Identity - wk 2 - Sacrificing for Soup

Today we are continuing the “Identity” series. Last week we kicked it off by talking about the identity crisis we face on a daily basis. Every day we are faced with pressure to have an identity. We are encouraged to have a unique identity, to break the mold and be something nobody has ever been before. We are told to be ashamed of our natural or God-given identity. There is a lot of pressure, especially on young people, to seek approval with our identity.

Last week we also talked about getting rid of our fake identity and embracing the identity God has given you. Pretending to be someone I am not is miserable. God is far more likely to bless me in meaningful ways if I am moving toward the person He has called me to be than the person I am pretending to be. Most importantly, I don’t need to pretend to be something I am not because God loves me for who I am and He gives me my true identity through Christ. Just like He loved Jacob while at the same time giving him a new identity, calling him Israel.

This week we are going to continue talking about Jacob and Esau. If you want to follow along in your bible, turn to chapter 25 of Genesis. Immediately after the story of their birth we read about Esau selling his birthright after the two had gotten a little older. If you are just casually reading this story you may not give it too much thought. Esau is so quick to pass off his birthright it appears to not even be that big of a deal. He doesn’t even give it a second thought.

Today we do want to give this story some more thought because something very significant is happening here. There is also some interesting language used here that I want to take a little bit of time to drill down on because it will give us just a little bit more understanding of just how important this scenario is, not only for Jacob and Esau but in our lives as well. Then we will apply the warnings told by this story to our lives so that we will be better equipped as we grow in the true identity we have in Christ.

In this story we learn that the one who was born first had become a good hunter as he grew up. Their dad, Isaac, loved this! He loved getting to eat the wild game Esau would bring home from his hunts. Quail Tagine on Monday, Seared Rabbit with Rosemary Potatoes on Thursday, Venison Pot Roast for the weekend. What’s not to love? He was clearly dad’s favorite. Jacob was the mamma’s boy, always hanging out in tents. I can just see Jacob as the one who was always sprawled out on the couch saying, “Ohhhh, I’m SO BORED!”

Esau was the man of the field, the hunter, the outdoorsman! A real man’s man! Like Tim the Tool-man Taylor “AGH AGH!” Esau even had a cool nick-name, “Red”. Red is the color of extremes. If someone get’s real angry they see RED. If something is real fast it’s always painted RED. If someone is strong and vigorous they are RED-blooded.

If he was alive today he would probably own this lawn mower...

This day in scripture is different though. Everything gets turned around. Ol’ Red sees something else that is red and wants it more than anything. Jacob becomes the great hunter. Esau comes home from hunting with his birthright as the firstborn, but Jacob has the birthright before he finishes his meal.

What is this birthright? Why would he give it up? It sounds important. Why am I thinking about cookies? First thing first, what is his birthright? According to OT law a man’s first born son was supposed to get a larger share of his inheritance. Essentially, the older son has the rights to a double share of the inheritance. You can find this in Deuteronomy 21:17.

What does this have to do with cookies? It’s not because we are talking about food today. It also has nothing to do with the fact that I am ALWAYS thinking about cookies. This story reminds me of an experiment by psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford University. About 50 years ago they rounded up 600 kids and sat each one of them in front of a cookie and gave them the choice of eating that cookie now, or waiting 15 minutes and then they would get a second cookie. Some of the kids ate the cookie before they heard all of the instructions, but others were able to wait by distracting themselves somehow. They would turn away, sit on their hands or even create imaginary friends.

The researchers continued to study the lives of the kids for decades and they found that the way the kids responded to the test appeared to be linked with many other factors in their lives. For example, later in life the people who succumbed quickly to the temptation often had lower SAT scores, higher BMI, and a slight increase in risk of substance abuse. They are finding that by changing the way we think about our temptations and the way we view them can help with willpower and in resisting temptations.

Esau comes in and does all the things the one cookie kids did. “I NEED IT NOW!” Let’s go ahead and read the story real quick...

Genesis 25:29–34 NLT

29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) 31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” 32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” 33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

There are some interesting things happening with the Hebrew words used in this story that are designed to make you ponder this situation a little bit more and even remember other scripture that is similar. Let’s look at a couple of them. First, in verse 30 Esau demands some of that “red stew”. The Hebrew word used here is “adom” and it echoes and is very similar to the word that was used describe Esau’s red color at birth. This word is connected by wordplay to the Hebrew word edom, which became Esau’s other name. What is interesting to me here is that Esau was already born “red”, but when he came home he saw and demanded this other “red stuff”. In other words, God gave him something at birth, but at a certain point in his life he decided he wanted this other stuff that is very similar even though he already had what he actually needed.

There is another word play in the same verse. He said, “I’m starved! I’m exhausted!”. That word is “ayeph”. It is used in other places in scripture to describe severe drought. Isaiah uses it to describe the coming king who will be our shelter in a weary land. In contrast, even though he is this tough outdoorsman, Esau can’t bring rest to anyone. He can’t even find rest himself. He has become the weary one. He is the picture of humanity who will try to find rest on his own rather than seeking God’s rest. In turn, he sacrifices the promises given to him by God from the beginning.

One more interesting word play and then we can move on. In verse 27, Esau was called a “skillful hunter”. That Hebrew phrase is “sayid”, which means a man knowing game. In verse 28, his father loved him because of his taste for wild game, “sayid”. Unfortunately for him, on this day Jacob would become the skillful hunter. Jacob was home cooking, “wayyazed”, some stew “nazid”. This wordplay shows a connection between the idea of hunting. It’s as if while Esau was hunting wild game, Jacob was hunting his game. Only this day, Jacobs game walked into the baited trap. The Hebrew verb “zid” is used to describe Jacob boiling the food and it also means to act proudly, presumptuously, or rebelliously.

We already know that Jacob was crafty, so drilling down on these Hebrew words makes me wonder how many days Jacob cooked food in order to set a trap for Esau. How many days was Jacob finishing a stew when his brother walked in with fresh meat? How long did Jacob plan his hunt? How patient did he have to be?

Regardless, one thing is for sure… Jacob REALLY wanted that second cookie.

This story is interesting, but what can we learn from it? How does it relate to my identity? If we allow this scripture to speak to us today it could give us some helpful wisdom for avoiding things that could steal our identity. I believe the most glaring truth we should see from this story is...

BYPASS THE BEANS

It seems completely insane for Esau to give up his birthright to a double portion inheritance for a bowl of beans. It’s hard to believe that he could just casually give up so much for something so small, but he did the same thing that humanity still does on a daily basis today. I’m sure if we all put our heads together we could come up with 1 thing we gave up in the heat of a moment but wish we could have back now. Give me a small notebook and I could fill it up with my bean stories in a couple of hours.

You come home from work after a long day, the kids are being loud so you snap. In that one moment you forget that God has blessed you with an amazing family because all you want is the peace and quiet. You just want the beans. A few short years later they move out of the house and when you think about that moment you regret reaching for the beans. Your marriage, your health, your relationship with God. What do you sacrifice for that temporary satisfaction? That immediate relief? That temptation you want to satiate?

Psychologists, like the one I referenced earlier, are just now starting to discover truths that Jesus preached over 2000 years ago. In that study they have found that the way people react to temptation can be mapped in your brain. They found that deep in your brain there is a structure called the ventral striatum that is associated with how you process rewards and it has also been linked with addiction. Essentially, this part of your brain tells you that this thing you are looking at is important and you need it.

Their solution to this reaction was to do something God has been telling us since the beginning of our time on earth… Pay attention and change the way you think. Psychologists call it neuroplasticity. Scripture calls it “Repent”. When talking about people who “live as enemies of the cross of Christ”, Paul tells us that they look for their identity in the THINGS they want and their lives here on earth instead of looking to God for identity. The way he words this fits very well with our subject today...

Philippians 3:19 NLT

19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

Bypass the beans. Look past your appetite. Sit on your hands. Talk to Jesus. Talk to an imaginary friend if you have to. Change the way you think and instead of thinking about your life here on earth, think about the more eternal purpose God has put on your heart. Don’t let the enemy steal your identity. 1st, bypass the beans, second...

PURSUE THE PROPER PREY

Esau grew in his hunting skills, but he didn’t grow his relationship with God. He knew how to hunt and kill his dinner, but he hadn’t learned to control his appetite. What are you hunting today? What are you pursuing? I believe one of the most effective tools the adversary uses against us in an attempt to steal our identity is to make you hunt a “Red Herring”. The definition of a red herring is something that distracts attention from the real issue. I found this quote from Merriam-Webster interesting...

Believe it or not, red herring has as much to do with hunting dogs as with brightly colored fish. Here's how: A herring is a soft-finned bony fish. People who like to eat herring have long preserved them by salting and slowly smoking them. That process makes a herring turn red or dark brown - and gives them a very strong smell. Dogs love to sniff such smelly treats, a fact that makes the fish a perfect diversion for anyone trying to distract hunting dogs from the trail of their quarry. The practice of using preserved fish to confuse hunting dogs led to the use of the term red herring for anything that diverts attention from the issue at hand.

Man, how appropriate is that? More hunting, food, and red terminology for today! We could call it the “Edom Herring”. If you are taking notes write this down… Psalm 73. We aren’t going to read the whole thing here, but I encourage you you read through this Psalm. In it the Psalmist describes how he had been distracted by a red herring until he realized that God was the one he should have been pursuing. Let’s read a few of the verses real quick...

Psalm 73:1–3 NLT

1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. 2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. 3 For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

Then he continues to talk about their great lives with no troubles even though they are horrible and evil people. He says, “These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!” But then watch what happens in verse 17...

Psalm 73:17 NLT

17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.

I finally started pursuing you instead of trying to better my own life. I started pursuing you instead of feeling robbed and cheated by all of these other people. I realized that you already have a plan for the wicked too. I realized that you find their ideas silly and you laugh at them. Then he says...

Psalm 73:22 NLT

22 I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

Just like Esau is represented as an animal. Remember? That’s how he got his name. When he was born someone said, “Whoa! This one’s hairy like a goat! Hey, that’s what you should name him… Harry!” Esau means hairy. Then he grows up a little bit and not only does he look like a hairy animal, today he ACTS like an animal. I had a lab once that would eat her dog food while I was pouring it into her bowl. Literally eating it out of the air. Esau walks into the house and does everything he can to eat. Not only that, but he is acting like the prey. Listen to one commentary’s description...

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 25:27–34

he was fainting and gasping (famished, 25:29), gulping (suggested by the Heb., v. 34), and then despising (v. 34). In this instance he was not a skillful hunter; he was more like an animal he had trapped with bait. To live on this base level, to satisfy one’s appetites, inevitably leads to a despising of spiritual things.

I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. But it is so good to be near God...

Psalm 73:23–26 NLT

23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Look past your appetite, pursue God, third...

DIMINISH THE DRAMA

Esau came dragging into the tent and immediately said, “Give me some of that red stuff! I am exhausted and about to die!” I’m sure he was pretty tired, but does anyone really believe that he was about to die? He may have actually felt that way, but that is what psychologists call a “Thought Distortion”. These distortions are your mind playing tricks on you to make you believe negative things about yourself and your world that are not necessarily true.

Have you ever thought: If I don’t finish this on time, then I am a complete failure. I shouldn’t tell my wife about this because then she will just get angry. My coworkers never help me with anything around here. I could never do this. Someone else never does that. I’ll never be good enough. I’ll always be ugly.

When these thought’s pop into your head you have to get rid of them. A psychologist would probably say to counter the negative thought with a truth. Paul warned that a little bit of bitterness could corrupt many people.

Hebrews 12:15–17 NLT

15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 16 Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. 17 You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

Bypass the Beans, Pursue the Proper Prey, Diminish the Drama, and finally...

IGNORE YOUR IMPULSE

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. In the same way, the bowl always looks better in the moment than it really is. I like the way someone from Elevation Church summarizes this story.

The Enemy wants to make a deal with us: bowls for birthrights. He can’t take anything away from us, but we talk ourselves into giving it to him because we’re convinced there’s no other way. However, once we see the bowl for what it really is — just a bowl of beans — it loses it’s power over us.

God has promised us so much more than a bowl of beans. You don’t need to fall for the enemy’s trap, just be patient and never give up on God. If you are taking notes, I have more homework for you. Write down 2 Corinthians chapter 4. I love what Paul says here. This is one of the most important passages in scripture that we can read as Christ followers. I’ll just skip through it now, but I highly recommend you read and ponder this whole chapter. It is a short one, so it should be an easy 5 minute read.

2 Corinthians 4:1–2 NLT

1 Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. 2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

2 Corinthians 4:5 NLT

5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2 Corinthians 4:7–9 NLT

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:13 NLT

13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 NLT

17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

In closing I want to share one final thought with you. What if you are listening today and you feel like Esau? Esau turned his back on God, gave up his inheritance for a bowl of beans, then tried to get his inheritance restored later and failed. In fact, history remembers him as “Godless” for his mistakes. What if that’s me? There is another son that Jesus mentioned in Luke 15. This son did the exact same thing as Esau and chose the bowl. The difference was that this son was later restored to his father and their was a huge celebration.

So why was this son restored, but not Esau? Esau attempted to restore his inheritance himself and continually blamed others for his mistakes. The prodigal son Jesus spoke of was restored by his father after he realized the error of his ways. He returned seeking forgiveness and was gifted restoration.

We are all like Esau. At some point we have all chosen the bowl. Thankfully there was another son who never chose the bowl. Jesus was tempted multiple times but never gave in. He let the Word of God fill his appetite, rather than the desires of the world. Jesus did it so that we would have a chance to be restored to God. When we come to that realization and choose Jesus, we can be restored and no longer live exhausted and famished lives. God’s grace restores us and gives us a new identity. Our true identity in Christ.

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