What are you hungry for?

Genesis 25: 29-34
29Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!" (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." 32Esau said, "I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?" 33Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

We have to really understand just what was traded here. Today there is not really a sense of birthright in the family sense. Children are not longer guaranteed or expected to take over the family business, farm or trust fund. Most families today raise their children and the children set off to make their own mark on the world, not continue the family legacy…..and that is a whole different topic! Just what did Esau trade? We have to remember the both of these boys were grandchildren of Abraham. The boys were the direct lineage of Abraham, the one with the birth-right would be the one who God continued to reveal his covenant with Abraham through. Yes, Abraham was a powerful and respected man, and his lineage continued to be profitable, so Esau gave that up as well. The main focal point has to be that Esau cared so little about God’s promise that he traded it for a bowl of stew. I know most people are thinking how could he do that, but if you think about it, don’t many of us make that same choice?

We too have a birthright, it was bestowed to us when we were formed in our mother’s womb. That birthright is our salvation. Yet today, just like Esau so long ago, many think so little of it that daily they trade it for whatever looks good now! So many of us today put very little thought into our actions, many of us only think of the Lord on Sunday…….if even then. Instead we busy ourselves with the “right now” what can I get, even if it means I have to give up a piece of my soul! That is what Esau meant when he said I am dying of what use is my birthright. The boys lived in the house of Isaac! It was a house of plenty. It was not that there was nothing else to eat, the fact was the Esau wanted what he wanted, and he wanted it now. Esau did not have faith in God’s promise. He did not believe that it would come to pass. We see many just like that today, they believe in the Lord, they know about his promises, they just have no faith. They believe in what they can see and put in their hand now, tomorrow is tomorrow for them, it is too long to wait.

What we should all remember is we all have defining moments, times when we are called and tempted. We will all be tempted to give up a piece of our soul for a small bit of earthly comfort. How we respond in those moments will change our lives forever. Esau cut a deal, got what he wanted and left with no thought as to what he had just given up, just as so many people today do. However as we will see, and some of us already know too well from personal experience, once you cut a deal there is no turning back, the wheels are in motion and God’s plan unfolds. All of the crying in the world will not change it or make a difference, as the saying goes you cannot un-ring a bell. So I pray for all of us that we recognize those moments for what they are and rise to the challenge every time. May we all choose our birthright over instant satisfaction. The Lord spent years here on earth persecuted for our benefit, let us not squander that gift for a bowl of stew.

Peace,
Rev. T