A DUMB DECISION

Genesis 25:29–34 KJV 1900

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.

A DUMB DECISION

Genesis 25:29–34 ESV

29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau, the oldest son of Isaac and Rebekah and brother to Jacob, will always be remembered as the man who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. He was a person who made one of the dumbest personal decisions and one of the worst business deals in history. Despite this fact, Esau was not a total waste. He had some good qualities. Esau was skilled and cunning hunter, and as such was not dumb. A certain amount of intelligence and ability is necessary to out-think animals in their native environment and capture them in their natural habitat. Thus, Esau was not dumb. He simply did some dumb things, made some dumb decisions, behaved dumbly in certain situations, and had some dumb priorities.

Let us never forget that while none of us are dumb, all of us have done, and as long as life lasts will continue to do, some dumb things. All of us have Esau’s cunning and skill in some things and his stupidity in others. Some persons can make major personal and business decisions with ease and then to a restaurant and have trouble deciding what to order from the menu.

Esau was not only a rugged outdoorsman and a hunter of great ability, he was gentle person. The bible says that he took care of his father. He also forgave Jacob, his younger brother, who twice defrauded him. First, Jacob took advantage of Esau’s physical hunger to secure his birthright. Then Jacob stole Esau’s blessing from their father. But when Jacob came back home, Esau ran to meet him. Evidently Esau, unlike a number of us, could not go hating, even when he had been wronged.

Even with his noble qualities, he is most known for his despising his birthright and being dumb enough to sell it for a bowl of soup. You see my brothers and sisters, history never tells the whole story of who and what we are. It always picks out certain actions that it considers to be most important. Sometimes what history records as significant might be different from how we might want to be remembered. As Christians, we would want a legacy of which we can be justly but humbly proud. One that will not cause our loved ones, our friends, our children, and their children to hang their heads in shame. We would want to leave a legacy of character that will not cause our names to be associated with sin. Esau, for all his good qualities, is remembered as the man who was dumb enough to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup.

TELL THE STORY

Jacob’s conduct was not that of a brother. But the final blame for the outcome, however, must rest with Esau’s stupidity and shortsightedness. He did not have to accept Jacob’s offer. Anymore then we have to accept the offers that we receive. We may not have much control over propositions we receive. We may not have much control over those we accept. We can blame others for making certain proposals, but we must accept responsibility ourselves for whatever consequences occur from our decisions. We can blame Jacob’s greed for starting this matter, but we must blame Esau’s stupidity for the way it ended.

If Esau had kept his birthright, through him, rather than Jacob, all the families of the earth would have been blessed. If Esau had kept his birthright, his descendants would have been as numerous as the stars in the heavens and the sands along the shores. If Esau had kept his birthright, his descendants would have inherited the land flowing with milk and honey. If Esau had kept his birthright, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, David, and other heroes of God’s covenant people would have been among his descendants. If Esau had kept his birthright, even Jesus Christ the Incarnate Son of God, would have been one of his descendants. Esau, however, sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. How dumb can one be?

Let’s not make a dumb decision like Esau. But be smart and hold on to our birthright. The world’s soup may satisfy for the moment, but it doesn’t last long. What profit a man to gain the world and lose his only soul.

It’s dumb to sell out our morals beliefs, dignity, integrity, self-respect, and salvation for that which satisfies only for a little while.

If we hold on to our birthright as God’s redeemed we will inherit that which satisfies and lasts through out eternity. I heard Jesus when he told the Samaritan woman at the well, “every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. () He told a group of hungry men and women, “I am the bread of life; He who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst”. ()

John 14:6 KJV 1900

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

we need to hold on to our birthright.

Jesus the well that will never run dry,

he’s water when i’m thirsty

jesus is the Lilly in the valley

he is the rose of Sharon

Jesus is the balm in Gilead

he is a healer in times of sickness

hold on to your birthright