November 9, 2026
GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:
“[When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.] The first to come out was red. His whole body was like a hairy garment. Isaac and Rebekah named him Esau because he was hairy.” (Genesis 25.24-25)
REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:
What can we learn from Esau at the beginning of his story with Jacob with whom he battled even in the womb? Is there something beyond the link Esau had with the curse of Adam? As Paul appealed to the Christ followers in Corinth, “Remember, as in one man death comes to all….” (1 Corinthians 15.22) and again to those throughout the Roman Empire, “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5.12) As offered for remembrance yesterday, Adam’s consequence for his sin- the sin of silence and blame, was to “toil from the soil.” This didn’t mean that Adam would not have gardened in the Garden. While nature has a way of existing without the help of man and trusting only in the God they do not know, God’s design is for cultivation and preservation beyond a simple cycle of life and death and life again. In the Garden before the “fall,” Adam would not have experienced pain, suffering, hungering, thirsting, crying, etc. Nor would have Eve experienced the pain of childbirth. No, not because she would not have had children but because there would have been no understanding of pain beyond normal and natural. So for Esau, we hear the continuation of the story of conflict between good (acting in accordance with the will of God) and evil (acting contrary to His will for life as determined by His understanding of the fullness of “love for life.”) It is a battle which started in the womb with his brother, Jacob.
Do not forget, mighty ones of God, that we are all born in sin as the consequence of “the Fall.” What was born in Adam and Eve by their disobedience forever changed the course of life for all generations. Even by grace, which we receive from God through Jesus Christ our Lord, there is the power of sin in our lives still at work. But, by grace, which from God is sufficient, we are able to have a strength that endures to combat the threat of sin to make conflict unbearable even though it is inevitable. This is the life of Christ which has gone on before us. You see, “We are more than conquerors through Him who has loved us.” (Romans 8.37) This means that we will still do battle against the forces of evil within us and around us. We will have, and do by the power of the on-dwelling and indwelling Spirit of God, the resource to do this battle. The truth is, we have the promise of Christ that we have victory in Him before the battle even started. It is living as victors in the spiritual realm that makes us capable of succeeding in the world in which we live daily. This was the battle being fought unbeknownst to the twins who simply were vying for the right to exit first and exist the longest in the world. Little did they know, and would have to be carefully taught, how to identify their nature and calling and be the master of it. In the coming reflections, education will be a key element in understanding the story of Jacob and Esau.
TODAYS’ PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:
Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness endeavor, but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
