Parables of the Bible: The End's Teacher

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: God owns the Bible; I'm just borrowing it.

Now it came to pass

"Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing." (1)

"First sensible thing I've heard him say all week," the persimmon-haired angel muttered to his darker-haired companion.

"Aren't you supposed to be guarding Laban's oldest daughter, Cherith?" Soterasiel demanded, frowning at the younger angel.

"Uh, yeah," Cherith blushed, vanishing.

"What, not even a good-bye?" Reve asked, his light blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"And aren't you supposed to be guarding Rachel, Laban's other daughter?" the exasperated angel remarked.

Reve laughed and sarcastically saluted the older guardian, vanishing back to his post.

Baal laughed his dog-tailed butt off at the flustered angel's expense. "Poor, poor Soterasiel. Never a moment's peace."

The storm cloud which crossed Jacob's guardian's face was nothing compared when the fierce divine wind from the east blew him backwards several hundred feet away from the camp.

"Hey!" Baal yelled. his tail between his legs.

Soterasiel grinned. "I think the Alpha and Omega has spoken."

Baal whimpered and disappeared. He knew when not to press his luck.

Soterasiel shook his head, but couldn't help the stray thought that crossed his mind: how did Satan's right-hand demon come to possess an earthen-creature's tail? He chuckled as the Alpha and Omega responded with a series of flash images, which included an angry Lillith and some skunkweed.

He turned his attention back to the mother and son before him.

Rebecca finished applying the fleece to the back of Jacob's neck. "Relax," she told him. "This is the will of your father's God."

"Maybe so," Jacob said, a worried expression on his face. "I still think this is wrong, Mom, cheating Esau out of the blessing like this."

Soterasiel frowned. Jacob was out of character today.

"I doubt you could use a bowl of red lentil soup in this situation, Jacob," his mother replied, going to remove the kid meat from the stove.

Jacob winced. Was everyone going to remind him of that event?

"You're wondering why Esau didn't question your father about the wearing of his clothes?" the Great King asked, a knowing smile in his eyes.

The hooded traveler nodded.

"Well, you see..."

"A stupid prophecy?" Esau howled in anger. "Father's God made some prophecy before we were born and you encouraged Jacob to steal my birthright and blessing based on that?"

Rebekah could not meet her husband's gaze. "Yes," she murmured.

"Am I not worth more than a sparrow?" Esau asked her. (2)

"All My children are precious in My sight," the Great King told her.

"Even me?" the traveler asked, her rich soprano-alto tone rising above the flutter of angels' wings.

"Even you," the Son said, wrapping his arms around her.

(1) Genesis 27:12

(2) Matthew 10:31