I recently read Genesis 25. The end of that chapter tells the story of Esau selling his birthright to his younger brother Jacob. You can read it for yourself in verses 29 through 34, but here’s the Melissa Paraphrase Version (MPV – not just for blood tests anymore!):
Esau comes in from the fields, tired and hungry, and happens to find Jacob cooking a stew. He demands some stew from Jacob, who in turn demands that Esau sell him his birthright. Esau is so hungry that he is ABOUT TO DIE, like, he literally can’t even. His birthright is no use to him if he’s dead, so he trades it to Jacob for a bowl of stew.
The chapter ends with (in the ESV), “Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
That particular verse struck me as I was reading. The question I scribbled in the margin of my Bible was, “Do you despise your rebirth rights?”
Let me describe what I meant by that. When we accept Christ, we are born again (I Peter 1:23). God adopts us as his children and makes us heirs along with Jesus (Romans 8:14-18). We are given new rights and authority as sons and daughters of the Most High King, citizens of Heaven (Matthew 16:19, Philippians 3:20).
These rebirth rights or supernatural rights supersede my natural human rights. They include things like love, peace, joy, compassion, and wisdom. We have freedom from sin, guilt, shame and condemnation (Romans 8:1-2). We can draw near to God and approach our Heavenly Father with confidence, knowing we’ll be completely accepted.
My rebirth rights don’t just supersede my natural rights; sometimes they come in direct conflict. I have noticed this particularly with my natural right to be offended. Sometimes things happen where, by any earthly measure, you are in the right and some other person is in the wrong. Anyone would tell you that you have the right to be angry. One of my rights as a daughter of God, though, is to know that Jesus paid for every single one of my own offenses on the cross. There is absolutely nothing that he holds against me. If I’m going to accept God’s complete and utter forgiveness of all my offenses, then I can no longer exercise my right to hold offense against anyone else.
Being on the World Race thus far has been a constant reminder of which rights are important. As an American adult, I’m used to enjoying rights such as disposing of my time how I see fit, expecting schedules to be kept, freedom of movement, hot showers, and personal space. You can probably guess that those things are in short (or nonexistent) supply here.
I can choose to be upset about lacking those things, or I can remember that King Jesus came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). My time, my resources, my very life – they’re not my own anymore. I’ve been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20), and accepted my new citizenship and its laws. The awesome thing about living under Heaven’s law, though, is that it is a law of liberty (James 1:25). In exchange for giving myself up, I gain the right to perfect freedom, joy, and peace whatever my circumstances (Philippians 4:12).
Next time your circumstances demand irritation, frustration, impatience, anger, etc., remember Esau. Would you rather have a bowl of stew that satisfies for a moment (being upset can feel pretty satisfying, after all), or would you rather enjoy the lifelong blessings of your (re)birthright?
