love divided and deception of parents:
Looking at dysfunctional families today, it is less compared to this one family in the Bible. These are two parents who had twins as their first born. Father loved the first twin-Esau, and mother loved the second twin-Jacob.
“Isaac who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:28, New International Version). V. 31, Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die.” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” v.33, But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob”.
The deception in this family did not end with selling of birthright and divided love between parents and their children. The family was torn apart; Jacob had to flee for his life after another deception that he was Esau and gained his father’s blessings. I will write more on topic on next article.
In many cultures, food serves as a bargaining tool or reconciliation process. Esau coming home from hunting, tired and angry, agreed to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. This was the beginning of disaster for Esau.
Today, we see parents who still love their children differently, something that should not happen in any family. Favoritism exists in many places, including places of work. The question that need to be addressed is – how can we treat each other equal but different? Parents have a great responsibility to bring up their children and one important factor in bringing up children adequately is by not showing favoritism. Many abused and neglected children believe that their parents did not want them to be born, and even after their birth, parents showed no concern or love. It is very difficult for many of these children to earn trust from adults or others. It is my hope and prayer that many of these children will find love that is unconditional.
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