It’s been nearly ten months since the election of Barack Obama in November of 2008. At the time of the election I was writing a series of pieces comparing the election to the story of the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau, in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles – I called this series STEW.
Like most everyone else who voted for Obama, I was in a state of amazement as I watched his acceptance speech on the night of the election (you can read about my reaction in my STEW election-break posting called “STEW: Part Three – Welcome to the WE generation” ) and ended up pausing the series while I worked on other things.
After a long break, we continue the story…
The story of these two brothers begins in The Book of Genesis, chapter 25, and today we pick up the story in verse 25 and continues until verse 34…
The Twins – Jacob and Esau
The Book of Genesis tells us about the Patriarchs of the Hebrews – the first three males of a divinely chosen people and a line of blessing that will culminate in God’s Eternal Kingdom with His Messiah on the Eternal Throne – and it starts with three generations of one human family; beginning with Abraham – the Father of Faith, his son, Isaac – The Child of Promise and then Jacob, who became Israel, the Father of the Twelve Tribes.
Now Jacob, the third of The Patriarchs, was born with a twin named Esau. [You can find the story in Genesis 25:21-28] and they wrestled violently in the womb causing their mother, Rebekah (played by Madonna in a previous episode) great distress and pain during her pregnancy.
When she inquired of The Lord why her pregnancy was going so bad The Lord told her:
“Two nations are in your womb;
And two people shall be separated from your body;
And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger.”
When she gave birth, indeed she had twins – the first child to be born was Esau, who was already covered with red hair, followed by Jacob, holding onto the heel of his twin Esau.
It’s important to note that there is a tradition that believes that Esau was so restless in the womb that he was literally trying to fight his way out of Rebekah and if Jacob hadn’t held him back Esau would have killed his mother in an effort to be born early, and that is why the struggle in the womb and why Esau came out first with Jacob holding his heel.
This tradition could also explain why Jacob was his mother’s favorite son.
Esau grew up to be a hunter and outdoors-man, was a very hairy man and dreamed of moving to Alaska; while Jacob grew up a peaceful, smooth-skinned man and dreamed of going to Washington DC.
Now, in those days and according to their customs, the first-born male got the entire inheritance – everything – land, animals, money, servants… and in this family it also came with the Divine Blessing that Abraham had first received for El Shaddai, The Almighty God. In this case, that meant that Esau, by birthright, was entitled to the complete inheritance when Isaac died.
Jacob understood this very well, and Esau really couldn’t care less…
One day Esau (played by John McCain, poor, sold-out John McCain) came back from hunting and smelled something delicious cooking. Following his nose he found his brother Jacob cooking a pot of red lentil stew. “I’m starving, let me have a swallow of that red stuff…” he told his brother, and Jacob, not being in a giving mood, said, “Sell me your birthright first.”
Esau, letting his appetite overcome his good sense, figures that a birthright is worthless to a dead man, and agrees.
After making Esau swear an oath, Jacob served him some stew and bread, which Esau ate quickly and then went on his way.
Little did Esau know that El Shaddai, who watches over everyone, saw what Esau had done and heard the oath Esau made, and knew that Esau despised his birthright, and had also despised The Almighty God.
It reminds me of a couple of years ago when The Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup…
The only sport I watch is hockey, which is strange for a Southern California native. People usually ask me if I’m from Canada when I start talking hockey – and I can talk hockey!
But what it means being a hockey fan in California is the reality that your team will never, I repeat, NEVER, win the big prize. NEVER…
Oh the seasons I endured as a young Kings fans. I listened to every game on the radio during the gold and purple days of the 70′s.
I had a poster on my wall of Rogie Vachon, the starting goaltender for the Kings back then, who I would sketch over and over again (that’s how young artists work out their angst)… later when I got a parakeet I named him Marcel, bad parakeet name, but the scoring wonder of that moment, Marcel Doinne.
Well, The Kings and hockey lost me during the 80′s and it wasn’t until The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim started in the early 90′s expansion that I came back. And what a grueling journey it was…
I was a fan of the team owned by Disney – a strange marriage at the least.
A team is the roughest sport, with fights, injuries, real blood and everything nasty married to Cinderella, American Family Style. Not to mention being named after a movie franchise… we live in a strange world.
And then one day it changed…
A great couple who really like hockey and wanted to do what’s right by the team bought them, changed the name to the Anaheim Ducks, hired real talent for the front office that brought great talent to the ice, changed the image of the team, and within a couple of years I was breathing air that feels a lot like today… almost.
When the Ducks won the Stanley Cup it was like I was in a nitrous oxide bubble of happy gas for a week. I had never been on the winning side before, cheering for the winning team!
Asking me to do anything was out of the question… I just lingered and breathed in and out… mmmmm….
Not so with the air today… it tastes as sweet, but I’ve got some empty beer bottles on the table, dishes left in the sink, a carpet to vacuum and many other household chores to do… and breathing this air just makes me feel like getting to the work at hand.
I’ll write more later, dish out some more STEW, but first there is work to do…
Welcome to Part Two of an election time allegorical story called STEW, or, How Esau Lost The 2008 Election.
And now for something completely different…
Today we have a semi-epic Biblical drama, Journey to Mesopotamia, to add more ingredients to this stew, and to help us understand the background of our story…
I imagined this drama in what I call “Star-Wars-o-Vision”, an epic and lush George Lucas-esque styling – available in wide screen HD for those of you with a great visual imagination.
Keep in mind all the allegorical imagery from Part One as we move ahead… all the pieces will add up as the story moves along.
Plagiarism Disclaimer: The following story is mostly lifted from Genesis 24:13-67 using the American Standard Version, the New American Standard Version and a few modifications of my own…
A Note on Hebrew Names for God:
Elohim is a Hebrew word for God which means: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural) of the supreme God.
Jehovah is another of the Hebrew word for God which means: self existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God as in, Jehovah, the Lord.
Source – Strong‘s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary.
Journey to Mesopotamia
Scene I: The Oath
Setting: Widescreen view out over a vast desert landscape, bleak, but colorized a bit with some deeper colors to give it the “settling in to an epic story” feel. As the camera scans the desert a great settlement of tents, people and herds comes into view in the valley below… the camera shifts to inside of Abraham’s tent, decorated in early “Raiders of the Lost Ark” style…
Casting notes: Abraham is play by Jack Nicholson in this scene and his servant is played by Morgan Freeman, who is also the narrator, like in “The Shawshank Redemption“…
Abraham’s Servant: Our story begins after Abraham has mourned the death of his beloved wife Sarah…
In that day Abraham was old and advanced in age, and Jehovah had blessed Abraham in every way, but he could see his son Isaac was still heartsick because of his mother’s death.
One day Abraham called me into his tent, because I was his oldest and most trusted servant, and he made me swear an oath
Abraham: I will make you swear by El-Shaddai, the Elohim of heaven and the Elohim of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the Daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you shall go to my country and to my relatives and take a wife for my son Isaac.
Abraham’s Servant: Suppose the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land where you came from?
Abraham [exploding]: Beware lest you take my son back there! El Shaddai, the Elohim of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my birth, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.
But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.
Abraham’s Servant: So I made an oath with Abraham concerning this matter. He gave me ten camels loaded with a variety of good things and special gifts he gave into my hand, and I left for Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, the snoring father of civilization, back to the land that my master Abraham had left so long ago.
Scene II: The Well at Nahor
Setting: another view out over a vast desert landscape… the camera moves towards the caravan of ten camels that is coming to a stop at a desert well of water, it is late afternoon…
Abraham’s Servant: When I approached the city of Nahor, and came to the well where the women came to draw the evening water, I made the camels knee down and I dismounted.
I looked around me and made a request to the Jehovah, the Elohim of my master, Abraham.
O Jehovah, the Elohim of my master Abraham, send me, I pray thee, success this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.Behold, I am standing by the fountain of water.
The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water, so let it come to pass, that the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Let down thy pitcher, please, that I may drink.’
And she shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also.’
May she be the one whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. And thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.
Abraham’s Servant continues: While I was still addressing Jehovah I saw coming towards me a beautiful maiden who I later found out was Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her jar upon her shoulder.
Note on Rebekah’s name: could be translated from the Hebrew as “The clog, the fettering beauty born to the son who was destroyed by God, born of the queen to the snoring brother of Abraham” or something like that…see Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionary.
Abraham’s Servant continues: This girl was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, who had not yet been touched for the very first time. She went down to the fountain, and filled her jar, and came up again…
Abraham’s Servant [running to meet Rebekah]:Give me to drink, please, a little water from your jar.
Rebekah [lowering her jar to her hand, and giving Abraham's servant a drink]: Drink.
Rebekah [after Abraham's servant finishes drinking]: I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.
[Rebekah quickly emptied her pitcher into the watering trough, and runs back the well to draw more water, and continued until all the camels had been satisfied.]
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: All the while I watched her, holding my peace, to know whether Jehovah had made my journey successful or not…
When the camels had finished drinking, I knew in my heart she was the one so I gave her a golden ring for her nose, and ten bracelets for her hands.
Abraham’s Servant [speaking to Rebekah]: Whose daughter are you and is there room in your father’s house for myself, my camels and my men to spend the night?
Rebekah: I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor. We have both straw and feed for your camels, and plenty of room for your men.
Abraham’s Servant [bowing his head - praying]: Blessed be Jehovah, the Elohim of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving-kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Jehovah has led me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.
Scene III: Mesopotamian Material Girl
Setting: Large settlement with many people carrying on with the daily activities of Mesopotamian people about 3,500 years ago… the camera follows Abraham’s servant (Morgan Freeman) and Rebekah (early Madonna, “Like A Virgin” era) from the well to the house of Laban, the Mesopotamian – Rebekah’s brother (played by Rupert Murdoch in this scene)
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: I waited as Rebekah ran off to tell her mother’s household.
Now Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban. Soon I saw Laban hurrying out to meet me by the well, because he had seen the gifts I had given Rebekah and had heard her story.
Laban: Don’t just stand there, come blessed of Jehovah… I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: So I went with Laban to his house where he unloaded the camels, gave them straw and feed and provided water to wash my feet and the feet of the men that were with me.
After this food was set before us to to eat…
Abraham’s Servant [speaking to Laban]: I will not eat, until I have told my business.
Laban: Speak.
Abraham’s Servant: I am Abraham’s servant, and Jehovah has blessed my master greatly. He has become great and Jehovah has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, many servant, and camels and asses.
Now Sarah, my master’s wife, has bore a son to my master in her old-age, and my master has given his son all he has.
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: I continued to tell him about my oath to Abraham, my request to Jehovah and my meeting with Rebekah by the well…
Abraham’s Servant [continuing to speak to Laban]: If you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me so. And if not, let me know, so that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Laban (with Bethuel at his side): The matter comes from Jehovah, and is not ours to decide whether this is good or bad.
Behold, Rebekah is before you, take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as Jehovah has spoken.
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: And it came to pass, that, when I heard their words, I bowed down to the earth and worshiped Jehovah.
After this I brought out jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah. I also gave to her brother and to her mother precious things. Then we ate and drank until the morning.
Scene IV: Blessing Our Sister Rebekah
Setting: Same as Scene III, only now it’s the morning after…
Abraham’s Servant [speaking to Laban]: Send me away to my master.
Laban: Let the girl stay with us a few days, at the least ten. After that she can go…
Abraham’s Servant: Do not delay me, seeing Jehovah has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.
Laban: We will call the girl, and ask her.
[Rebekah enters the room]
Laban [speaking to Rebekah]: Will you go with this man?
Rebekah: I will go.
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: And so they sent back to my master Abraham with Rebekah, their sister, with this blessing:
The Voices of Rebekah’s Kin [5 to 6 voices all speaking together]: May you, our sister, become the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and may your descendants possess the gate of those that hate them.
Scene V: Back To Canaan
Setting: another view out over a vast desert landscape… the camera moves towards a caravan of many camels, it is late afternoon…
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: Rebekah arose, along with her maids, and they rode upon their camels, following me as I returned to my master Abraham and his son, Isaac.
Isaac lived in the Negev, or the south, along the way of Beer-lahai-roi (which means: the well of a living seer).
While Isaac was meditating in the field one evening. And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming.
Meanwhile, Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel.
Rebekah [speaking to Abraham's servant]: What man is this that walk in the field to meet us?
Abraham’s Servant: It is my master.
[Rebekah takes her veil, and covers herself. Isaac enters the scene]
Abraham’s Servant [narrating]: When Issac met us, I told him all the things that I had done.
After this, Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife and he loved her.
With this, Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
End: Credits Start To Roll…
I hope you enjoyed my Bible story for today… I’ll have Professor Yarnhead here later to help explain some of the allegorical clues from this story.
Note: I was up late on the Monday writing and rewriting and rewriting this piece. I think I caught all my typos… let me know if you find anything I missed.
The Twins Story (the birth of Esau and Jacob) has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Election Day…
Also coming up on the 4th… Greed Stew for Esau and Blind Stew for Isaac.
Idea’s have been collecting in my mind like drops of water collecting in rain clouds… for days now I’ve been waiting for the rain.
Since Wednesday I’ve been wanting to start blogging again but it’s been like a low pressure front keeping me low, sleeping, dreaming, reading, held down with my mind flying away like a kite on the wind looking over the broad landscape…
Like the wind ready to bring on a storm my mind has tumbled around, round and round with all the debris I’ve collected…
Today’s weather report: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers… Rain expected overnight.
Notes on the graphic above:
STEW – A little something I’ve been cooking up to help feed us as we head into the election and through to the other side… it’s a little bit politics and a little bit Reformation 2.0 – It’s today’s headlines ripped straight from the pages of The Bible, or pages of The Bible ripped straight from today’s headlines… or something like that. It’s the end of the Bushworld as we know it, thank God!
I’ll give you a little clue before we get started; if you want to get a jump on the story, get out your Bible and do a little reading and thinking: Genesis 25-27, read before the story and after to get a bigger picture.
Soon we’ll be entering the land of imagery and symbols, people types, Biblical events that hint at today’s events and the other devices of the poets and mystics… if you have the eyes to read with, come along.
