I WILL TAKE MY CHARGE IN LINE WITH THE FOCUS USING ESAU AND JACOB AS EXAMPLE
Action is doing something for a particular reason while reaction is the action taken as a result of an action which most times are not the suitable reply to that action. Now for you to have the most suitable reply to an action, you need to respond to that action and not react.
Looking at the story of Esau and Jacob, although there was a prophecy of the elder serving the younger but Esau made a reaction that fasten the fulfillment of the prophecy rather than responding to it. This reaction started when he failed to respond to the hunger because as noted, he is man of the field and a brave hunter that means he had what can feed him but he fails to be patient enough to turn those things into edible substances. His failure to do this made him to re acts to Jacobs’s meal by the virtue of action he didn’t handle well.
This can be traced to three aspects of actions:
First, EMOTIONAL ACTION: we could see that Esau did not handle his emotion well by allowing his emotion to control him at that moment because emotion as it is, is a state of feeling and Esau was feeling hungry, so all he could do is to react to that emotion by scouting for a readymade answer which is the red pottage, Jacob prepared.
Despite the cumbersome and costly offer in exchange for the food, he was unable to reason out the agreement before striking the deal because he allows his emotion to decide for him.
You see if you allow emotions only, to decide for you, you might trade your future with the current situation.
Another instance of Esau reaction on emotion was after the deal was done and decider of the prophecy has been fulfilled by Isaac’s blessing on Jacob, he immediately hated Jacob and planned to kill him thinking the blessing will transfer to him if Jacob is dead.
All these was as a result of the grieved of emotion because at the later part we could see that he couldn’t do anything to Isaac when they met. But assuming Jacob did not flee for his life; Esau could have killed him which is initially against what Esau can do on a normal day. That means some times when we act based on emotions we might act wrongly
Second, FINANCE REACTION: we need to understand that finance is not only money but also resources that can be turned to money that is why we have liquid and solid resources.
Now, Esau did not use his resources well because he was a brave hunter that means he would have killed one meat one way or the other, so he would have patiently waited to cook the meat and eat just as his father asked him to prepare him meat or he would have traded the meat for that red potage because I want to believe that as that time money is not in existence yet.
Also Esau as a man of the field should have gathered some crops or fruits for storage but he failed to do that because had it been he had any of this, he could have retired to them to conquer the hunger. That means he failed to save for the raining day despite been hardworking than his brother.
So is some of us, we have failed to save out of what we make due to the gross influx of the income because we have forgotten that one day that savings will be the saviour.
In short, we fail to save because we’ve forgotten that one day that savings will be the saviour.
Third, LEADERSHIP REACTION: it clearly shows that Esau failed to make use of his leadership role because as the senior brother, you are expected to build this kind of cordial relationship with your siblings and it clearly shows that Esau did not do that, I mean while will I be asking my sibling for something and he/she decided to trade it for something costly because he knows that am desperate to get that thing.
Apart from failing as a leader from relationship aspect, he also failed to lead by example, he is was brave hunter and field man, that means he would have killed a lot of meats but the question is how many did he shared with his brother? So may be Jacob used that opportunity as a payback time. Though not recorded but that might be part of the reasons.
Now, one of the things I learnt from this is that if you fail to take your position as a leader another person will surely rise up and that is what becomes of Jacob, he took lead!
We can see that when his brother Esau approached him, he could have decided to form his own army to battle Esau be rather he quickly acknowledge his mistake and bowed himself on the ground seven times, until he came near.
You see, an exceptional leader will always acknowledge his mistakes and try to adjust rather than making things difficult because acknowledgment comes before change.
Another thing I noticed is that even if Esau wanted to kill him, Jacob have devised a medium by wisdom to properly positioned his family in such a way that they will not all perish. But all the same he still took the lead. Although he is going to die assuming Esau seek for revenge but Rachel and Joseph will surely escape death just because of his plan as the leader.
In conclusion, Leadership does not jump on people it comes by responsibility and commitment.
Jacob was deadly committed to be blessed when he wrestled till day break which resulted into a change of name that has become God’s most covenanted name on earth ‘ISREAL’. All on the platform of seeking God face to face where he called PENIEL.
Welcome to PENIEL!
References: Genesis 26, 27,28, 32 and 33
Aphorism CITY 