These are not my words but are paraphrased from a few religious sites and fits very closely to what we saw in the finale.
Jacob and Esau (the man in black?)are two brothers, the sons of Isaac and the grandsons of Abraham, at least one of whom is invested with the task of doing God's will through their polity and society.The story of the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, is a classic example of how God faces who shall carry on the Abrahamic line that will serve His purposes in the development of a societal model for the world. Jacob and Esau share both good and bad traits upon which to try to build leadership for the future. God is faced with having to choose between two combinations of traits and to select what would be better for leadership of his people. The Sages tell us that Jacob and Esau divided Olam Hazeh (this world) and Olam Haba (the World to Come) between themselves; Esau taking the former and Jacob the latter. This does not mean that Esau divested himself of a share in Olam Haba before birth, but rather that these two embryos had the ultimate potential to control the physical world and! the spiritual world respectively. Had Esau used his traits and tendencies properly, he could have become a partner with Jacob in bringing the world to perfection. Similarly, had Jacob abused his traits, he could have developed into one who distorted and corrupted spiritual concepts and values.
Only Rebecca saw through the righteous facade of Esau and recognized his deceptive ways - in part because of her familiarity with her own family of frauds and charlatans. She alone was able to expose Esau for what he really was and cause Isaac to see that both roles would be the domain of Jacob - that Jacob would be the sole progenitor of the future Jewish people (God loves you as he loved Jacob?). Esau had exercised his free will (Ben, Hurley given the choice of free will) to channel his tendencies toward evil, thereby disqualifying himself from a position in the future nation.
Okay, so how this relates to LOST. We know there are lists by Jacob and theories that the people on these lists are needed to make a new, improved society. If the man in black at the beginning represents Esau, it would make sense that he would need a loophole to change Gods will which is to make a perfect society with Jacob as leader. Esau, now disguised as Evil Locke, is trying to change the future and shape it in his image, possibly for evil, or to have the world end by preventing the solution to the Valenzetti equation.
Jacob and Esau (the man in black?)are two brothers, the sons of Isaac and the grandsons of Abraham, at least one of whom is invested with the task of doing God's will through their polity and society.The story of the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, is a classic example of how God faces who shall carry on the Abrahamic line that will serve His purposes in the development of a societal model for the world. Jacob and Esau share both good and bad traits upon which to try to build leadership for the future. God is faced with having to choose between two combinations of traits and to select what would be better for leadership of his people. The Sages tell us that Jacob and Esau divided Olam Hazeh (this world) and Olam Haba (the World to Come) between themselves; Esau taking the former and Jacob the latter. This does not mean that Esau divested himself of a share in Olam Haba before birth, but rather that these two embryos had the ultimate potential to control the physical world and! the spiritual world respectively. Had Esau used his traits and tendencies properly, he could have become a partner with Jacob in bringing the world to perfection. Similarly, had Jacob abused his traits, he could have developed into one who distorted and corrupted spiritual concepts and values.
Only Rebecca saw through the righteous facade of Esau and recognized his deceptive ways - in part because of her familiarity with her own family of frauds and charlatans. She alone was able to expose Esau for what he really was and cause Isaac to see that both roles would be the domain of Jacob - that Jacob would be the sole progenitor of the future Jewish people (God loves you as he loved Jacob?). Esau had exercised his free will (Ben, Hurley given the choice of free will) to channel his tendencies toward evil, thereby disqualifying himself from a position in the future nation.
Okay, so how this relates to LOST. We know there are lists by Jacob and theories that the people on these lists are needed to make a new, improved society. If the man in black at the beginning represents Esau, it would make sense that he would need a loophole to change Gods will which is to make a perfect society with Jacob as leader. Esau, now disguised as Evil Locke, is trying to change the future and shape it in his image, possibly for evil, or to have the world end by preventing the solution to the Valenzetti equation.
