Gen 25:29-34 (NKJV)
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”
32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.”
So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of bean soup.
In my western mindset, I’m not sure we understand the significance of this transaction. One of the commentaries I read said: “… that is the rights and privileges of the first-born, which were very important, the chief being that they were the family priest (Ex 4:22) and had a double portion of the inheritance (Deut 21:17).”
Doesn’t this sound exactly like American culture today? How many men, fathers, and brothers have sold their birth-right for something so insignificant and temporary as a bowl of bean soup? How many men are not stepping into their role as the priest of their families? How many families are not living in the richness of a double blessing from their Heavenly Father?
How do we get our birthright back?
Check out what the writer of Hebrews wrote:
Heb 12:16-17 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Hang on a minute… Esau was unable to repent even though he “… sought it diligently with tears.”
Is there a place we can get to in life – regardless of how broken we are – where we cannot repent, even if we want to?
What is the ramification of that?
Talk to me…
Yes
And no
On another day, please elaborate, but not today.