Living Like Esau

Introduction

The story here begins with Rebekah’s barrenness…She was unable to bear children. This was a tragedy.

They were in the same boat as Isaac’s parents, Abraham and Sarah, had been forty years prior. We are back face-to-face with the question that faced Abraham: Can God fulfill the promise in His strength, or does He need a little help from us? - We know the result of Abraham getting inpatient and having a child by Hagar, the maidservant didn’t do anything, but cause trouble...

You know, we deal with the same things every day...

We, so many times, trust God with salvation, but we’re not so sure about trusting him with the day-to-day decisions…You know what happens when what God has promised doesn’t seem to be materializing? The devil comes along and offers us a deceptive shortcut that seem at first sight to bring us to the same point, but as Abraham and Sarah learned, they really lead to disaster.

I’m thinking Isaac must have looked back on that and not wanting to make the same mistake his father made, does the right thing, and intreats the Lord for some help, and then waits.

If you just read through this text, you’ll miss this because it looks like it’s Rebekah’s barren, Isaac intreats, the Lord hears, Rebekah’s pregnant…But look closely.

Verse 20 says Isaac is 40 years old…verse 21 says he intreats the Lord, verse 26, after the boys are born, says Isaac was three-score (60) years old. They waited on God 20 years!

As soon as she became pregnant, she became aware of a battle raging within her - two natures within her, at war...In her barren condition, there was no such struggle, but the moment fruitfulness began, she finds that the struggle began.

This is a common spiritual experience...

Galatians 5:16 AV

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

We find a promise and a command both at the same time in this verse...

Galatians 5:17 AV

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

The lives that are most fruitful for God are the lives most aware of the struggle between the two opposing natures within them. We find here that Rebekah's physical experience is designed to teach us spiritual truth!

As Christians we have two natures inside of us…We have a constant battle between the Spiritual and the Carnal (Flesh). Whichever nature we feed becomes the stronger…

The text today reveals the weak and carnal nature of Esau as he traded away his birthright for a pottage of lentils.

The Christian life is not a bed of roses...There's no coincidence that all throughout the Bible, the Christian life is likened to warfare, a battle, we are referred to as soldiers…

I’m glad that one of these days, we won’t have to worry about the struggle anymore,

1 John 3:2 AV

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Now...

Esau had no spiritual appreciation...He would rather feed his body than enjoy the promises of God...

Esau chose the flesh instead of the Spirit...

In the New Testament, Esau is described as a "profane" person.

Esau was a success in the world, but a failure with God - YOU CANNOT BE A SUCCESS AT BOTH!

He was OK with religion if it seemed advantageous, but he was taken up mostly with the affairs of his life…Does that sound like us??

The Bible says in verse 34 that Esau despised his birthright...He was given something of HONOR, something of SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE, and he TRADED IT AWAY for something of LITTLE, and only TEMPORARY value...

You see, just like Esau, we have natural appetites and desires, and unless those appetites are restrained, they will take us places we never intended to go...They will make us give up things or people who were SO VALUABLE AT ONE TIME, but now that "bowl of pottage" has clouded our minds, and messed up our thinking!

I thought about this...

"Esau would've never made the wrong decision had he valued what he had from the start...";

you could also say something like this:

ESAU KNEW WHAT HE HAD WAS OF VALUE, BUT HE CHOSE NOT TO VALUE IT.

So, you may ask, “Preacher, what was wrong with Esau? What made him do like this?”

There’s a few things that made him this way, and that’s what I want to talk about for just a little while this morning…

ESAU HAD THE WRONG PRIORITIES

The number one problem that mankind has faced, from Genesis through Revelation, is the failure to guide earthly life and choice by the right priorities!

A. His Craving was Strong - Vs. 32

1. Whatever he desired at the moment was what he sought. He saw the bean soup and his eager request indicates how dominate his appetites were.

The immediate satisfaction of appetite was all that mattered to Esau.

2. This is the problem with our current society. Immediate gratification of appetites without guiding their satisfaction by God’s Word. Choices in life are decided by impulsive feelings. Whatever the “appetite” it is immediately fed!

B. His Compromise was silly

1. The Birthright was Disregarded

A. Esau did nothing deliberately bad. He simply ignored the value of his birthright! He placed the insignificant as more important than the valuable.

B. Such is typical of many today. Dr. James Boice said “He does nothing evil, but neither does he do anything much worthwhile. He is too ready – as Esau was when he smelled Jacob’s cooking – to feel that when anything agreeable is at hand he must certainly have it”

What was the birthright?

1. Double portion of the inheritance—This was a double portion of wealth and property. The recipient received the father's blessing and was head of the family.

2. Domestic Priesthood—This meant that he was to be the spiritual leader of the family. He was also to care for the mother and any sisters since they did not receive an inheritance.

3. Direct Line of the Promised One—This was the right of progenitor ship and would be in the direct line of the Messiah if in the family line - The most important aspect of the birthright...This meant that our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would have been a direct descendant of the whomever owned this birthright. Did you know that instead of finding Jesus Christ as a direct descendant of Esau, we, instead, find that Herod, an Edomite? Herod, if you recall, was the man that tried to murder Jesus when He was only a baby by killing all the boys 2 years old and younger - What a horrible seed that Esau sowed!

2. The Bean Stew was Delightful

A. But how ridiculous! To trade his birthright away for something so insignificant…

ESAU HAD THE WRONG PLEASURES

A. It was an Expensive Pleasure

1. His Thinking was Erred

A. Jacob realized that feeding Self’s desire is not the most important act in life. Those things in life that touch the physical senses tend to take supremacy in our thoughts. So, we stress the “feelings” and the “emotions” but lose the truly valuable.

2. His Trading was Expensive

A. Jacob realized the prestige of the valuable birthright. He understood that such meant an awareness of God. This spiritual connection would make him more responsible for honoring God.

ESAU HAD THE WRONG PERSPECTIVE

A. He Didn’t Think About His Future

1. All of this life’s activities are leading us into the future. All of this life’s choices are directing us toward our future destiny. This simple fact is repeatedly stressed throughout the entire Bible. Esau’s foolish choice is a tragic illustration of how many make the wrong choices in this life and forget about their future lives!

B. He Didn’t Think About His Family

C. He Didn’t Think About His Fellowship

1. He didn’t care about his fellowship with God…

In the New Testament, we find an extremely sad word about Esau:

Hebrews 12:16–17 AV

Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 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.

Here we find that Esau eventually woke up to some extent and realized what he had forsaken, and we see that he made a half-hearted attempt to retrieve it, but understand, just because he sought it with tears doesn't mean that he was sincere, or that he was truly remorseful...Many times, men are more concerned with the loss that comes by sin, rather than the evil that is in it...and such repentance is not sincere...You must understand that you've sinned against a righteous and holy God! You've broken His heart! That's what brings repentance, not being sorry you got caught, or sorry that you've lost something...Esau bitterly regretted, but he did not repent.

HE SELFISHLY WANTED GOD'S BLESSINGS, BUT HE DID NOT WANT GOD!

We find that Esau went on doing what so many people do throughout life, and what someone here in our midst this morning could possibly be doing...

Hebrews 10:26 AV

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

What does this all mean preacher? It means you know what you need to do! You know that you need to be saved! You know that you need to get right with God! And it also means that there could come a time in your life when it will be TOO LATE FOR YOU TO CRY!

2Co 6:2  (...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Esau learned too late. So many people learn too late...The soul that dies and wakes up in hell will discover it is too late...Too late means you cannot reclaim what you have lost spiritually. The warning is strong and plain - TAKE CARE OF SPIRITUAL MATTERS NOW

Conclusion

Hear me out this morning! What can learn from all of this? If you don't take anything else away this morning, please hear this!

Some people think that we can make the faults and failures of our parents an excuse for our own lack of spiritual interest...

ESAU SAYS WE CAN'T

Some people think that we can sow to the flesh, but not reap corruption...

EASAU SAYS WE CAN'T

Some people think we can get away with ignoring the Word of God and the will of God...

EASAU SAYS WE CAN'T

Some people think that we can patch up things between ourselves and God by making our occasional religious gestures...

EASAU SAYS WE CAN'T

Some people think we can do as we please in this life and somehow escape the inevitable consequences...

EASAU SAYS WE CAN'T

Some people think we can live like Esau and die like Jacob...

EASAU SAYS WE CAN'T