Day 20: Genesis 25-26

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2025-26&version=NIV

“ 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 25:34

In Genesis 25, the death of Abraham is narrated, the birth of Jacob and Esau is detailed, and the selling of Esau’s birthright is recounted. On the selling of the Esau’s birthright, I would like to focus on today.

Genesis 25:27 states that Esau was a hunter, a man of the open country, whereas Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Esau comes across to me as a man’s man. Strong, confident, and probably liked by the ladies.

One day when Esau came back from hunting he was famished. Jacob was cooking some red stew and Esau asked him for some. Jacob, which can have the connotation of “deceiver” in Hebrew, deceives Esau and says he will give Esau some stew if Esau sells him his birthright.

Why Jacob did this, I do not know. In Genesis 25:23, the Lord tells Rebekah that the older will serve the younger. Jacob was the younger. In all likelihood, Rebekah told Jacob of this, but Jacob still deceived Esau for his birthright. Jacob was acting in his own interest as if he wanted to make sure God’s promise to his mother and ultimately him would be fulfilled.

When reading this story, at first glance, it makes you want to feel sorry for Esau, at least it did for me. It seems like he got the raw deal and that Jacob swindled him out of his inheritance. Yet, look at what Scripture says about Esau. In verse 34: “……So Esau despised his birthright.”

Esau placed his fleshly hunger over and against the things of God. The writer of the book of Hebrews elaborates on this further:

Hebrews 12:14-17

"Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears."

So, Scripture says Esau was sexually immoral and godless. In fact he wanted to repent of his sin and he could not because his heart had become so hardened and bitter towards God. This is what can happen to us as well.

Don’t dabble in sin. Esau fed his flesh before he fed his spirit. God says what you sow to you will reap. If you sow to the flesh, you will reap destruction, if you sow to the spirit, you will reap eternal life. Jacob by no means was perfect. But nowhere in Scripture does the Word tell us to think more favorably of Esau than Jacob. Esau’s heart was first and foremost for himself and not God. Whereas, Jacob’s heart, while not perfect, was first and foremost for God.

Pray to the Lord today to give you the will and ability to love Him with all your heart.

As Jesus said:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

This post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer