There is so much that I don’t even know from where to start, maybe the right place is the beginning, well the continuation of the beginning. In chapters 25 to 35 I was able to realize that one of the most important theme or what we see the most is family. The Lord said to Rebekah “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25: 23) and that is for sure what happened. Their names where Esau and Jacob, and their story I pretty much like Cain and Abel´s only this one has a brighter ending. Everything started because Jacob was being treated better by his mother than Esau and then little by little things started to get complicated, until the point where Jacob became the one who was in charged.
One day, Isaac told them he was very old and wanted to eat something and then give him his blessing, but because Rebekah wanted Jacob to be the one to be blessed she made him obey her and tick his father to bless him instead of his brother.
Jacob was actually a good guy, just dumb enough to follow every single thing his mother said. Yes, we do have to be obedient but it is obvious that if our parents are telling us to do something that’s not really good, we have to understand that they are not perfect and that sometimes we have to intervene and open their eyes. If Jacob had done something like that, things would have probably been different. Rebekah had said: “Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. “ (Genesis 26: 8) and because Jacob obeyed his mother so much, he left, just like what she had instructed him to do, and he journeyed and fell in love.
Yes, another love story, this one seemed to be a really good one until things started to get a little out of control. Her name was Rachel and Laban was her father. He told Jacob that if he wanted her he would have to work for her, seven years. He was madly in love, and like anyone would have probably done for their other half, he worked and waited seven years. “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” (Genesis 23: 20) Isn’t that just so lovely? Well, the time passed and he asked for her, Laban got everything ready and even made a feast, but instead of giving him Rachel, he gave him Leah, his other daughter. I think that is just the most selfish thing ever. He just wanted to take advantage of Jacob so he could get what he wanted and not have to work so hard, plus maybe he probably didn’t want to have to give this daughter away anyways. But Jacob, after so long of not giving up he would have probably became a better, more perseverant and patient person.
But Laban didn’t, so he made him work for other seven years so he could get Rachel, as if she was some sort of prize, why did have to be so self centered on himself and couldn’t help with others happiness?
After fighting so much to finally be with the one he loved, God, I believe was unfair. How could he not let Rachel have children after all he knew they had already been through? Because “when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.” (Genesis 10: 1) I don’t really like this, why would she die if she didn’t have kids, that just sad, I thought that they wanted was to be able to be together because they loved each other, not because they were going to make a family. Well, maybe that was part of what contribute to their happiness, but why die if they couldn’t have kids, instead they should try to live a happy life with one another, now that they finally were together.
The sad thing, is that he doesn’t only have Rachel as a wife, or is she the only mother of his children because (yes, they were able to finally have kids latter on) but he had also other women and other kids. He actually had many and it makes me wonder, if he worked so hard to be with Rachel because he loved her or was it because something else? I think that if it wasn´t because of true love, then there was really no point in working so hard to one day actually be able to be with her.
After so long, Esau and Jacob meet again. This reminds me of Gilgamesh and how at the beginning Enkidu and Gilgamesh embrace and kiss, right after they have met and fought, but even though they don’t fight or met for the first time, they still do those things… It’s like it was a secret handshake or something back then.” Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept” (Genesis 33: 4) and that wasn’t all, they were so happy to see each other again, and Jacob was probably feeling guilty, that he gave back the blessing to his brother, who should have had it in the first place.
At the end we see how their stories intertwined and how at the end of such a long story, there was a big family, but after all it was God who had said: “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.” (Genesis 35: 11)
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