SELLING YOUR BIRTHRIGHT FOR A POT OF STEW

The Lord’s Plan Takes Shape

Daniel 4:35 “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?””

Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

The Birth of Two Nations

Rebekah was barren for 20 years. We see Isaac has learned from the mistake of Abraham. Instead of taking matters in his own hands, he prayed to the Lord.

See James 5:16-18...

Psalm 119:58 “I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.”

Psalm 119:116 “Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!”

The children struggled within her. The word translated “struggled” can be translated as violent collision, crushing, breaking, or jostling. It paints a picture of the twins crushing each other. It points to the conflict that will happen between the boys as they grow. The Lord declared that the younger child would prevail in this struggle and the older child would serve the younger. The name Esau is uncertain. Some think it could mean rough or hairy since it appears that he had hypertrichosis, which causes abnormal hair growth over the whole body. Others think it could mean to press, squeeze, or crush, which refers to the struggle in the womb. Jacob means heel catcher or supplanter. This points to how he is going to catch the firstborn and take his place.

Hosea 12:3 “In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God.”

See Romans 9:6-16 and Malachi 1:2-3… Discuss the different uses of hate in Scripture.

Luke 14:26 ““If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Although the Lord chose Jacob to be stronger than Esau and the leader of the family through which the Messiah would come, Esau could have taken part in this blessing by repentance and faith.

Galatians 3:7–9 “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”

Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

Esau Despises His Birthright

Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew to satisfy his hunger.

Hebrews 12:15–17 “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Like Esau, many people despise the incredible riches offered to them and instead choose temporary pleasures of the world.

Hebrews 11:24–26 “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

“If it had been so, was it not better for him to die in honour than to live in disgrace, to die under a blessing than to live under a curse?” — Matthew Henry