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Esau and Jacob had the same parents; they were twins born of their father, Isaac, who was chosen by God, and of their mother, Rebekah, who was selected by the Holy Spirit. All that Esau and Jacob were and did are models and symbols.
Esau was born the oldest son; hence, he was the first. In the Bible, the first, in the present sense, refers to that which is natural, of the old creation, and forsaken by God. For example, the Bible calls Adam “the first man” (1 Cor. 15:45, 47), indicating that he was natural and earthy, and that the earthy aspect of his being was rejected by God. In another example, the firstborn sons of the Egyptians were smitten by God (Exo. 12:12-13), signifying again that the first is forsaken by God. Esau, born the oldest son and being the first, symbolizes the natural man, who is hated by God (Rom. 9:13).
Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; hence, he was the one most loved by his father according to the natural man. Isaac loved Esau because he often ate of Esau’s venison (Gen. 25:27-28). When Isaac was old, he still asked Esau to go hunting and make him savory meat, which he loved, so that he could bless Esau before he died (Gen. 27:1-4). Isaac’s love for Esau was altogether in the natural man and according to the natural taste. This indicates that what the natural man does by his natural strength (typified by Esau’s hunting) is the preference of one who lives in the natural life.
Although Esau was the firstborn, he despised the birthright. One day while Jacob was making pottage, Esau came from the field, and, feeling faint, he asked Jacob to give him some red pottage. However, Jacob demanded that Esau sell him his birthright before he would give him the red pottage. Esau said, “Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” Then he swore to Jacob and sold his birthright to Jacob (Gen. 25:29-34). Esau lusted after the enjoyment in the flesh, after the world and its worldly pleasures, and for a morsel of meat he sold his own birthright. Afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing of his father, Isaac, he was rejected, though he earnestly sought it with loud weeping; for he had no ground, no way, to reverse by repentance the result of what he had done (Gen. 27:30-38; Heb. 12:16-17). Thus Esau despised and lost his birthright.
Jacob was Esau’s twin brother. He struggled with Esau while they were yet in their mother’s womb (Gen. 25:22). When the time of delivery came, the two fought to be born first in order to obtain the birthright. When they were born, Jacob, who was the loser in the struggle, held on to the heel of the winner, Esau (Gen. 25:24-26). Even before they were born, God had already told their mother that the elder would serve the younger (Gen. 25:23). This signifies that God had chosen Jacob, who was born second, to be the firstborn son, and that Esau, who was born first, had failed to obtain the birthright. When the two were not yet born, before they had done anything good or bad, God chose Jacob, that the purpose of God according to selection might remain, not of works, but of Him who calls (Rom. 9:11). In the history of Jacob, the divine revelation in the Bible points out especially this aspect. Therefore, Jacob symbolizes one who is chosen by God.
Jacob, the younger of the twins, was the second. In the Bible, the second, in the present sense, refers to that which is spiritual and that which is chosen and desired by God. For example, the Bible calls Christ “the second Man” (1 Cor. 15:47), indicating that He is spiritual and heavenly, that He comes from God, and that He is God’s delight. As a second example, our regenerated man is the second man; it is spiritual, unlike the one from our natural birth, which is the first, is earthy, and is natural. Jacob, the younger son, the second, symbolizes the natural man who has been regenerated to become the spiritual man, who is loved by God (Rom. 9:13).
On the way during his escape to his uncle Laban’s, Jacob slept on a stone, which he took for a pillow, and dreamed about a ladder set up on the earth, with God at the top of the ladder, saying, “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac...and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 28:10-14). The promise that all the families of the earth would be blessed was given first to Abraham and then to Isaac; here, it was mentioned to Jacob. God gave Jacob this promise so that the promise given to Abraham and to Isaac might be established and continued in him. Therefore, Jacob was one who inherited the promise, and all his descendants also were descendants who received the promise (Rom. 9:4). The promise that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with his descendants was related to Christ. Christ is the seed promised by God in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. To become the blessing to all the nations on earth, He, as the embodiment of the Triune God, became flesh, passed through human living, accomplished redemption, died and was resurrected, and became the life-giving Spirit that He might enter into all who believe into Him to be their supreme blessing.
In Jacob we see one who struggled, one who was a heel holder, a subtle and greedy one, yet one who, under God’s dealing, was ultimately transformed into Israel, God’s prince.
Jacob was born the second, having lost to his brother the struggle in his mother’s womb. However, he continually tried to supplant his brother in order to grasp the birthright. When he seized Esau’s birthright and the blessing of his father through deception, Esau hated him and wanted to kill him. He then had to leave his parents and escape to Laban his uncle. At Laban’s place, Jacob was deceived by Laban; he served Laban fourteen years for Laban’s two daughters and six years for his cattle, and Laban changed his wages ten times. In the day Jacob was consumed by drought, and in the night by frost, and sleep departed from his eyes (Gen. 31:40-41). The competing, envying, and wrestling between his two wives, Leah and Rachel, in childbearing (Gen. 29:31— 30:24) put him in a predicament. When he returned to Shechem in Canaan, his only daughter, Dinah, was defiled by Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, and Jacob’s sons plotted to get revenge. First, his sons Simeon and Levi killed Hamor and Shechem and all the men of the city. Then, his other sons came and spoiled the city, thus causing Jacob to be frightened and troubled (Gen. 34) and to have no peace. After this, his beloved wife, Rachel, died while giving birth to his youngest son, Benjamin (Gen. 35:16-20). His concubine was defiled by Reuben, his oldest son (Gen. 35:22). Also, he was deceived by his sons to think that his most beloved son, Joseph, had been devoured by wild beasts (cf. Gen. 37). All these things caused Jacob to be dealt with severely, again and again. All the sufferings in his circumstances were used by God to deal with Jacob from all sides that he might be transformed.
Jacob’s transformation was accomplished also by God’s direct dealing. At Penuel, God in the form of a man wrestled with Jacob until dawn. God did this to expose Jacob’s natural life. Then God touched the hollow of his thigh, and he became lame (Gen. 32:22-32). This signifies that throughout Jacob’s life he was struggling with God. Finally, in the matter of Joseph’s being sold, Jacob was brought by God to a place where he no longer had any strength—he had become lame. Suddenly, he understood God’s dealing, and he was matured in life to become Israel. El in the name Israel means “God.” God gave Jacob this name to signify that he had experienced God’s dealing and had reached maturity. He was God’s overcomer, God’s prince. He was full of God’s element and became God’s expression.
Under God’s sovereignty, through the sufferings in his circumstances and through God’s direct dealing, Jacob was transformed and matured so that he became Israel. Therefore, he symbolizes one who has been regenerated and transformed.
After Jacob had become mature in life, God accompanied him to Egypt (Gen. 46:4a). According to the record in the Bible, there he did nothing but bless others. First, he blessed Pharaoh, and later he blessed each of his own sons.
In contrast to Isaac, Jacob did not bless blindly. Rather, his sky was clear and he knew the desire of God’s heart. Joseph brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to Jacob that he might bless them. He led his older son, Manasseh, toward Jacob’s right hand and his younger son, Ephraim, toward Jacob’s left hand, expecting that Jacob would place his right hand on Manasseh’s head and his left hand on Ephraim’s head. However, when Jacob stretched forth his hands to bless them, he crossed his hands. Joseph was displeased and lifted up Jacob’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head and place it on Manasseh’s head. But Jacob refused and said, “I know it, my son, I know it” (Gen. 48:8-20). Although Jacob’s eyes were dim with age, his spirit was clear. He knew that God’s desire was to place Ephraim above Manasseh. Therefore, he did not bless according to Joseph’s arrangement but according to the desire of God’s heart.
Jacob’s blessings became prophecies because his blessings were shining with light and fit in with God’s purpose. Therefore, whatever blessings he gave to his sons became God’s prophecies to them. All that is recorded in the Bible from Exodus to Revelation constitutes the accomplishing and the fulfilling of the prophecies in Jacob’s blessings.
In his old age, when Jacob heard that Joseph had been made governor of Egypt, his reactions were twofold: “his heart was numb” and “his spirit revived” (Gen. 45:26-27, lit.). His soul-life had already become dead, and his spirit and soul could be divided. When he arrived in Egypt, he did not demand anything; he only blessed others. Thus, Jacob in his old age signifies the stage of maturity in the life of a complete, spiritual man. In this respect he is unlike Abraham and Isaac, who signify only the initial stage of the experience and life of a spiritually mature person, and not the maturity of a spiritual person.
Esau, born the oldest son, the first, symbolizes the natural man, which is hated by God. He was a skillful hunter and was loved by his father according to the natural man. His father loved him because he often ate of Esau’s venison. Therefore, Esau also symbolizes the preference of the natural man. Although he was the firstborn son, he despised his birthright and sold it for a morsel of meat. Later, when he desired to inherit his father’s blessing, he was rejected.
Jacob symbolizes a chosen one. Before the twins were born and before they had done anything good or bad, God chose Jacob. Jacob, the younger of the twins, was the second. As such, he symbolizes the natural man who has been regenerated to become a spiritual person, who is loved by God. He also inherited the promise given by God to Abraham and Isaac, namely, that all the families of the earth would be blessed in Christ. Under God’s sovereignty, through the sufferings in his circumstances and through God’s direct dealing, Jacob was transformed and matured so that he became Israel. Therefore, he symbolizes one who has been regenerated and transformed. When he was mature in life, he went down to Egypt, and there he did nothing but bless others. He knew the desire of God’s heart, and all his blessings became prophecies. Therefore, he also symbolizes one who can bless others on behalf of God. Furthermore, he signifies the stage of maturity in the life of a complete, spiritual person, and in this respect he is unlike Abraham and Isaac, who signify only the initial stage of the experience and life of a spiritually mature person.
