The Triune God: The Son II

Twin brother Esau's name in honor high,
Would be better known in world discourse,
Had he not sold when Jacob tricked to buy
The birthright to sire Judah, Jesus' source!
Who but Jacob would wrestle God all night,
And not let Him go at the break of day?
God made him Prince of Heaven; gave him right
To be named Israel, to get away!
The nation named for him began anew,
In modern times, in nineteen forty- eight;
They cheered Jacob, who gave a bowl of stew,
For the right their race to initiate!
The world sees his name in news ev'ry day;
It could gave been Esau, known in that way!

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers, grandsons of Abraham. The oldest was Esau; he was born first, with Jacob close behind, holding Esau's heel. The firstborn son had the birthright to inherit all his father's possessions in those days; it was a really big deal. He would have been the holder of God's covenant with Abraham, to become the sire to give birth to the whole nation of Jews; or Israel, as it is known today. His mother Rebekah was partial to Jacob, and she helped cook up a scheme to have blind Isaac give Jacob the blessing instead of Esau (See Genesis 27). As a result, Jacob fathered the twelve sons, each of whom originated a tribe of the Israelites.

Jacob had to flee to excape revenge from Esau. On his return trip home, after he had two wives and much wealth, he spent the last night by himself by a brook by the ame of Jabok. A stranger came up and began wrestling with him. They struggled all night. As dawn was breaking, Jacob's adversary asked Jacob to let him go. He would not, demanding to know who he was. It was God Himself; he touched Jacob in the thigh, and it crippled him for life. He changed his name to Israel, and the descendants of Jacob are known as Israelites. The nation was named Israel. In 1948 the United Nations gave Israel a small piece of the land they had once owned, and a second nation named Israel was instituted. That honor could have been Esau's, had he not been tricked out of it by his brother.

The blessing that God put in Abraham's covenant was that his descendant would be Jesus, the Son of God. That was the major honor that Esau lost to Jacob. God chose Jacob's descendant race as His Chosen People. The whole Bible is the story of how God created the universe and man; man promptly disobeyed God, and He condemned them all to hell. But He had known in the beginning this would happen, and He planned to enter the race of men as a man, live a sinless life, and to take upon Himself the guilt of all sin. In that way, God provided a way for any man or woman to escape condemnation and be saved to enter heaven rather than hell. He gave man free will to choose which way he wanted to live---for God, or ignoring God---and it was Jacob's race He chose to give birth to Jesus. In too brief a nutshell, this is why I urge you to choose to follow God; look into the Bible; ask questions; do not ignore this wonderful opportunity. When you die, it will be too late.