the softening of hearts. In the Hebrew original we can see that the word for twins (tamim) is derived from the root word 'tam'. And, that it is related to the word 'thumim' (the precious stones on the breastplate of the high priest which are translated literally as “perfections” but more commonly as “reflections” when the word, thumim, is translated at all. The word “twins,” first mentioned in the Torah regarding Jacob and Esau is thusly associated with perfection and lights and with the precious stones on the high priest's breastplate. The Hebrew root word for twins, 'tam', also carries the meanings of: simple, honest, naive, and integrity. A perfect picture of the way Adam (man) was before the fall when all things were 'shaleim' (whole). These two twins, Esau and Ya'akov, represent the flesh and the spirit of man striving for different things in a divided and fallen world. Throughout the Bible we read of the feud which rages between the two a feud which lived far beyond the days of the twins. A few examples of this follows: The Edomites refused to allow the children of Israel the right to passt through their land when they approached from Egypt. Numbers chapter 20. In the book of Obadiah we read of how the Edomites gloatingly rejoiced over Israel's captivity. Obadiah chapter 1. We see the reach of the Edomite hatred of Isrel extending into the New Testament with King Herod of Judea. The noted historian Flavius Josephus tells us that Herod was of Edomite descent. The same Herod was responsible for the slaughter of the Jewish children of Bethlehem as he sought to destroy the young Yeshua. Matthew chapter 2 To this day, the Chassidic Jews see Edom (Esau) as one of the greatest enemies of Israel. In their songs about the 'red one' and in their teachings about the Edomite the story of the rivalry between the dissimilar brothers is well alive. In the following verses Paul tell us of the impossibility of the fallen flesh (our Esau's) becoming the inheritor of the ways of God... but it sure loves to try: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1 Corinthians 15:50 "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Galatians 5:17 This story of the twins illustrates to us the Hebraic view of free will expressing the character of persons and altering history. Against nature Esau chose to give up what was intended for him; and Ya'akov, against all odds, received that which was not his.

Don't be like Esau, honor the gift of grace and trust in the blessings of God!