What is your birthright worth?

Text: Genesis 25:19-34

Genesis 25:19–34 KJV 1900

19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac: 20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21 And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. 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.

Central Truth: Never sacrifice what has lasting value for what offers only temporary satisfaction.

Introduction:

Some of life's greatest regrets come from sacrificing something valuable for something that only satisfies us for a moment.

A few moments of anger can damage a relationship that took years to build.

One careless decision can destroy a reputation that took a lifetime to establish.

And a temporary desire can cause us to compromise something we once considered extremely important.

The frightening thing is that we don't always recognize the cost of those decisions when we're making them.

In the moment, what we want seems more important than what we already have.

And that's not simply a problem in the world around us. It's a danger every Christian must guard against.

We can become so consumed with what we want right now that we lose sight of what God has already entrusted to us.

Our families, our testimonies, our opportunities to serve the Lord, and our spiritual responsibilities can gradually take a back seat to things that have very little lasting value.

Sometimes the greatest danger isn't that we don't know what's valuable. It's that we've allowed something less valuable to become more important.

As we come to Genesis 25, we encounter a man who illustrates this truth in a remarkable way.

His name is Esau.

Esau possessed something of tremendous value. But in a moment of physical exhaustion and hunger, he willingly exchanged it for a single meal.

And Scripture summarizes his decision with these sobering words:

“Thus Esau despised his birthright.” — Genesis 25:34

But before we reach Esau's decision, Moses takes us through several important events in Abraham's family.

We see the conclusion of Abraham's life, Isaac learning to depend upon the same God his father trusted, and God's sovereign purposes unfolding through the next generation.

And as we examine these events, we're going to discover that God's promises have lasting value, but our temporary desires can blind us to what matters most.

Let's begin in Genesis 25 and consider four truths that will challenge us to recognize the value of what God has entrusted to us.

I. GOD'S PROMISES OUTLIVE GOD'S SERVANTS - (Vs. 1-11)

As we enter Genesis 25, we come to the end of an extraordinary life. For thirteen chapters, we've followed Abraham. We've watched him leave his homeland, struggle with fear, wait for God's promises, and demonstrate remarkable faith on Mount Moriah.

Now Abraham's earthly journey is coming to an end.

Verses 1–4 tell us that Abraham married Keturah and had additional children. But verse 5 makes an important distinction:

(Vs. 5)

Although Abraham provided gifts for his other sons, Isaac remained the son through whom God's covenant would continue.

Then verses 7–8 record Abraham's death at 175 years old.

Abraham had experienced tremendous victories and painful failures. But through everything, God had remained faithful.

Adam Clarke wrote a good eulogy of Abraham: “Above all as a man of God, he stands unrivaled; so that under the most exalted and perfect of all dispensations, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is proposed and recommended as the model and pattern according to which the faith, obedience, and perseverance of the followers of the Messiah are to be formed. Reader, while you admire the man, do not forget the God that made him so great, so good, and so useful. Even Abraham had nothing but what he had received; from the free unmerited mercy of God proceeded all his excellences; but he was a worker together with God, and therefore did not receive the grace of God in vain. Go thou, believe, love, obey, and persevere in like manner.”

And now the man who received the promise is gone.

(Vs. 11) - (God Blessed Isaac) This will become the theme of the next 10 chapters.

Abraham died, but God was still blessing.

The servant had finished his journey, but the God who made the promise was still at work. Abraham's death did not bring God's purposes to an end.

The area around Beer-lahai-roi was the place where Hagar was heard by God, and he delivered her. It was also where Isaac was meditating when he first saw Rebekah. It will be here that he will pray for his barren wife. Isaac dwelt in a place where he had met God—and where God blessed him His work would continue through Isaac.

Psalm 145:4 KJV 1900

4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, And shall declare thy mighty acts.

Every generation has a responsibility to pass along the truth of God's faithfulness. Abraham had walked with God, but Isaac would have to walk with God for himself.

Abraham had trusted God's promises, but Isaac would have to trust those same promises.

And that's true in our homes and churches today.

We can appreciate the sacrifices of previous generations, but we cannot live on their faithfulness alone.

Parents must teach their children.

Church members must invest in younger believers.

And each generation must decide whether it will trust and obey the Lord.

The servant may finish his race, but God's promise keeps moving forward.

Abraham's journey has ended, but Isaac's is continuing. And Isaac is about to face a struggle that should sound familiar.

II. GOD'S PROMISES ARE NOT DEFEATED BY HUMAN LIMITATIONS - (Vs. 12-21)

Verses 12–18 briefly record the descendants of Ishmael.

Although Ishmael was not the son through whom the covenant would continue, God had promised to multiply his descendants.

Here we see that promise being fulfilled.

Then the narrative turns to Isaac. Verse 20 tells us Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah.

And verse 21 introduces a familiar problem:

(Vs. 21)

Does that sound familiar?

Abraham and Sarah struggled with infertility. Now Isaac and Rebekah are facing the same difficulty. God had promised that Abraham's descendants would become a great nation.

Isaac was the son through whom that promise would continue. But Rebekah couldn't have children.

Once again, there's a gap between what God has promised and what His people are experiencing.

God's Promises Don't Eliminate Our Problems

Sometimes we assume that if we're following God's will, everything should fall into place. But Scripture teaches otherwise.

Abraham obeyed God and still experienced famine.

Joseph remained faithful and still ended up in prison.

And Isaac was the son of promise, yet he and Rebekah experienced years of disappointment.

Comparing verses 20 and 26 reveals that Isaac was forty when he married Rebekah and sixty when his sons were born.

Twenty years passed before they had children…

But notice Isaac's response. He prayed. He brought his burden before the Lord.

Isaac had witnessed God's faithfulness in his father's life. He had heard the stories, and he had personally experienced God's provision on Mount Moriah.

But now Isaac was facing his own difficulty.

His father had waited for a son. Now Isaac would have to wait for sons of his own.

And the God who had proven faithful to Abraham would have to become the God Isaac personally learned to depend upon.

“You can inherit your father's faith, but you cannot live on your father's faith.” - Brandon Walters

Isaac knew the story of his own birth. He knew what God had done for Abraham and Sarah.

Now he needed to depend upon that same God.

Psalm 27:14 KJV 1900

14 Wait on the Lord: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Perhaps you've been praying about something for a long time.

A family situation.

A financial burden.

Someone you desperately want to see saved.

And you're wondering why God hasn't answered.

We must remember that not every desire we have is a promise God has made. But we can trust His wisdom even when the answer is delayed.

God's promises are never threatened by the problems we cannot solve.

After twenty years, Rebekah conceives. But before her children are born, God reveals something surprising about their future.

III. GOD'S PURPOSES CHALLENGE HUMAN EXPECTATIONS - (Vs. 22-26)

Verse 22 tells us that Rebekah's pregnancy is difficult. The children struggle within her, and she seeks the Lord for understanding…

God reveals that she is carrying twins. But His answer goes much further.

(Vs. 23)

These two boys will become the ancestors of two nations. Esau will become associated with Edom. Jacob will become the father of Israel. But notice the final statement:

“The elder shall serve the younger.”

In that culture, the firstborn ordinarily received special privileges and responsibilities. But God announces that His covenant purposes will continue through the younger son…

God Is Not Bound by Human Expectations

Before either boy is born, God declares His purpose.

Romans 9:10–12 later uses this account to emphasize that God's choice was not determined by the brothers' works.

Romans 9:10–12 KJV 1900

10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

Jacob didn't earn God's favor by being a better man.

In fact, as we'll discover, Jacob had serious character problems of his own. God's grace is not a reward for human perfection.

God announced these intentions to Rebekah before the children were born (the older shall serve the younger), and repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth (Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated,

Malachi 1:2–3 KJV 1900

2 I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: Yet I loved Jacob, 3 And I hated Esau, And laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Some object over the thought that God would hate one over the other, but The real thought in Malachi 1 and Romans 9 is much more like “accepted” and “rejected” more than it is like our understanding of the terms “loved” and “hated.”

“A woman once said to Mr. Spurgeon, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.’” - William Newell

And here's something important. God had already announced His purpose before Jacob ever purchased Esau's birthright.

Jacob's later manipulation didn't create God's plan. God didn't need Jacob's dishonesty to accomplish His will.

Sometimes we assume God must work according to our expectations. We think He should use the most talented, influential, or experienced person.

But God often works through people the world overlooks.

1 Corinthians 1:27 KJV 1900

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

God is not obligated to work according to the order we expect.

God's purpose has already been declared. But the choices these brothers make still matter. And the final scene reveals a man willing to surrender something valuable for something temporary.

IV. GOD'S BLESSINGS MUST NOT BE TRADED FOR TEMPORARY SATISFACTION - (Vs. 27-34)

Verse 27 introduces the differences between the brothers. Esau is a skilled hunter, a man of the field. Jacob is described as a quiet or settled man, dwelling in tents.

Verse 28 also reveals favoritism within the family. Isaac favors Esau, while Rebekah favors Jacob. But the central event occurs when Esau returns from hunting.

He's exhausted and hungry.

Jacob has prepared a pot of lentil stew.

And Esau wants some.

Jacob responds in (Vs. 31)

To understand the seriousness of this moment, we need to understand what Esau is surrendering.

A. Esau Possessed Something Valuable

In the ancient world, the birthright carried the privileges of the firstborn son. It ordinarily included a larger inheritance and a position of family prominence.

Deuteronomy 21:17 later describes the firstborn receiving a double portion.

Deuteronomy 21:17 KJV 1900

17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

And Esau belonged to Abraham's family—the family through whom God had promised to bless the nations.

Although God's covenant choice of Jacob was already established, Esau still possessed significant firstborn privileges.

It's possible to possess something valuable without appreciating its worth…

Think about the blessings God has entrusted to us.

His Word.

Our families.

The privilege of prayer.

Opportunities to worship and serve.

Sometimes we become so familiar with these blessings that we begin taking them for granted.

We don't necessarily reject them.

We simply stop valuing them as we should.

B. Esau Surrendered Something Valuable

Listen to (Vs. 32)

Esau is hungry and exhausted.

But Scripture doesn't establish that he is literally dying of starvation…

His immediate appetite has become more important than his future privileges.

Jacob demands an oath.

Esau agrees.

Then (Vs. 34)

Notice how casually Moses describes the moment.

He ate.

He drank.

He got up.

He left.

And Scripture concludes:

“Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

He treated something valuable as though it were insignificant.

Esau didn't necessarily hate his birthright.

He simply valued something else more.

And that's the danger.

“History shows that men prefer illusions to realities, choose time rather than eternity, and the pleasures of sin for a season rather than the joys of God forever. Men will read trash rather than the Word of God, and adhere to a system of priorities that leaves God out of their lives. Multitudes of men spend more time shaving than on their souls; and multitudes of women give more minutes to their makeup than to the life of the eternal spirit. Men still sell their birthright for a mess of pottage.” Donald Grey Barnhouse

A person doesn't usually destroy his marriage in one moment. Often, it begins with small compromises.

Someone doesn't usually abandon spiritual responsibilities overnight. Other things gradually become more important.

Esau traded his future privileges for a meal he would be hungry for again tomorrow.

C. Esau Discovered the Cost of His Decision

Hebrews 12:16–17 KJV 1900

16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

The writer describes Esau as a profane person.

He treated something significant as though it were common.

Hebrews looks ahead to Genesis 27, where Esau desperately seeks the blessing Isaac has given Jacob.

He wants what he has lost.

But he cannot reverse the outcome.

This doesn't mean Esau was beyond God's mercy. It means some consequences cannot simply be undone.

A moment of foolishness can create a lifetime of consequences.

And that brings us to a personal question.

What's Your Bowl of Stew?

What temporary desire has become so important that you're willing to compromise something God has entrusted to you?

Maybe it's money at the expense of your family.

A relationship drawing you away from obedience.

Bitterness you refuse to release.

Or a habit that is slowly gaining control of your life.

Esau's problem wasn't that he was hungry.

His problem was allowing his hunger to determine what mattered most.

Jacob's conduct wasn't admirable either. He took advantage of his brother's weakness.

But Esau's attitude toward his birthright remains the central warning.

Never trade what has lasting value for something that will only satisfy you for a moment.

CONCLUSION — WHAT DO YOU VALUE MOST?

Genesis 25 begins with Abraham's death and ends with Esau's foolish decision.

And between those events, we see God's faithfulness continuing from one generation to the next.

Abraham finished his journey believing God.

Isaac learned to depend upon Him while waiting.

God revealed His sovereign purpose.

And Esau demonstrated the danger of misplaced priorities.

So here's the question:

What do you value most?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:21

Matthew 6:21 KJV 1900

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Our choices eventually reveal what we truly treasure.

But there's something greater than Esau's earthly inheritance.

God's covenant promise ultimately led to Jesus Christ.

Through His death and resurrection, Christ offers forgiveness of sins and everlasting life to everyone who believes.

1 Peter 1:4 KJV 1900

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Earthly possessions disappear.

Human privileges can be lost.

But the inheritance God secures for those who belong to Christ is eternal.

And that should change the way we live.

The world offers plenty of bowls of stew.

And they often look appealing when we're tired, frustrated, or impatient.

But don't allow temporary desires to determine eternal priorities.

Never allow what you want right now to become more important than what God says matters forever.

Esau knew the price of a bowl of stew.

But he failed to appreciate the value of his birthright.

May God help us never to make the same mistake.