Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field exhausted. He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.” That is also why he was named Edom.
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
“Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”     Genesis 25:29-32

This is a conversation between two twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. Their father was Isaac, and their grandfather was Abraham. God had richly blessed Abraham and he had become very wealthy. Isaac inherited this wealth. Esau was the older of the twins and his birthright would give him the right to inherit this great wealth and also hold a place of honor. It would hand this spiritual blessing down to him.

The two twins are total opposites. Jacob is a momma’s boy who like to stick close to home. Esau is described as a red and hairy guy.  He is a hunter and an outdoorsman who likes to be outside and work in the fields. On this particular day, he has worked to the point of exhaustion. It is often said we must be particularly careful when we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Halt is an acronym for this. When facing one or more of these conditions stop and think about what you are doing. Esau was exhausted and extremely hungry. So much so that he traded this spiritual blessing of the great wealth handed down through the generations for a bowl of stew, one single meal. This tells us a few things about Esau. First it tells us that he isn’t much of a planner. He is living in the here and now with no thought for tomorrow. It also tells us that he is impulsive and doesn’t carefully consider what he is doing. It is easy to look at Esau and think, “How crazy is that?” But have you ever done the same thing? I know I have.

I have traded a moment of physical pleasure or satisfied my physical appetite while despising my birthright. The Bible tells us that Esau despised his birthright meaning he held contempt for it or hated it. I mean, after all, he did sell it for one bowl of stew. Our birthright is in Christ. We are blood bought children of God. He gave His only Son to save us from our sins. We have a right to inherit His Holy kingdom. But how often do we reject it and sell it for something like one single meal or one moment of pleasure? How often do we sin and forfeit our birthright? How often do we justify our actions by saying that we were starving to death or dying from exhaustion and had no choice? How often do we look at what we need right now and have no consideration for doing what’s best for eternity?

Jacob was a conniver. He saw the perfect opportunity when he saw how exhausted and hungry Esau was. He had no right or claim to his father’s wealth, but he saw a way to get it. The devil sees the same in us. He sees our weak spots and goes straight for them. This is why we must constantly feast on God’s word through daily Bible study. We must never allow ourselves to be starved for His word. We must refresh ourselves and renew our minds through remaining in constant communication with Him through prayer. God can provide all we need. We must also beware of getting too hungry, too angry, too lonely or too tired. These make us vulnerable to the devil’s temptations.

Hebrews 11:16-17 describes Esau as immoral and irreverent because his sold his birthright for a single meal. It goes on to say that when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears. This means he sought his birthright with tears, not repentance. Esau never repented for what he did. He never cried out to God and told Him how sorry he was for what he did. But he was sure sorry when he lost all the wealth and honor that would have been his had he not acted so impulsively.

We don’t deserve God’s blessings. But He gives them freely when we surrender our lives to Him. Are you selling your birthright for fleeting pleasures? Hebrews 11:25 says Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. If only Esau had done the same. He didn’t, but you can.

Have a great day!