A Bowl Of Stew

Genesis 25:29-34

Did you ever, perhaps as a child, make a trade and end up feeling cheated?  You traded something nice of yours, and ended up getting something that you found out later was a piece of junk.  We still do that today, especially with our spiritual life.  Today, as we look into this passage from the Book of Genesis, we will see someone who traded one of the most important things in his life to satisfy a momentary passing physical desire.

Esau and Jacob were twin brothers, but the two couldn’t have been more different in personality and interests if they had tried.  Esau was the oldest of the two, and was a real rugged man, loving the outdoors and hunting.  Jacob, on the other hand, was just the opposite.  He stayed around the house more, and had more quieter interests.  As the eldest, Esau would inherit the birthright.  In Jewish culture, the birthright was given to the eldest son, and entitled the eldest to a double portion of the family’s inheritance.  The eldest son with the birthright would become the family’s leader, the patriarch, who was also the family’s spiritual leader.

As our passage begins, Esau had been out hunting all day, and came back home exhausted and very hungry.  In the meantime Jacob had been cooking some food, a pot of red lentil stew.  Jacob was probably a good cook, and the smell of his food filled the air.  Esau, tired and hungry, asked for a bowl.  Though they were brothers, there was no love between the two, and Jacob wasn’t going to give his food away for nothing, so he asked for the birthright.  Unbelievably, Esau said yes, as he felt the birthright was of no value if he died right then of hunger!

Who would exchange their birthright for a bowl of food?  Esau was not truly on the verge of death! Obviously he thought nothing of what his inheritance truly meant.  He was godless, as he considered filling his stomach more important than the spiritual promises of God to the family through his grandfather Abraham.  Esau had complete disregard for the spiritual blessings that would have come his way.  He traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food.  Esau acted on impulse without considering the long-range consequences.  Immediate pleasure often loses sight of the future.

A wise person evaluates choices by looking ahead to see what negative consequences could follow a course of action.  The principle of sowing and reaping cannot be reversed (Galatians 6:7-8).  We need to carefully consider what we are “planting” in our life.  Are we planting a life based on worldly pleasures and satisfying the flesh, or are we planting to benefit our spiritual life?  The harvest will come, and we will reap what we have sown, and more than we have sown.  Esau learned this the hard way, with devastating results.

We are often tempted to put God to one side, and to choose something else.  So often we exchange God’s promises of something much better for cheap, short-lived pleasures.  Is there anything of real and eternal value that we are willing to trade for something of lesser worth?  Do we pursue wealth and career at the expense of family?  Are there other activities we want to spend time pursuing that takes time away from God and His Word?  Our wrong decisions can rob us of God’s blessings.

It is also important not to make quick, spur of the moment decisions, especially in critical matters.  That can lead to making very unwise decisions.  It’s important not to exaggerate our condition, either.  Esau was not starving to death.  He never considered the consequences of his actions.  Esau reacted to the need of the moment, without realizing what he was giving up to meet that need.

Are we willing to trade something of eternal value for something of no more worth than a bowl of stew?  Don’t sacrifice your future for momentary pleasure!