Esau, the Not So Mighty Hunter!
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Introduction
Introduction
*Thank everyone for coming and making our 3rd Annual Beast Feast a huge success.
*Special thanks to every business which donated items.
*A very special thanks to our people here at Calvary Baptist who not only donated items for door prizes, but also brought items for decorations as well as food.
*Thanks to our staff for making this event possible.
This is the first year I decided not to bring in a guest speaker. The Lord laid it on my heart to just go ahead and speak to you this evening. I have been an avid hunter since I was a young boy. My first recollection of hunting was when I received my first BB gun. It wasn’t long after opening that gift that I was taking out a few birds. Later, as a teenager, I was blessed to have several men in my dad’s church who enjoyed hunting and would take me with them. My dad was never much into hunting when I was a child since he was busy pastoring and working. Before I was born, he was a coon hunter. Something that I actually have never done. All my hunting has involved squirrels and deer. As far as deer hunting, I have experienced still hunting and running dogs. Both have their pros and cons. Concerning running dogs, there is a thrill in anticipation when you hear those dogs turn and start coming in your direction. However, I have enjoyed way more success still hunting, which is the method I prefer. There is nothing like sitting in a deer stand and enjoying life around you. From the trees swaying in the breeze the sun moving in and out of the trees, to seeing all the small game, such as squirrels, rabbits, and birds, moving all around, nothing is more enjoyable and peaceful. I find the same peace when I am fishing.
As I thought about what to say to each of you this evening, my mind turned to the Bible and this thought. Are there any hunters listed in the pages of Scripture? The answer is yes. In fact, there are quite a few. Most of which we saw after the Great Flood. Why the Great Flood? Genesis 9:2-4 indicates that before the Flood, men were vegetarians. I know I know what you are thinking! However, being a vegetarian then was much different than now. However, after the Flood, God blessed the taking of flesh as a substance. That is what Genesis 9:2-4 is all about. Thus, here we are this evening, enjoying the eating of flesh as blessed by God. It is after this that we see men become hunters. The first mighty hunter was a man named “Nimrod.”
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.
We don’t know much about Nimrod other than what is given in these two verses. The one thing that stands out to be is this. “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” What an incredible testimony? Not only was he a mighty hunter, but he honored the Lord.
Later, in the Old Testament, we find another famous hunter. Nimrod was the first mighty hunter and honored the Lord. However, this next hunter is not so much famous as he was infamous.
Let me lay some background to this hunter’s story. A few generations after the Flood, God calls a man to leave his own people and to follow Him, God, to a promised land. Part of God’s promise to this man was that God would make him the father of a great nation. That man we know today is Abraham. Abraham does as God asks and, by faith, follows God. Abraham’s story is long and full of exciting moments. It’s too much for us to get into this evening. God blessed Abraham and gave him a son named Isaac. Later, Isaac marries Rebekah. Rebekah gives birth to twins. One of the twins is named Esau, and the other is named Jacob. Here is the Biblical account of their birth.
24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.
25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.
26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28 And they said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
Now, you are probably thinking, I like this guy, Esau. He was a hairy man, a man’s man. He was a cunning hunter who was very skilled at taking wildgame. He was a man of the field. He loved the outdoors. His brother, on the other hand, was a mamma’s boy. Note that he was a plain man who loved living in the tent.
Now, here comes the vital part of their story. Esau was the firstborn. Thus, by right of being firstborn, he stood to receive the inheritance of his father’s wealth and his father’s blessing. The blessing was a huge deal. In fact, I do not know if there is any way for us in today’s society to understand just how big a deal this was. Essentially, whoever received the birthright carried on the Godly lineage that God had already established with their grandfather, Abraham.
Now comes the rest of the story.
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
In a nutshell, Jacob is making some thick red lentil soup, pottage. Esau comes in from the field, most likely from hunting, and is famished. Esau spies some of the excellent testing lentil soup that Jacob has just made and wants some. Jacob, of course, sees an opportunity. By the way, the name Jacob means trickster or supplanter. He was a devious man. Thus, he sees this as an opportunity to trick Esau out of his birthright. So, he tells Esau, “Sell me your birthright this day.” Esau, thinking only of himself and satisfying his need for food, sells off the most valuable thing in the family to his brother for one bowl of soup. And, as the Bible says, Esau despised his birthright.
Here is my point! We, as hunters, like Esau. He was a man’s man. He was a skilled hunter. And, like Esau, many of us have spent an entire day hunting only to take nothing and come home extremely hungry. We, as hunters, can all relate to Esau. Unfortunately, there are a lot of hunters and sportsmen who make the same fatal mistake that Esau made. They sell off what is eternally important for the simple satisfaction of pleasing their flesh.
What do I mean? Without a doubt, Scripture is full of testimony that we, as people, will live after this life.
We were created in God’s image - body, soul, and spirit.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Adam’s sin marred God’s image in us - our bodies changed (sickness, physical death), our souls live but are now destined to hell, and our spirit died (spiritual death, no fellowship with God).
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Now, every person born into this world is born already separated from God.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God understood our condition and had a plan.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The plan revolved around His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, coming down to die for our sins. He not only accomplished the mission, but He victoriously arose from the dead. In doing so, God gave eternal life to His Son. Now, His Son extends that gift to all who believe.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
You see, it is not a matter of IF you will live after death, but where you will live after death. Will you continue to live in spiritual death, separated from God in Hell, or will you live in everlasting life with God in Heaven?
How can a person live with God having eternal life?
Acknowledge that you are a sinner.
Admit that Christ died for you.
Accept Christ as your personal Redeemer.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It takes believing all this with your whole heart, soul, and mind. Faith results in actions. If you believe, you will willingly cry and confess with your mouth.
What does all this have to do with Esau?
I am glad you asked. Esau understood the importance of the birthright. He was not an idiot. His family birthright was more than just an ordinary inheritance. It was more than just wealth; it was a spiritual inheritance. It was an inheritance that started with God’s promise to his grandfather, Abraham. There was much more at stake than being the next in line to carry on the family name. It was definitely worth more than a single bowl of soup. And, yet, Esau chose the things of this world over the eternal things.
I am here to say that many men and women are doing the same. I just pointed out how God is offering you the greatest gift a person can receive. He is offering you the rest of eternity. This life is nothing. It is but a vapor.
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
There are a lot of people who are rejecting this offer in exchange for what? A short time of existence on this earth filled with all kinds of pleasurable stuff like hunting, fishing, and whatever else you want to fill in the blank.
Let me explain it with this illustration.
This illustration is not original to me. I heard someone else give it, but I liked it and think it demonstrates what I am trying to say to you this evening. Note this rope that I have here. It is incredibly long, running from my hand to the back of the gym and out the backdoor. You will also note that the end I am holding has a bit of black tape around it. This little bit of black tape represents your life right now here on earth. There is a day when you will no longer live here on earth. You are going to die physically. The rest of the rope represents eternity. That is how long you will live after your short existence here. Now, the question is this? Where will you spend your eternity? You see, God has given you this opportunity, right here and right now, to hear and know that He wants you to spend it with Him. He already did everything so that you can. Jesus Christ, God, came and sacrificed Himself on the cross so that you might accept His offer. The only thing He asks is that you believe with your whole heart.
I have heard this excuse time and time again. Pastor John, I have plenty of time. I will get around to doing it one day. However, for now, I am too busy enjoying life. I want to spend my weekends on the lake, in the deer stand, or work on my projects at home. Guess what? No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Your life could end after this event is done. You take a considerable, eternal risk if you reject God’s offer, even for one moment. By walking away and not accepting Him, you are trading eternity with Him for a bowl of lentil soup!
I, for one, determined a long time ago that I did not want to be that guy. Instead, I want to be a Nimrod, a mighty hunter for the Lord. I don’t want to be known as the dumb hunter who traded something so valuable as eternal life for a bowl of peas.
What about you?
Conclusion
I want to ask each person to bow their head in prayer for just a few minutes. Please, no one is looking around. Please bow your head and close your eyes.
Perhaps you are here this evening and, after hearing me speak, would say, “Pastor, I have listened, and everything you say makes sense. I do not want to be that person who trades earthly pleasure for eternal values such as everlasting life.” Praise the Lord! You may have understood, and now you want to commit to Christ. I have already explained that all you must do to receive Christ’s gift is to believe with all your heart, soul, and mind. I also said that true faith results in action. If you genuinely believe, the Bible says to take action by confessing your belief with your mouth. In other words, pray to the Lord, tell Him how much you believe in Him, and accept Him into your life. You may not know what to say, and that is okay. I can help you with that.
Here is a simple prayer that you can pray right where you are. Just say the following to the Lord.
“Lord, here I am. I do not want to be like Esau. Lord, I believe you. I admit that I am a sinner. I also believe that you died for me, was buried, and rose again on the third day. And, as best as I know, I accept your offer of eternal life and you as my personal Savior. I invite you into my heart and my life right now. I pray this prayer in your name. Amen”
Now, with everyone still keeping their head down and their eyes closed, did you pray that prayer just now? Would you raise your hand so I can rejoice and pray for you if you did? I will not embarrass you or call you out. I just want to know so that I can rejoice with you.
There is one last thing before we close. If you prayed, let me encourage you to come to me after we are done. I have a little booklet in my hand that I would like to give you that explains in a little more detail the action you took. Plus, I would like to personally welcome you into God’s family. I hope that you will seek me out and let me rejoice with you.
CLOSE IN PRAYER