To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

Philippians 1:21-27

Have you ever been torn between wanting to be in two different places at one time?  You want to be in one place because a loved one is there, but the second location is an infinitely nicer place.  So which one do you choose - being with a loved one or being in a better place?  In our Scripture today from St. Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, the Apostle describes being torn between two desires - to go on to heaven and be with the Savior, or remain here and continue ministering to believers and telling the lost about Jesus.

The Book of Philippians was written by the Apostle Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome for the faith.  At any moment he could have been dragged out of his prison cell and be taken to his execution.  During this time, Paul did not focus on his circumstances or his physical comfort.  Instead, he focused on the Lord.  He did not fear death, as he knew that was the doorway which would bring him into the presence of Jesus, which was naturally something he greatly desired.  However, he knew that there was still work to be done here upon earth.  The Philippian church, along with other churches he founded, needed his teaching and encouragement, and all around the world were people who needed to hear about Jesus.  His attitude is an example to us how to have joy, purpose, and steadfastness despite our circumstances.

As we begin this portion of Scripture we see Paul’s philosophy of life (vs. 21).  It wasn’t money, success, or pleasure.  Instead, Paul said “To me to live is Christ.”  Everything in his life revolved around Jesus.  He then finished the verse with “To die is gain.”  Death for the believer is not loss, but is a gain because it brings freedom from sin, suffering, temptation, and brings us immediately into the presence of Christ (II Corinthians 5:8; Romans 14:8).

Paul is torn between two good desires (vs. 22-24).  One is to depart this life and be with the Lord Jesus.  Death for the Christian is not extinction, it is a departure from one location to another (II Corinthians 5:6-8; John 14:1-3).  Paul’s second desire was to remain and minister to believers, and continue to spread the Gospel message of salvation.  Though heaven was far better, remaining alive was more beneficial for the believers he served.  This demonstrates genuine Christian love, as Paul was willing to postpone his greater blessing in order to help others spiritually.

Though Paul knew that his death could come at any moment, not just from an execution in prison, but also from the many enemies of the faith that he encountered every day, he believed that God would allow him to continue preaching the Gospel for a time (vs. 25-26).  God had given him a mandate, an order to bring the Gospel message to the lost, and to instruct and teach believers.  Until God felt that this order was finished, Paul believed he would remain and continue in obedience to that command.

Paul concluded this passage with a word of instruction for the Philippians (vs. 27).  He instructed them, and us today as well, to live a life worthy of the Gospel.  Our conduct should match the message of the Gospel that Paul proclaimed.  The Gospel is holy, therefore God’s people should live holy lives.  Here on earth we won’t achieve sinless perfection, but we can strive for consistent godliness in our life.

He instructed the believers to stand fast in unity with each other, being of one mind.  This speaks of doctrinal stability.  A mature church is not constantly blown about by false teachings.  Biblical unity is not unity at the expense of truth, it is unity around the truth.  Believers are to strive together for the Gospel, like athletes competing side-by-side on the same team.  We each have a role in advancing the message of Jesus.

As we close this passage of Scripture from Philippians, we see that Jesus was the center of Paul’s life, and should be for all of us, as well.  He did not fear death because Christ had conquered it.  His desire to be with the Savior in heaven was stronger than that of remaining on earth.  However, Paul knew that God had further work for him to do.  God leaves believers here for a purpose.  As long as you are still alive here on earth, God has work for you to do.  Our supreme purpose should be Jesus Christ.  Life is an opportunity to serve Him, death is a doorway into His presence, and until He calls us home, we are to stand firm, live worthy of the Gospel, and labor together for the advancement of the faith.

When Enemies Surround the House

Psalm 59

A common theme in action movies is when the protagonist is surrounded by his enemies, and there isn’t any safe way to escape.  The suspense grows as we wonder how he will get out of this tense situation.  Sometimes in life we might find ourselves in a similar predicament.  It might not be literal enemies who surround us, though that can happen.  It can be all sorts of immense and serious problems that surround us, with no visible way of escape.  What do we do when this happens?  In our psalm for this week we take a look at one event in the life of David, when he had enemies surrounding him, just waiting for a chance to catch and probably kill him.  Let’s see what his plan was to get out of a desperate situation.

Psalm 59 begins with an introductory heading which mentions the occasion that this psalm was written about.  After his great victory over the Philistine Goliath, King Saul took David into his royal court, both as a musician and also as an important soldier.  There he became best friends with Saul’s son Jonathan, and also married one of the king’s daughters, Michal.  Following several more victories over the Philistines, David became very popular among the people.  Saul had seriously drifted quite far away from the Lord since becoming king, and one sign from this was his jealousy of David, resulting in his multiple attempts upon David’s life.  One such time was when King Saul sent some of his men to surround the house where David and his wife, Michal, lived (I Samuel 19:11-17).  She had to help him escape out of a window in the dark of night, and he would spend the next several years living on the run from attacks and attempts on his life from Saul.

As we see when we read through this psalm is that Yahweh is the Defender of His people against wicked men, and like David knew, we see how to respond when we are surrounded by enemies, are falsely accused, and under attack.  When his wife Michal told David that Saul’s men had surrounded the house, what was the first thing he did?  Did he panic and fill with despair, or did he strap on his sword and go out to fight them on his own, since he was a skilled warrior?  No, he did none of those.  David immediately turned to God in prayer (vs. 1-2).  He did not first seek revenge.  He turned to God for His deliverance.  Our first response when we are surrounded with opposition should be prayer, not retaliation.

David knew that he hadn’t done anything to deserve this from King Saul, that he was innocent regarding the accusations (vs. 3-4).  This does not mean that David was sinless.  However, he was innocent of the specific charges being used against him.  Saul unjustly hated David, so he prayed to God for help.  David saw these enemies like vicious predators, like ferocious wild dogs circling their prey (vs. 5-7).  The world often mocks, opposes, and attacks God’s people.  He never tells us to pretend that evil does not exist.  Instead, we are to see it clearly, and trust God completely for deliverance.

What is God’s response to these enemies of David?  He tells us that God laughs at the wicked (vs. 8).  This is not an amused laugh, but instead is showing divine contempt.  God is never threatened by the schemes of wicked men.  They think that they have control, but God remains on the throne.  David later repeats this thought in another of his psalms, of God laughing in contempt of the wicked (Psalm 2:4).

Following turning to the Lord in prayer, David then shifted from fear to faith (vs. 9-10).  Instead of focusing on the enemy’s strength, he focused on God’s strength.  Faith grows when we focus on God’s character rather than on our circumstances.  Sometimes we spend more time dwelling on the problem rather than the One who can bring us out of that problem.  David shows us here what we ought to be doing.

David then prayed for God’s righteous judgment on those who were wrongly attacking him (vs. 11-13).  He didn’t ask for their immediate destruction, but for God to make them examples, which would serve as a warning to others.  These weren’t just his enemies, they were rebellious enemies of God.  He didn’t seek his own vengeance, but left the judgment in God’s hands.  Then again David depicts them as restless dogs (vs. 14-15).  Without God there is continual dissatisfaction, and no peace.

Our psalm began with danger, but ends with worship (vs. 16-17).  David had confidence.  His circumstances have not necessarily changed, but his perspective has.  He knew that God was his answer.  David didn’t hide his fear, but instead prayed to God.  He knew that He was strong, faithful, and would protect him, and he did not wait for the answer to begin his praise.  David praised God while the danger still existed.

In closing, as followers of the Lord Jesus, we must trust in His protection and justice even in times when opposition seems strong and the answers seem delayed.  David’s enemies watched his house to destroy him, however David watched his God to deliver him.  The enemy may surround our house, but remember, God surrounds His child!

An Angry Prophet

Jonah 3:10 - 4:11

Several weeks ago we had a study on a Scripture passage from the Book of Jonah where we looked at his prayer while within the belly of the giant fish or whale which had swallowed him.  Today the Lectionary for this week takes us back to the Book of Jonah where we’ll see the rest of the story.  Let’s see what happened with the prophet’s ministry.

Prior to the start of our Scripture passage, the giant fish had spat Jonah out onto the beach.  Having a giant fish swallow him whole sure got his attention, and he knew that he had better obey what God had told him to do, which was go and preach His message to the city of Nineveh.  In the third chapter of Jonah we are told that the prophet went throughout the city, preaching that the people needed to repent and turn to the Lord or else He would destroy them.  Jonah’s message reached into their hearts. The city, from the highest to the lowest, turned to Yahweh in repentance.  This is where our Scripture picks up.

Jonah’s message to the people had been a warning from God, that if they didn’t repent and turn from their wickedness, God would bring His judgment upon them.  The people did repent, and God saw this (vs. 3:10).  Because the people changed their attitude towards the Lord, He changed His dealings with Nineveh.  He spared them, and did not destroy the city.  When sinners repent, God may withhold threatened judgment.  He responds with mercy, according to His holy character.  This repentance was genuine.  Their actions demonstrated that their hearts had changed.  True repentance is not merely feeling sorry.  It involves having sorrow over our sins, turning from those sins, and turning towards God, which is what the Ninevites did.

What do you think was Jonah’s response to the repentance of the Ninevites?  Was he happy?  Did he praise the Lord for their conversion?  I’m sorry to say he did not.  The fact that the Lord saw their repentance and spared them His righteous judgment displeased Jonah (vs. 1).  Jonah had so much hate in his heart for the Assyrians. The Assyrian empire was a violent and cruel nation, and one who had attacked the northern kingdom of Israel numerous times.  They were enemies of his people, and he had allowed great hatred of them to grow in his heart, which was why he had initially refused to go and preach to them.

Jonah wanted justice, but God showed mercy which angered the prophet (vs. 2-3)  He wanted to see them destroyed!  Jonah knew God’s mercy, His patience, and loving kindness.  He knew the Scriptures, and even quoted Exodus 34:6 back to God.  Jonah’s doctrine was excellent, but his heart was not.  People may have correct theology and orthodox belief, but fail to love others.  God wants us to have both, correct doctrine and love for others.  Jonah’s bitterness and hatred had gripped his heart so deeply that he actually would rather die than see Nineveh spared!

God responded by asking Jonah if he was right in being so angry (vs. 4).  He wanted the prophet to examine his heart, and see if his anger was justified.  Jonah felt it was, and actually went and sat on a hillside outside of the city (vs. 5).  He wanted a ringside seat to watch the city go up in smoke.  He didn’t want to miss a bit of what his heart so desired.

As Jonah sat in the sun waiting for the destruction of Nineveh, God prepared a plant to quickly grow and bring shade for him (vs. 6).  That made Jonah happy.  A city’s salvation did not make him happy, but the shade of a plant did.  This reveals a misplaced value system.  However, God was not through.  The plant and what was to follow was to be an object lesson for Jonah.  God prepared a worm to eat away at the plant so that it died (vs. 7).  The God who gave the blessing removed the blessing.  Sometimes God removes comforts to expose our hearts.  Then God sent a scorching wind to make Jonah hot and miserable and he wanted to die again (vs. 8).  The loss of temporary comfort completely overwhelmed him, revealing his spiritual immaturity.

Again, God asked Jonah if he was right in being angry, and again the prophet said he was (vs. 9).  How easy it is to recognize the sins of Nineveh while excusing our own sinful attitudes.  Jonah could see Nineveh’s wickedness, but would not see his own.  Jonah cared deeply about a plant he did not create and which lasted only a day, yet he had little concern for the souls of people he hated.  Jonah valued a plant, but God values people (vs. 10).

Verse 11 is one of the greatest statements of God’s compassion in the Old Testament.  God is not indifferent towards sinners.  He takes no pleasure in judgment.  Though God is holy and must judge sin, He delights in mercy when sinners repent.  Jonah wanted judgment, but God wanted repentance.  As believers, we are called to reflect God’s compassion.  We should never desire the destruction of those whom God desires to save.  No sinner is beyond God’s grace.  Who is God calling you to love and bring His saving message to that you don’t want to love?

The Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

Most of us have had some type of debt at some point in our life. We may have had a house mortgage, or perhaps a car loan to pay off, and any other debt was hopefully small and manageable.   Imagine if you owed an astronomical amount of money to someone, and you had no way to pay it back.  You would be so grateful if that amount was forgiven.  It would be a tremendous blessing!  In our Scripture today, the Lord Jesus tells His followers a parable about such an instance.  Let’s see what He has to say.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus had just finished instructing His disciples on how the Church was to deal with fellow brethren who had fallen into sin.  Peter then came to Him asking how often he had to forgive someone who sinned against him, and whether seven times was sufficient (vs. 21-22).  In Jewish tradition, forgiving three times was considered generous.  By saying seven times, Peter thought he was being extremely generous.  Jesus then bursts that little bubble by telling him it should be seventy times seven.  He didn’t mean a literal 490 times, and then on the 491st time you could clobber them.  Jesus was teaching that forgiveness should be limitless.  Just like God’s forgiveness, it should be abundant, undeserved, and continual.

Jesus then told the crowd the parable of the unforgiving servant (vs. 23-34).  A king’s servant owed him 10,000 talents.  When he couldn’t pay, the king ordered him and his family to be sold until payment was made.  When that servant begged for mercy, the king had compassion and forgave the debt.  Then that servant went and found a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii and demanded payment.  When that servant asked for mercy and promised he would get it paid, the first servant refused, and had him thrown into debtors' prison.  When the king found out, he was furious, and had that first servant delivered to the tormentors.

To understand this, we need to be familiar with the two amounts that were owed, what a talent and what a denarius was.  A talent was a weight of precious metal, usually silver.  One talent equaled 75 pounds of silver.  In Biblical times one talent would have been about 20 years salary for a laborer.  So 10,000 talents would have been way more than a lifetime’s salary, billions of dollars in today’s money.  A denarius was approximately a day’s wage for a common laborer.  100 denarii would be several month’s salary.  A goodly sum, but something manageable, and one that should have been able to be worked out between the two servants.

In this parable, the king represents God.  The first servant is a sinner forgiven by God, and the other servant is someone who has sinned against us.  The massive debt owed the king symbolizes our sin against God, which is infinite in moral weight.  The smaller debt symbolizes what others do to us, which is real, but comparatively small.  The king forgave the servant completely - total grace, no conditions.  This shows a picture of salvation.  We cannot repay our sin debt, but God forgives freely those who come to Him through Jesus Christ.  Forgiveness is undeserved and complete.

What did that forgiven servant go and do?  Despite being forgiven an impossible debt, the servant violently demanded repayment of a tiny one.  Unforgiveness in a believer is morally outrageous because it contradicts the grace they have received.  We have been recipients of maximum mercy.  Who are we to suddenly demand justice from others?  We are to show the same compassion to others that God showed us.

When the king hears of that servant’s behavior, he then orders him delivered to the tormentors.  This is not teaching a loss of salvation.  Instead it illustrates that fellowship with God is broken because unrepentant attitudes get in the way of our prayers.  It shows what bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness will produce in our spirit.

Jesus expects us to be able to forgive just as fully and completely as He has.  Forgiveness doesn’t negate the wrong done to us.  It doesn’t deny the offense or the pain.  However, it lets go of the right to get even. Vengeance is God’s responsibility, not ours (Romans 12:19).  It doesn’t mean that we have to immediately trust the one who wronged us.  We may never trust them again, but we surrender the matter to God, choosing grace over bitterness.

This parable calls us to live out the Gospel by extending the same grace that we have received.  God’s forgiveness of us is immeasurably greater than any forgiveness we must extend, and Jesus calls us to forgive others from our heart continually and without keeping score.  Unforgiveness is a serious sin that contradicts the Gospel.  A forgiving spirit is evidence of genuine salvation and spiritual maturity.  

Convictions

Romans 14:5-12

As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus, most of us have some convictions on various matters.  There are things that we choose to do or not do, things that we avoid, because we feel that as a Christian we should or should not be doing them.  Some of these convictions come straight from God’s Word, the Bible.  Others do not.  They are just a matter of our own conscience.  This is where St. Paul warns us in our Scripture today to be careful that we do not judge others or impose our own personal convictions upon others.  Let’s look into our Scripture from the Book of Romans.

As the Apostle Paul wrote his letters to various newly established Christian churches throughout the Roman Empire, not only did he expound upon doctrine and practical Christian living, he also occasionally sought to resolve problems that had arisen.  One such conflict was when some Christians were becoming judgmental and condemning their fellow believers over personal convictions that one or the other had or didn’t have, such as observing certain days, or what to eat or not eat.  Such conflicts were causing division, even hostility among believers, and were a disruption in the church.  Paul wanted to see such conflicts settled.

The issues that Paul addressed here were not moral absolutes, such as adultery, murder, or idolatry, but instead were matters of Christian liberty, such as observing a holiday, eating meat or not, and other personal scruples.  Some believers at that time, likely Jewish Christians, felt compelled to honor certain days, like the Sabbath, feast days, fast days, etc. (vs. 5-6).  Others, likely Gentile Christians, saw all days alike.  These are non-moral issues that have no bearing on salvation.  There were also some in the church who were very strict about what they would eat or not eat, while others felt free to eat whatever their tastes desired.  The two groups were becoming judgmental and condemning of each other.

Paul responded to this conflict by instructing believers that when they formed their convictions they must be fully convinced in their own mind, they must act from a conscience informed by Scripture, not from peer pressure or tradition.  With our personal convictions, things that are not Scriptural absolutes or doctrines, these should be personal, thoughtful, and God-honoring, not imposed upon us by others.

We occasionally find conflicts like this in some churches today.  There are some who will harshly judge others for what they wear, their hair styles, what they eat or not eat, and whether they watch TV or movies.  Some will even judge the other’s salvation based on these personal convictions.  Paul rebukes both sides in this matter, as both groups looked down on and condemned the other (vs. 10).  He rebuked the “strong” for despising the “weak”, and the “weak” for judging the “strong”.  We are not to condemn someone for a conviction that Scripture does not condemn, nor to look down on someone for being more cautious.  We also need to be careful that we do not elevate some personal convictions we have to the level of Christ’s commands.

Whether we are vegetarian, vegan, or enjoy a good steak, whether we enjoy an action movie, or abstain from those, we must do it unto the Lord, not because it is tradition or imposed upon us by someone else.  The Christian life is not autonomous.  Believers belong to Jesus, and He alone should govern our choices (vs. 7-8).  Each conviction that we have should be decided by the question “Does this honor my Lord?”  Our choices in gray areas, such as entertainment, holidays, or food, should reflect our desire to live for Jesus.

Paul then quoted Isaiah 45:23 to remind us that God alone is Judge (vs. 11-12).  His authority, and not our own, is ultimate.  We have no right to sit in God’s judgment seat over another’s conscience.  Each of us will personally answer to God, not to other Christians, for how we lived out our convictions.  Accountability is individual, and we should not impose our conscience in non-doctrinal or moral matters onto others, such as diet, whether we watch TV, or other such convictions.

Just as in the days of the Apostles, Christians today must allow for differences in non-essential matters without division.  We should not elevate personal standards to Biblical commands.  Nor should we mock or belittle others who have stricter convictions.  Instead, study the Bible and form thoughtful, God-honoring positions, making every choice, whether in food, entertainment, or personal standards, an act of worship.  We will answer to God, not to other Christians, in the end.

A Favorite Psalm

Psalm 103

Most Christians have a favorite psalm among the 150 psalms in the Bible.  For many that is the very familiar Psalm 23.  Though I do like that psalm, that one is not in my top three favorites.  Our psalm today, Psalm 103 ranks as second place in my list of favorite psalms, with Psalm 34 beating it out in first place.  My third favorite is Psalm 139.  Psalm 103 is one of the richest and most worship-filled psalms in Scripture.  It is David’s full-hearted call for God’s people to remember His benefits, to magnify His mercy, and to humble themselves under His fatherly compassion.  The theme could be said to bless the Lord by remembering His benefits, His mercy, and His covenant faithfulness.  Let’s take a look at this very beautiful and spiritually moving psalm.

As mentioned, this psalm was written by King David.  Unlike many of his other psalms, or the psalms of others, it contains no requests, no complaints, and mentions no enemies.  Instead, it calls us to remember who God is and what He has done for us.  It affirms the reality of God’s forgiveness, His healing, and His redemption.  It reminds us of God’s unchanging character and His faithfulness to His covenant.  All of this should stir our hearts to worship the Lord.

David begins his psalm by calling upon his soul to bless the Lord (vs. 1-2).  To bless the Lord means to speak well of Him, praising Him, and exalting His Name.  David reminds himself, and us too, not to forget all that God has done for us.  Forgetting the Lord’s blessings can lead us to drift away from Him, and thus into spiritual danger.  We need to actively recall all that He has blessed us with.

Next, David continues by listing five specific benefits that God has blessed His children with (vs. 3-5).  The first is that God has forgiven all of our sins.  After one has accepted Jesus as their personal Savior, we have total forgiveness of our sins because of His substitutionary atonement upon the cross for us.  This is not just some of our sins, but all of them.  God also heals all of our diseases.  This is not a blanket promise of immediate physical healing.  Rather, it acknowledges God as the ultimate healer, as healing is part of His mercy.  We receive spiritual healing from sin’s corruption, and final physical healing in resurrection glory.

Another benefit is that God redeems our life from destruction.  When one personally accepts Jesus, we are then rescued from eternal ruin.  God also crowns us with loving-kindness and tender mercies.  His mercy is not cold.  It is tender, fatherly, and affectionate, and based on His covenant love.  The last one that David listed is that God satisfies us with good things.  He doesn’t merely sustain, He satisfies us.  He renews our strength like that of an eagle, a picture of energy and renewed youthfulness.

David then moves from personal benefits to some of God’s divine attributes (vs. 6-10).  He is righteous, and will show justice to those who are oppressed.  He is slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  His wrath is real, but His mercy is also abundant.  They both coexist perfectly.  We see grace and mercy here - grace in that God gives us what we do not deserve, and mercy in that He withholds what we do deserve.

Now we come to some of the most tender verses in the Bible that describe God and His dealings with His children (vs. 11-14).  Can you measure the height of the heavens?  No, as scientists say that there is no known end to the universe.  That is how great God’s mercy is to us.  He also separates our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.  North and south have set points at both poles where you start to go in the other direction.  Not so with east and west. They never meet.  This is a picture of infinite separation.  Our sins are truly gone.  If God removes our sins, and forgets them, we should, as well.

The Lord also is the perfect father who has compassion on us, knowing that we are frail humans.  As humans, we are frail - brief, fragile, and fading like grass (vs. 15-18).  However, God is eternally faithful and His mercy is everlasting.  Knowing all of this, we should join in with the angels and heavenly hosts in giving universal praise (vs. 19-22).

In closing, one of the reasons that this is one of my favorite psalms is that it reminds me of God’s forgiveness and unconditional love for His children.  To love conditionally is against God’s nature.  It is against His nature to remember forgiven sins.  Grace forgets.  He who is perfect love cannot hold grudges.  Knowing this, let us not forget to give Him all the praise and blessing.  As Blood-bought children of God, we have a lot more reasons to rejoice than to complain.

A Bowl of Stew

Genesis 25:28-34

Do you have something important in your life, something of honor or privilege, that you have taken for granted?  Then one day comes, you don’t have it anymore, and now you have deep regret.  The choices and decisions that you made have caused you to lose this important thing because at the time it didn’t seem so important, you failed to see the value and honor.  In our Scripture today we read of someone who had a position of honor and privilege, and who gave it up for something extremely trivial, and then later would deeply regret it.

Our Scripture tells of one event in the lives of two brothers, Jacob and Esau.  These brothers were the sons of Isaac, and grandsons of Abraham.  They were fraternal twins, but couldn’t have been more different from each other.  Esau, the older of the twins, was a rugged outdoorsman type, who loved hunting, and if he had lived today, would have been an all-around athlete.  Jacob was the opposite, a more bookish type.  As the firstborn, Esau had the birthright.  As we read in verse 28, Isaac’s favorite of the two was Esau because he loved the venison that his son brought back from hunting.  Their mother Rebekah loved Jacob best.

To fully understand this passage of Scripture, we must understand exactly what the birthright was, as this is something unfamiliar with many cultures today.  In the Old Testament, the birthright was given to the firstborn son of the family.  It consisted of several important privileges.  One was that the eldest son would get twice as much inheritance when the father died than any of his other siblings, twice as much property and twice as much material wealth.  He would become the patriarch or head of the clan when the father died.  The birthright also held spiritual leadership responsibilities, as he would lead the extended family in worship and sacrifices (until the sacrificial responsibility was given to the Levites).  As we can see, this was a special blessing and privilege to hold.  Why would anyone just toss that away?

As our Scripture recounts, one day Esau had gone out hunting.  Shortly before his brother returned Jacob decided to make dinner.  He seems to have been a good cook, and had a bubbling pot of delicious stew cooking outdoors at the fire pit when Esau returned.  The older brother was quite hungry following his day out hunting, and asked for a bowl.  Jacob was a devious and cunning man, and he wasn’t going to freely give a bowl of his stew without getting something in return (vs. 29-31).

The birthright was something that Jacob really wanted, and he knew that his brother didn’t care about the privilege that it was.  As his mother’s favorite, Jacob had probably been told by her of the message of God to her shortly before they were born, how the older of the two would serve the younger, how Jacob would eventually have the preeminence (Genesis 25:21-23).   Jacob did not want to wait on the Lord for this, so he took this opportunity to get the birthright.  Esau was ruled by impulse, and was dominated by the moment.  He was uninterested in spiritual things and was governed by his bodily desires.  Jacob’s methods were flawed, but he valued the birthright.

Esau was certainly not about to die of hunger as he claimed! (vs. 32).  However, he valued a bowl of food over the spiritual blessings that were his, counting them worthless.  He consciously chose the temporal over the eternal.  He would rather have a full belly than the things of God, as he held this in contempt (vs. 33-34).  He was spiritually bankrupt.

Esau’s hunger became a doorway to spiritual disaster.  The flesh always undervalues spiritual truth.  Jacob’s desire for the birthright, though obtained in a less than godly way, showed that spiritual blessings must be pursued, not neglected.  Esau’s decision led to great loss.  There are always great consequences to despising God’s gifts.

Is there a bowl of stew in your life right now?  Are temporary pleasures threatening eternal priorities?  Or do you value spiritual blessings more than physical comfort?  We must resist the temptation to sacrifice long-term spiritual health for short-term gratification, like Esau did.  “What good is the birthright to me right now?” is the essence of modern secular thinking.  Don’t trade your eternal blessings for a bowl of stew!