Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ He answered, ‘I am.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Wednesday, September 18, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
And this is God’s chosen. This liar and cheat who, spurred on by his mother (but you can’t blame her—he did not once question the morality of her plan to fool her husband), dressed up like his brother and stole what belonged to him.
If I can find anything redeeming about this with my modern eyes, I can point to the fact that primogeniture is entirely unjust. Why should Esau, by accident of birth, get the largest portion of the inheritance, and the (apparently only one-time) blessing of his father? Why should anyone, by accident of birth, be given inexhaustible resources while others have to settle for less, or even not enough?
I’m not advocating theft, dishonesty, or cheating, of course. Only that it’s okay—in fact it’s essential—to step back and critically examine cultural practices that unfairly favor one person or group of people over another. At the time, this was probably Jacob’s only option, and Rebekah knew it, especially because, as a woman, she knew that she herself had even fewer. Let’s keep our eyes open for the things around us that need to change so that everyone has an opportunity to flourish.
What privileges do I enjoy based on factors of my life I have no control over?
