Esau's Struggle: Genesis 28:6-9
A deep understanding of how our sin affects our relationships can be the biggest impetus for forgiveness and moving past the effects of sin. It isn’t easy to see our sin play out. It isn’t easy to understand our part in breaking relationships in the world. Often, though, it is the difference between perpetuating sin and being transformed out of it.
There are several intriguing details to the story about Esau’s third marriage. The prevailing attitude is to see this as a final act of defiance perpetrated by a man looking for a target of his anger because his preferred target has been removed. People propose Esau goes to Ishmael and marries one of his daughters because he is angry and desires to spite Rebekah and Isaac with a third distasteful marriage.
The prevailing opinion could certainly be right. Prevailing opinions frequently are correct. Esau is clearly upset by the blessing story and Isaac and Rebekah send Jacob away to ensure he is clear of Esau’s wrath. Esau could be looking to repay that action with more irritation.
There’s another possibility, though. Perhaps Esau woke up because of his parents’ action. When they sent Jacob away, perhaps it was Esau’s opportunity to realize how his anger impacted the family. Perhaps Esau decides its time to think about someone besides himself.
Esau sees how his marriages to the Canaanite women displeased his father. He comes up with a plan. Jacob was sent away to find a wife among Rebekah’s family, which makes sense because Rebekah favored Jacob. Esau tries to follow his parent’s lead and find a wife among his father’s family. Esau goes to Ishmael, his father’s half-brother, and finds a wife.
This spin on the story shows Esau’s action in a different direction. Esau might not be as rebellious as he originally seems. He may be trying to honor his father in his own way. Esau takes a wife from among the kin of Isaac’s brother.
It’s hard to know Esau’s true motivation in this act. The Bible does not give Isaac’s response to the marriage, nor does it give Rebekah’s response. However, after twenty years Jacob comes back to Canaan and Esau doesn’t hold a grudge. That forgiveness starts somewhere. We’ve no proof that it starts here, but it is possible his marriage to Ishmael’s daughter is the first step on the road to reconciliation.
Contact with the consequences of our words and actions is always an important step. For us to overcome our sin, we need to find reconciliation. For us to reconcile our sin with others and within ourselves, we need to understand the effects of sin. There is no need to be mean about it. There is no need for it to be vindictive. But there is something to be said about understanding how our sin affects others. A deep understanding of how our sin affects our relationships can be the biggest impetus for forgiveness and moving past the effects of sin.
