In Genesis chapter twenty-five, verse twenty-three, the two nations are the Israelites, Jacob’s descendants, and the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. Hostility and conflict subsequently characterized the relationship between these two nations. The question is, how did these two communities develop such differences? Despite their overall countenance externally, Jacob and Esau were also different internally. Jacob is the smoother and younger man, while Esau is hairy and the eldest.
The main contrast between the two nations begins with the heart. Jacob and their descendants are more spiritually inclined, while Esau’s preference is carnal. This disparity is evident in the family. In verse twenty-eight of the same chapter in Genesis, the father Isaac of the two sons loved Esau, and the mother Rebekah loved Jacob. The division already existed before it was public. Esau was a cunning hunter, an outdoorsman. However, Jacob was a plain man dwelling indoors.
The two nations begin in the womb of Rebekah. Isaac’s wife was overwhelmed by the difficulty of her pregnancy and decided to approach the Lord to find out what was going on. Rebekah felt the turbulence within her womb. The children inside of her are “struggling” so much that she’s become concerned, as described in Genesis chapter twenty-five verse twenty-two. The Lord responds that there are two nations in the womb of Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob.
Rebekah’s two sons, Jacob and Esau, would become two peoples or nations. Their relationship would be marked from the beginning by conflict and division. Between the contrast of Rebekah’s sons Esau and Jacob, there was a despised birthright and deception of a stolen blessing. However, from back in those days to here and now, the differences are still two nations. The first nation of people is those who strive to know God in spirit and truth. The other people are those who live their lives apart from God carnally.