The Responsibilities of Leadership
As leader of his clan, God gave Abraham the responsibility to care for all the people under his charge. This responsibility even extended beyond the immediate family to his nephew Lot, whom he rescued from the four kings (Genesis 14). When Abraham died, this role of ‘Father Protector’ was handed down to Isaac. As Isaac’s oldest son, Esau would naturally be the one to inherit this responsibility from his father. But Esau preferred to spend his time away from home and out on the hunt. Isaac indulged his son in this, because of his taste for wild game. Ultimately, Esau was ill prepared to become the father of the tribes of Israel. So God in His wisdom handed the responsibility of ‘Father Protector’ to Jacob.
- Neal