I started off going through the life of Jacob because he's one of those Bible characters that always just bothered me. I mean he was a momma's boy, he tricked his brother & his father, he played favorites among his wives & sons, etc… I got a whole new perspective on Jacob after studying a bit more, but that story might be for another day. Today is about Jacob & Esau. I've heard their story lots of times throughout my life growing up in church & what not…but never really thought about it too much (that's kind of what I'm realizing more & more about a lot of stuff in the Bible).
The part of the story that I'm talking about can be found in Genesis 25:29-34, for reference purposes. So Esau is the older of the two brothers, making him the one entitled to the birthright. One day he comes home feeling super hungry and notices Jacob cooking some very enticing stew. He asks for some because he says he's starving (really? "I'm starving" is probably one of the most exagerrated phrases ever…I've noticed that for me anyways). So naturally Jacob, the younger brother, wants to take advantage of the situation when his older brother for once desperately wants something from him. So he just throws out the idea, "Hey, give me your rights as the firstborn, & I'll give you some of this stew." So Esau is like, "Well I'm about to die of hunger here, so some silly birthright isn't gonna do me any good anyways! Sure, it's yours. Now give me the stew!" He ate it within minutes, then left.
Who would ever be so ridiculous trade their birthright for stew?! I always thought Esau was pretty lame for making that choice. Right up until the other day when I was reading & felt conviction hit me like as the realization "Oh my goodness, I'm Esau!" dawned on me.
Think about it: Esau had no clue what was in store for his future. Nor did he consider the impact his decisions would have later on in life. He loses sight of how valuable the birthright is in a moment of hunger – he gave in to his appetite. What if he had known his potential future before giving in? Esau was the father of 12 sons who became the 12 tribes. The King of Kings, the Saviour of the universe, was born through the line of Esau. The people worshipped the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau. If he had only known the potential, I bet that would've changed things. But he didn't know, so all of those things became true of his younger brother, Jacob.
So here's how I relate: Appetites aren't just for food – there are appetites for relationships, love, success, approval, control, etc… and there are chances to give in to those appetites everyday. God revealed some junk in my life that I've been clinging to, and that has ultimately been controlling me. Choices that I've made in the moment without thinking about the future. Is it worth trading the ultimate for the immediate? I mean really, what's at stake? Here's the thing…I don't know what's at stake. I don't have the slightest idea what God's got in store for my future. I don't know the potential for my life…but I do know that's it's not worth taking the risk of missing it. I don't know what I might be called to do, but there's potential for something unbelievably awesome.
We're all in line to receive blessings as children of God. He doesn't just pick and choose who gets His blessings. God wants each of us to fully enjoy what He has planned for our lives. But so often we sell ourselves short – we miss out because we give in to our appetites.
So what's the key? Reshaping one's thinking. The thing about appetites is that they're never satisfied…but they can be controlled, so that they don't control you. When Esau got up from eating, the stew was gone, his birthright was gone, and his destiny was forever changed – because in the moment he chose to give in to the immediate without thinking about the potential ahead.
Moral of the story: Just say no to the stew.
