“Two Sons, Two Ways, One Messiah”

Today’s torah portion is called family history, and we assume at the title that we’re covering a long list of genealogy of those characters we’ve been reading about.  But that’s only partially true.

This week’s torah portion is your story.  It’s my story. 

This is the story of two natures, two kingdoms…. The two ways we can live our lives… and the story of the One who came to redeem and clean up the mess we inherited.

The struggle begins before we even take a breath.  We see this as we see Jacob & Esau struggle in the womb.  A literal internal struggle. There was a war happening inside Rebakah. It wasn’t morning sickness.  It wasn’t discomfort. It was a spiritual struggle.

One child represented the flesh – impulsive, earthly, appetite-driven.

The other child represented the spirit – promise driven, future focused, hungry for the things of God.

Two babies.  Two nations.  Two destinies.  Two choices. Two choices that battle inside of each one of us on a daily basis.  We read that in Romans 7.  19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

We are children made in the image of God.  We have a calling.  We have a destiny.  We have a great commission, and we have an inheritance.  But what do we do with that?

Let’s look at Esau. 

Esau came in from the field one day, exhausted and empty. Not exactly dying —he was being a bit dramatic.  Extra biblical writings teach he had spent the preceding hours in debauchery, even murder, possibly of Nimrod and he was just sure that would cost him his life. Was he hungry?  Sure.  But starving ? or was he being impulsive?  

No doubt, Esau was just a man ruled by his own cravings

“Give me that red stew!” he said. Jacob responds, “Sell me your birthright.”

And Esau says the saddest words a man can ever speak: “I’m about to die… what good is a birthright to me?”

He wasn’t dying. He was simply living for the moment.  And that’s where we really see that Esau misses God.  He traded an eternal inheritance for a temporary feeling.

He gave up: the inheritance, the blessing, the double portion, the covenant, the Messiah’s lineage… for a bowl of lentil soup.

It was pitiful.  Heartbreaking. But how hypocritical of us to sit back and see Esau’s actions, but yet, we are doing the exact. Same. Thing.

We trade righteousness to be worldly.  We trade the glory of God for comfort.  We trade our God given spiritual authority for entertainment.  We trade in our eternal destiny for temporary distractions.  And we trade in holiness for moments to feed our flesh.

But we weren’t called to live like Esau. Don’t sell scaredness for something so small.  We are breaking the heart of our Father. 

Speaking of breaking hearts…. Jewish tradition says Jacob was cooking lentils because Abraham had just died.

Lentils were the food of mourning.  Jacob was doing the holy thing, tending to his grieving father. Esau was doing the worldly thing, chasing thrill, appetite, and flesh.

One honored the covenant. One despised it.

This is why Hebrews says: “Esau was godless… he sold his inheritance for one meal.”

— Hebrews 12:16

The Bible is not subtle.  Esau is the picture of the unredeemed man. Jacob is the picture of the one who longs for God.

Then we get to the blessing.  Isaac is old, blind, and ready to pass the mantle.  Esau goes out to hunt. Jacob stays near the tent. With the help of Rebekah, Jacob approaches Isaac covered in goat skins — wearing the garments of the firstborn.  Isaac smells Esau’s clothing… He feels the goat hair… And he blesses Jacob with the firstborn blessing.

I used to get really hung up here.  Sure… Jacob is obedient, but right now, isn’t he being deceptive?  Did he deserve the first born blessing?  No!

But that’s exactly the point here!  Jacob receives the blessing because of what he’s covered in.  And so do we.

And here is the gospel, right here in Genesis!

Jacob is not the firstborn — but he receives the firstborn's blessing.

We are not righteous — but we receive the righteousness of Jesus.

Jacob enters his father’s presence wearing another’s identity.

We enter God’s presence covered in Jesus’ identity.

When God the Father looks at you, He sees the garments of His Firstborn Son. 🥹

This is why He blesses you. This is why He receives you. This is why He loves you.

Not because of who you are —but because of who covers you.

Malachi 1 speaks loudly in this week’s readings:

“Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.”

— Malachi 1:2–3

God is not talking about emotional favoritism.  He is talking about covenant purpose.

Esau represents: the flesh, the temporary, the man driven by appetite

Jacob represents: the promise, the covenant, the man who desired the things of God

God is saying: “I choose the covenant line — not the fleshly line.”

And guess what? That line leads straight to Jesus.

Jesus is not the son of Esau. Jesus is not the son of impulse. Jesus is not the son of appetite.

He is the Son of promise, the Seed of Abraham, the Seed of Isaac, the Seed of Jacob,the Lion of Judah, the Promised Messiah.

Toldot is not just family history — it is Yeshua’s history.

Toldot teaches us:

✔ You must be born twice

Not just physically like Esau, but spiritually like Jacob —born of promise, not the flesh.

✔ Don’t trade eternal blessings for temporary cravings

Yshua is your birthright. Don’t sell Him for stew.  Don’t throw away your inheritance that He bought for you and just to make your flesh feel good here.

✔ The blessing comes through a covering

Jacob was covered in goat skin. You are covered in the blood of the Lamb.

✔ Only the second birth gives you access to the Father

The first birth gets you Adam. The second birth gets you Jesus.

✔ Jesus reconciles the divided home

He heals family pain. He breaks generational curses. He restores covenant identity.

Not sure if this applies to you today, but we are all human, and sometimes we get tired.  We get weary. We’ve been “out in the field,” running hard, running empty.

And the enemy is going to want you to make Esau decisions in Esau moments.

When you’re tired, hungry, emotional, or discouraged —that is when the flesh tries to take over.

But the Spirit of the Lord is calling you back to your inheritance. Back to your covenant. Back to your identity. Back to your Firstborn blessing.

Don’t give up the birthright. Don’t hand over your inheritance. Don’t trade the eternal for the temporary.

Jesus is your portion. Jesus is your blessing. Jesus is your birthright. Jesus is your inheritance.

And He is worth more than any proverbial bowl of stew the world could ever offer.