By Craig Williams
I’m a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor is one of my favourite movies. If you have not seen this movie, there might be spoilers ahead. This movie revolves around a father and his two sons. Odin who is also known as the “All-Father” is the ruler of Asgard and the father of Thor and Loki, who was adopted. Thor, also known as the “God of Thunder”, uses a powerful Asgardian hammer known as Mjolnir (that only the worthy can use) is groomed to become the next ruler of Asgard.
Loki who is not Asgardian by birth is known as the “God of Mischief”. Loki uses magic to play tricks and deceive others. Loki has often betrayed those closest to him. Even as young boys both Thor and Loki wanted to be the next ruler of Asgard. For Odin the decision was a no brainer. Thor was going to be the next ruler because he was his biological son and Loki was not. Thor got the position even though he was cocky, reckless, and careless. Loki felt he could do a better job, so Loki became bitter. Unfortunately, his bitterness started the process of causing a rift within the kingdom he wanted to rule. It is quite evident that Odin favoured Thor over Loki even though he did not say it verbally. It was said by his actions. As such, being a father is not easy.
I have been a father for 15 years. There are a lot of decisions you must make. Some of them are hard. Some of them will not be well received by your children. I would not favour one child over another but at the same time I would not treat them equally. The fact that my children are different ages and gender makes me treat them differently, but they are equally loved.
When I think of the sibling rivalry of Thor and Loki, it reminds of Esau and Jacob from the Bible. Read from Genesis 25:19 to get the full story of Esau and Jacob. Even though Esau and Jacob were twins, Esau came out first, so he got the birthright. This is no different from what we see within the English monarchy. The first born gets the privilege of ascending to the throne before anyone else. I’m not sure if Prince William is going to trade his spot to Prince Harry for first dibs at the buffet table. In the end, God is in control of everything and knows what the future holds.
Genesis 25:23 says:
And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”
Rebekah knew this and played her part in helping Jacob trick Isaac into thinking he was Esau when he gave him his blessing. Jacob was always the chosen one from God. Jacob was always going to be the one that would help in furthering God’s plan. In getting back to Loki, it did not matter what he did because he was never the chosen one by Odin. In both situations it caused a broken relationship between the brothers. Odin’s decision was made because he was not the biological father. There was no one else to override that decision. Isaac’s decision was based on who was the first born. God was there to override Isaac’s decision.
In the end our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. God has a plan and purpose for all us. We may not agree with God’s plan. That is why we must continue to pray to God to make sure our plan lines up with God’s or else it will fail. We must continue to have faith in what God has in store for us.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 says…
The Lord gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
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What do you think about this article? What sibling stories do you have?
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