The polarized church part 2: example from scripture

We even see a rather obvious example of the introvert-extrovert dynamic in scripture. You have probably read over this verse many times without giving it much thought at all. Yet, it acknowledges a powerful truth about humanity. 

The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. -Genesis 25:27

Despite the fact that they were twins, these brothers were like night and day. Clearly Esau the elder twin was an active extrovert, while Jacob was more of a home body introvert. Even the famous story where Jacob steals Esau’s birthright reenforces this tendency, but it may not be readily obvious how.

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” 

So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. 

- Genesis 25:29-34

First, how does Jacob steal his brother’s birthright? Not through force like an extrovert, but through strategy as introverts do. The strategy he uses is actually using Esau’s extrovert tendencies against him. If you will recall in our last post, we had spontaneous listed as one of the extrovert traits. At least that is what we call it when it turns out well, when it doesn’t we call it impetuous. Which is what Esau was in this story, and exactly what Jacob exploits. Psychologists have studied and confirmed this obvious difference between introverts and extroverts and can sum it up by this example. When offered ten dollars right now, or twenty dollars in two weeks. The introverts are typically patient enough to wait for the higher reward. Where extroverts have a hard time delaying gratification and go for whats before them in the moment.  

The Visual PARABLEist

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