Don't Sell Your Birthright

Then in closing, and whether you notice it or not, this will be point number seven. I put finally but then I slipped a six in so there came seven. And that was not my planning. I just want to say one more thing. That is don’t sell your birthright. You might think that’s absurd but I don’t feel that way. We’ll just look for a moment in Hebrews 12:14 and following.

“Pursue peace with all men and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Looking diligent lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and by this many become defiled. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 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, the blessing diligently with tears.”

The NIV brings out the fact it was the blessing not the place of repentance that he sought. One of the things that’s exercised me is the difference between Esau and Jacob. And I’m sure you’re aware that in Malachi God says, "Jacob I’ve loved, Esau I’ve hated." Very strong language. Twins, yet one God loved, the other he hated. As I pointed out I think here this includes the whole truth of election. God chose Jacob before he was even born and rejected Esau before he was even born. Do you think that’s fair? I tell people God isn’t fair. He’s just but he’s not fair by our standards of fairness. Don’t expect it of God because you’ll be disappointed. I hope that doesn’t shock you. You can’t say that God was fair with his dealings with Job. The best man in the world at that time and look what he went through. But don’t be too anxious because I doubt whether any of us here could be treated the way God treated Job. God knows who he can treat that way and who he cannot.

But I just want in closing to suggest to you what was the difference between Esau and Jacob? Esau was really the good guy, he was tough, masculine, a hunter, his father’s favorite. For rather bad reasons. I was looking through some very old Bible outlines that I preached in London in the l950s. And I found one with a most fascinating title, I couldn’t preach it today but this was the title. How a Wrong Attitude to Food Corrupted the Family Life of Isaac. I’ll leave it with you to think it over. I may have to think it over myself.

At least we can say it was because he enjoyed venison that he preferred the unspiritual son to the spiritual. I mean, really in modern America, Esau would be the popular one. He’s probably wear a cowboy hat and boots, I mean, if either of them were ever to appear in a movie it would be Esau.

Jacob, his very name means heel. True! He was grasping, somewhat unscrupulous, he was afraid to deceive his father but he was willing to do it because of what his mother tricked him into. Incidentally, Rebekah is the first Yiddish Mama. You know, I mean, she has as many descendants as you can’t count.

She really manipulated the whole family. And so none of us would naturally like Jacob. Even though we may be much more like him than we think we are. So what was there that appealed to God in Jacob? I would say very simply this and I’ll leave this thought with you. In spite of all the defects in his character, he wanted what God had to offer. And he was prepared to do whatever it took to get it. And Esau, though he was was the good guy, could care less about his spiritual inheritance. He sold it for a bowl of soup. And I think that one thing that God looks for: You may have your personal problems, you may have your personality problems. The question is, are you determined that you’re going to get your inheritance? That you’re not going to settle for anything less than God’s best. I believe if you have that attitude, God can deal with your character. You may end up limping like Jacob but Jacob limped back into his inheritance. Esau lost his. So let me leave that with you, Amen.