Brothers' Ancient Prophecy Unfolds
- Michael E.B. Maher
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Genesis 25:21-26 Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. (22) But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the Lord. (23) And the Lord said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." (24) So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. (25) And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. (26) Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
We have seen thus far that the Israelis are the descendants of Jacob and the Palestinians are the descendants of Esau. And so as we go through this section we will see how this particular truth explains much of the conflict we see taking place in the Middle East today. The passage quoted above recounts what the Lord said about the twins before they were born. The two nations referred to in this passage are the Israelis and the Palestinians. The Lord tells us in this passage that the older twin would serve the younger, and one of the twins would be stronger than the other, implying that the younger twin would be the stronger of the two. This prophetic statement was not fulfilled during the lives of the two brothers, for the older brother Esau, never served Jacob, and scripture also suggests that Esau was actually the stronger of the two.
This prophetic statement was partially fulfilled when Esau’s descendants (the Edomites) became subject to Jacob’s descendants (the Israelites) after King David conquered them, as recorded in 2 Samuel 8:13-14 and 1 Chronicles 18:12-13. The Edomites remained under Israelite control for approximately 150 years, from the time of David's conquest (around the 10th century BC) until the reign of King Jehoram of Judah, when the Edomites successfully rebelled and gained their independence once again (2 Kings 8:20-22). Isaac prophesied about Edom’s rebellion when he blessed Esau, stating that Esau’s descendants would not only serve Jacob’s descendants, but they would also eventually rebel and break their yoke of slavery (Genesis 27:40).
Genesis 27:26-29 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near now and kiss me, my son." (27) And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. (28) Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. (29) Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!"
The passage of scripture quoted above recounts the moment when Jacob deceitfully obtained Esau’s blessing from their father, Isaac. What I want to emphasize from this passage is Isaac’s original intention to make Esau the master over Jacob. However, due to Jacob’s deception, their roles were reversed, and Jacob became Esau’s master. This reversal reinforced the Lord’s prophecy given before the twins were born.
As I have already mentioned, this did not happen during the lifetimes of the two brothers. However, we can see this prophecy being fulfilled today in the descendants of the two brothers. For Israel is certainly stronger than the Palestinians, and in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank, Israel exercises dominion over the Palestinians, relegating them to the status of second-class citizens.
Genesis 27:32-40 And his father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" So he said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau." (33) Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, "Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him--and indeed he shall be blessed." (34) When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me--me also, O my father!" (35) But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing." (36) And Esau said, "Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!" And he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" (37) Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?" (38) And Esau said to his father, "Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me--me also, O my father!" And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. (39) Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above. (40) By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck."
The passage of scripture quoted above recounts the moment when Isaac realised that Jacob had deceitfully obtained Esau’s blessing from him. The section I want to highlight from this passage is verse 40, where Isaac makes four prophetic statements about Esau’s descendants, i.e.
· They would live by the sword.
· They would serve Jacob’s descendants.
· They would eventually become restless.
· Finally they would break Jacob’s yoke from their neck.
As we will see in this section it is extremely significant that the first three prophetic statements are being fulfilled in Esau’s descendants today.
Firstly, Esau’s descendants have begun living by the sword; for ever since 1948 the Palestinians have been in conflict with Israel.
Secondly, Esau’s descendants have begun serving Israel; for in the occupied territories Israel exercises dominion over the Palestinians, relegating them to the status of second-class citizens.
Thirdly, Esau’s descendants have started to become restless; for the Palestinians have begun to rebel against their Israeli masters. The first Palestinian uprising took place between 1987 and 1993, with significant protest activity in Gaza[1]. The second Palestinian uprising took place between 2000 and 2005, forcing Israel to withdraw its settlements and military presence from inside Gaza[2]. Continued Palestinian protests and conflicts in Gaza and the West Bank occurred between 2006 and 2021, culminating in the current conflict we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank today.
The fourth prophetic statement however, has not yet been fulfilled, for although the Palestinians have become restless, they have not yet broken Israel’s yoke from their necks. In other words, the Palestinians have not yet achieved their ultimate goal, i.e. national independence.
Michael E.B. Maher
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