Jacob and Esau

Esau and Jacob were descendants of Abraham. Before the events of the story take place, Esau is currently in possession of the family's birthrights, that is, he has the responsibilities of Abraham as well as the rewards under God's covenant. One day, Esau comes to his brother, famished. He asks Jacob for "red pottage." Jacob replies that he will give Esau a bowl of stew for Esau's birthrights. Esau hastily accepts this offer, and Jacob obtains the birthrights. Enraged by his inability to be the bearer of patriarchal continuity, he attempts to murder Jacob. However, their mother intervenes, and Jacob flees to the Laban household. Later, the two brothers reconcile, Jacob insisting that Esau receive his gifts. Jacob then wrestles with an angel, gains the upper hand, and is renamed Israel by God.

It seems odd to me that the one who took advantage of the desperation of their own twin brother is the person that is rewarded in this story. While it is true that Esau did act impulsively, Jacob's malicious manipulation of his own brother, at least in my opinion, actively goes against several other teachings of the Christian faith such as treating others equally and with respect (then again, I suppose this proves that some other, more modern actions taken by those of the faith aren't exactly out of left field).

Do I have a birthright? I suppose at the most basic level, yes. I have parents that take care of my needs and a house that I may live in until I am able to support myself. Aside from that, I feel that the idea of a "birthright" doesn't really exist in the United States at least). Many people often try to distance themselves from the lives of their parents (of course, not all of them succeed). That is not to say that such an idea doesn't exist in other countries; even modern ones such as Japan still utilize a form of birthright. I feel that in the United States, however, the glorification of individual achievement and realization of one's own aspirations have essentially caused the idea of a birthright to be ripped out of our "culture."