"A Thing for Numbers"

On a quick break from writing my dissertation––by which I mean watching women's curling––I just wanted throw out some LOST thoughts and see what sticks to the wall...

What we discovered last night:

1. Jacob brought his version of the Oceanic Six to the Island by touching them; curiously, only Jack, Hurley, Sayid and Sun are in both groups (Kate and Aaron replace Sawyer and Locke––not sure if there's a significance there).
2. Jacob's Six are deemed "Candidates" and are assigned numbers: Locke/4; Reyes/8; Ford/15; Jarrah/16; Shephard/23; Kwon/42
3. Ilana collected Jacob's ash from the fireplace
4. Esau is now ensconced in the body of Locke––and he can't switch again; although it seems like he can morph into Smokey at will
5. Creepy little blond boy tells Esau, "You know the rules. You can't kill him."
6. Two stones––one black and one white––were kept in balance in Jacob's cave, recalling the black and white stones of Adam & Eve from Season 1

Total guesses on my part:

1. What exactly is the relationship between Jacob, Esau (i.e., Man in Black) and the Island? I wonder if the little creepy blond boy is actually the Island itself, and Jacob and Esau are overseers––a partisan Democrat and Republic body charged w/protecting the Island
2. Jacob brought his peeps to the Island, but why can't Esau recruit off-Island? Perhaps, Jacob is Esau's jailer?
3. Check out Wikipedia's article on Jacob's Ladder--interesting stuff.
4. Does Esau get to pick his candidates? Or, are Jacob's Six candidates for either position? Wouldn't it be just perfect if Locke and Shephard ended up as the new Jacob and Esau?