It is not easy to wait. We are used to getting things quickly. The internet has made it possible to get almost any information we want immediately. When it comes to ordering things online, I find myself getting impatient if it does not arrive at my house within a day.

Today we begin our study of the second half of the book of Genesis. In chapter 25, we meet Isaac’s son Jacob, a man who would learn a lot about waiting upon the Lord. Before he was born, Jacob’s mother Rebekah noticed something odd happening in her womb. Distressed by this, she inquired of the Lord who granted her a prophetic oracle, “Two nations are in your womb...one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (v. 23). Against all expectations, God told Rebekah that the younger would be the leader of the family and receive the Abrahamic promise.

Although Jacob and Esau were brothers, they did not have much in common. Esau loved the outdoors, hunting, and an active lifestyle, while Jacob was more of a homebody (v. 27). Esau was his father’s favorite, while Rebekah preferred Jacob (v. 28).

The passage ends with a brief story that characterizes both brothers. Esau is portrayed as thoughtless and driven by appetite. He came in from hunting famished and begged his brother for some stew (v. 30). To get it, he was willing to sell his birthright (vv. 32–33), one of the most significant and valuable rights that he possessed. And he traded it for a meal! Jacob, on the other hand, is portrayed as cold- blooded and calculating. Rather than having compassion on his brother, he used the opportunity to get ahead (vv. 31–33). Instead of waiting upon the Lord’s timing, he grasped for position through his own efforts.