40. And then we see here how Isaac gives his son Esau a temporal blessing, and intimates to him that the natural man is led by the spirit of this world. For to Jacob he said, God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and of com and wine abundance (v. 28); but to Esau he said only, Behold! you will have a fat dwelling upon the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; you will live by your sword, and serve your brethren; and it will come to pass when you shall have the dominion, that you will break his yoke from off your neck (vv. 39,40).
41. And hereby he signifies in what dominion the outward natural man is led, driven and nourished, and what his desire and endeavour should be; namely, he would be in his mind only a robber, murderer, and an evil malicious beast, that should desire to bear down all under it with power, force and murder.
42. For Isaac does not say, Live you by your sword, but, You will do it. Namely, God's wrath in the kingdom of the corrupt nature, with the devil's will, will move you thereunto; that you will draw the fatness of the earth unto yourself, and will be ruled and driven by the stars above, and will in your natural power drive away from you the children of God, who rule in God's power. That is, when the holy Spirit in God's children does reprove them by reason of their tyranny, they then kill and slay them, and tear the sword of the Holy Ghost from off their neck, as here Isaac said, you will do it.
43. As indeed Esau soon did, and would have killed Jacob, so that Jacob in God's blessing was fain to flee from him. And here he pulled off the yoke of the holy Spirit from his neck. And this prophecy of the patriarch is a figure, how the Esauites and tyrants, viz. the fleshly brethren of the Christians, would dwell among the Christians, and be born as to their natural brotherhood of the same parents; as Esau, and Jacob [were]; and yet they would persecute them with sword and torments; and thrust them away, and yet stand themselves as [if they were the only true] Christians, and desire the blessing of God; as Esau stood and wept bitterly for the blessing, and he did not mind the kingdom of God, but that he might be a lord upon the earth over his brethren and other men; and might have riches, and fullness of the belly.
44. This Esau in his blessing is a true type of Antichrist, who draws near to God with the lips, and gives himself to an external seeming service and worship of Christ; and sets himself forth as if he did it to God, and stands and makes mighty holy shows in his hypocrisy and glistering verbalities, sets forth himself with zeal and devotion, that so he might be honoured of man; and that his god [Mammon and] Mausim may be fat, and does even mourn and lament for malice, when men will not do that for him which he will have; when he cannot get enough of the belly-blessing, according to the will of his god Mausim; and whosoever does but reprove or touch him, and speaks to him of the blessing of God, him he will slay, and cannot endure a true servant of Christ under him.
45. Reason supposes, that seeing Isaac said to Esau, You shall live by your sword, that God has commanded him so to do, and here it props up [its murdering malice and bloodthirsty villainy], but it is far otherwise. God wills not any war; but the kingdom of nature in God's anger wills it; and whosoever is born only of the kingdom of nature he lives also to the same.
46. Therefore said Isaac, you will do it; as if he should have said, You, through your anger will serve the anger of God, and will be a lord in the kingdom of nature in this world; even as the rich and wealthy ones do bring themselves into power and authority, and do it through the kingdom of nature, in the wrath.
47. And we see further, how that Esau did deadly hate his brother Jacob for the blessing's sake (v. 41), of which, notwithstanding, he was not capable, as to the kingdom of nature. To signify that the true children of Christ should for this blessing's sake be hated, persecuted and slain of the children in the kingdom of nature. And that, because the kingdom of grace shall rule over the kingdom of nature, and destroy the same at the end of days, and change it into its might; and therefore there is strife between both kingdoms.
40. And then we see here how Isaac gives his son Esau a temporal blessing, and intimates to him that the natural man is led by the spirit of this world. For to Jacob he said, God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and of com and wine abundance (v. 28); but to Esau he said only, Behold! you will have a fat dwelling upon the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; you will live by your sword, and serve your brethren; and it will come to pass when you shall have the dominion, that you will break his yoke from off your neck (vv. 39,40).
41. And hereby he signifies in what dominion the outward natural man is led, driven and nourished, and what his desire and endeavour should be; namely, he would be in his mind only a robber, murderer, and an evil malicious beast, that should desire to bear down all under it with power, force and murder.
42. For Isaac does not say, Live you by your sword, but, You will do it. Namely, God's wrath in the kingdom of the corrupt nature, with the devil's will, will move you thereunto; that you will draw the fatness of the earth unto yourself, and will be ruled and driven by the stars above, and will in your natural power drive away from you the children of God, who rule in God's power. That is, when the holy Spirit in God's children does reprove them by reason of their tyranny, they then kill and slay them, and tear the sword of the Holy Ghost from off their neck, as here Isaac said, you will do it.
43. As indeed Esau soon did, and would have killed Jacob, so that Jacob in God's blessing was fain to flee from him. And here he pulled off the yoke of the holy Spirit from his neck. And this prophecy of the patriarch is a figure, how the Esauites and tyrants, viz. the fleshly brethren of the Christians, would dwell among the Christians, and be born as to their natural brotherhood of the same parents; as Esau, and Jacob [were]; and yet they would persecute them with sword and torments; and thrust them away, and yet stand themselves as [if they were the only true] Christians, and desire the blessing of God; as Esau stood and wept bitterly for the blessing, and he did not mind the kingdom of God, but that he might be a lord upon the earth over his brethren and other men; and might have riches, and fullness of the belly.
44. This Esau in his blessing is a true type of Antichrist, who draws near to God with the lips, and gives himself to an external seeming service and worship of Christ; and sets himself forth as if he did it to God, and stands and makes mighty holy shows in his hypocrisy and glistering verbalities, sets forth himself with zeal and devotion, that so he might be honoured of man; and that his god [Mammon and] Mausim may be fat, and does even mourn and lament for malice, when men will not do that for him which he will have; when he cannot get enough of the belly-blessing, according to the will of his god Mausim; and whosoever does but reprove or touch him, and speaks to him of the blessing of God, him he will slay, and cannot endure a true servant of Christ under him.
45. Reason supposes, that seeing Isaac said to Esau, You shall live by your sword, that God has commanded him so to do, and here it props up [its murdering malice and bloodthirsty villainy], but it is far otherwise. God wills not any war; but the kingdom of nature in God's anger wills it; and whosoever is born only of the kingdom of nature he lives also to the same.
46. Therefore said Isaac, you will do it; as if he should have said, You, through your anger will serve the anger of God, and will be a lord in the kingdom of nature in this world; even as the rich and wealthy ones do bring themselves into power and authority, and do it through the kingdom of nature, in the wrath.
47. And we see further, how that Esau did deadly hate his brother Jacob for the blessing's sake (v. 41), of which, notwithstanding, he was not capable, as to the kingdom of nature. To signify that the true children of Christ should for this blessing's sake be hated, persecuted and slain of the children in the kingdom of nature. And that, because the kingdom of grace shall rule over the kingdom of nature, and destroy the same at the end of days, and change it into its might; and therefore there is strife between both kingdoms.
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