This week Amy’s sister’s family has been visiting us. Her nephew, Christopher, really enjoys the
Dukes of Hazzard, the old TV show and the newer movie version. The interesting thing is one of the first
questions he asked me was if I had watched the premier of the new version of
the show Dallas. This caused Amy, Lisa
(Amy’s sister) and I to take a stroll down memory lane. If you are around my age you probably
remember that back in the days of our childhood Dukes of Hazzard was on Friday
nights and was followed by the show, Dallas.
Dallas was a very popular show about the Ewings and the inter family
turmoil caused by their oil business. I
wasn’t allowed to watch Dallas when I was a kid because it was past my bedtime,
but I remember my sister talking about it all the time. Lisa told me their family’s Friday nights
revolved around these shows because they would always have to be home from
shopping in time to watch the Friday night line up on TV. The girls were allowed to watch Dukes and Dallas
but had to go to bed before Falcon Crest came on.
What does all this have to do with Jacob and Esau? Well, as I think about the characters in
Dallas, it reminds me that there is nothing new under the sun. Dallas was about the sibling rivalry of two
brothers, Bobby and J.R.. They were
always trying to get the upper hand on each other. It was about birth rights and who would one
day rule the Ewing fortune. If you watch
the new show, you know the theme and drama of the new version hasn’t
changed. The amazing thing to me is this
story line is far from an original idea.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the creators of Dallas found their
inspiration for their TV show in the story of Jacob and Esau.
We find Jacob (the deceiver) scheming twice to steal the
birthright and blessing of his father from his older brother Esau. Clear favoritism had evolved in this family
which is never a good thing. Isaac and
Rebekah were not perfect parents, nor should that ever be the expectation, but
they had allowed their favoritisms to split the family in such a way that
respect had been sacrificed also. A son
who respected his father wouldn’t scheme to deceive Isaac the way Jacob did.
No one in this story is without guilt. Jacob’s guilt is probably the most obvious
because of his deceptions, but Esau allowed his passions to get the best of him
by giving in to Jacob’s ridiculous offer of soup for his birthright. The guilt of the parents though is
interesting and needs further background explanation. Rebekah’s guilt is rooted in the fact she
used deception to make sure the promise God had made would come true and not
trusting God to make it happen. For
during her pregnancy she asked God why there was such a struggle going on
inside of her and God explained that “Two nations are in your womb,” and that
one day “the older shall serve the younger.” (Gen 25:23) I don’t know if this is why she favored
Jacob, but as her favoritism of Jacob grew, the promise would remain in the
forefront of her mind.
Isaac was not without guilt because in giving Esau his
blessing he was being deceptive as well.
Once Esau gave his birthright to Jacob, his father’s blessing was part
of that birthright, so by tradition Jacob was deserving of his father’s
blessing. This doesn’t excuse the
deceitful way Jacob earned it, but still it’s clear this family was not on the
same page and deception and lack of respect ruled the day.
The funny thing about Christopher asking me about Dallas is
that I had watched the premiere of the new episode. Frankly I was a little
embarrassed to admit it, because as I watched I was reminded of what Dallas was
and still is, a prime time soap opera with characters that for the most part,
practice deceit just like Isaac and the gang.
I believe as parents this story provides a lot of good
reminders of what not to do. We should
guard ourselves from leaning toward one child or away from another. We should also guard against allowing our
children to cause a rift in our relationship with our spouse. On a positive note, it’s a reminder of the
need to practice grace in families. We
need to constantly remind our children about the importance of expressing
authentic forgiveness. Sibling rivalries
are unfortunately inevitable. I know
Katelynn and Hannah can go from hugging on each other to pinching and pushing
each other in a matter of seconds, but Amy and I try to emphasize the need for
forgiveness and sincere apologies. We
try to model it in our relationship as man and wife as well. It’s never easy but God has given us the
ultimate model of grace in Jesus Christ.
May his grace be at the forefront of your family relationships.
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