Joseph and Esau as the Mirror of Two Opposite Lives

Joseph was the younger and merited the birthright, while Esau was the firstborn and lost his birthright. Joseph affirmed the resurrection of the dead, "God will surely remember you" (Genesis 50:25), while Esau denied it, "Behold, I am going to die" (Genesis 25:32). Joseph gave his life for the honor of his mother, "and afterward Joseph drew near with Rachel" (Genesis 33:7), while Esau sought to kill his mother and to destroy her womb. Joseph inquired after the life of his father, "Is your father still alive?" (Genesis 43:27), while Esau said, "Let the days of mourning for my father draw near" (Genesis 27:41). Esau defiled himself with sexual immorality and with the shedding of blood, while Joseph fenced himself in, "but he refused" (Genesis 39:8).