Don't despise the blessing

Hebrews 12:14-17 “14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 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.”

Did you know that God has a blessing for you? The gift is his grace!

Sadly did you also know it is possible to fail his grace?

That doesn’t mean God’s grace will fail us but it does mean that we have the choice to receive and take it.

Esau was profane.

a.k.a. he was not interested in the things of God. He liked the worlds stuff more than God

God’s grace does not fail, but we can fail to depend on God’s grace. Esau is a warning to us not to live for lesser things.

Let’s look at the story of this profane man because we do not want to be like this man Esau and miss out on the blessings that God has for us.

We got to go way back to fully understand Esau!

Let’s start with his grandpa. His grandpa was Abraham! Abraham was tremendously blessed by God! Even cooler was that Abraham was in covenant with God!

Genesis 12:1-4 “1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Abraham has a son on day named Isaac and he transfers these blessings to he boy Isaac!

The Tony Evans Study Bible Chapter 26

The blessing involved a father transferring the family inheritance to his son and telling him of the future God had for him (see Gen 49). To be blessed meant that a child’s significance was recognized by his father. The blessing told the child that he was the future, that his father was counting on him.

Spiritual and physical leadership

Isaac receives blessings from his father and begins growing his family! Isaac is married to a woman named Rebecca and one day she finds out she's going to have a baby…actually twins! Look what God tells her!

Genesis 25:23-24 “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.”

She eventually has the boys! Look at what happens around their birth!

Genesis 25:25-26 “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.”

Esau means hairy

Jacob means supplanter

These boys grow into men and look what the Bible says about them!

Genesis 25:27 “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.”

Esau was a great hunter

Jacob was just plain

One day Esau goes out for a hunt and gets really really hungry while he’s out. His brother has started making some tasty bean soup while he was gone and Jacob knows he’s hungry...

Jacob offers his brother some soup but with a catch.

He settled for temporary satisfaction over hanging on to something much more spiritually valuable. The author says Esau despised his birthright, because he considered it less significant than a single bowl of stew (25:34). The author of Hebrews cautions his readers to avoid being like Esau (Heb 12:16).

Heed the warning: never let physical satisfaction take precedence over spiritual priorities.

Well one day many years after he sells his birthright and inheritance his dad makes a request.

Isaac is 134 years old and he knows he going to die soon

It is time to hand out the blessings and inheritances.

Isaac call Esau and asks him to go get him some deer for a meal.

Genesis 27:4 “4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.”

Esau went to hunt while his mother called in Jacob.

Genesis 27:5 “5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.”

She hatched this plot: Jacob would go to the flock, pick out two goats, and mom would make them into a delicious meal for Isaac

- Genesis 27:9 “9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:”

Then Isaac, whose “eyes were weak”would be deceived and bless Jacob rather than Esau.

When Jacob objected, Esau is a hairy man, but I [have] smooth skin (27:11), his mother said she would take the skins of the young goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and the smooth part of his neck (27:16).

Evidently Esau was so hairy that the feel (and odor! The smell of a dead goat was a sufficient disguise.

Genesis 27:27 “27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:”

Isaac the passes on to Jacob the blessing that he had recieved form his father.

Genesis 27:28 “28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, And the fatness of the earth, And plenty of corn and wine:”

Look at Esau when he hears about this.

He cried bitterly

Genesis 27:34 “34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.”

He begged

Genesis 27:34 “34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.”

He was upset because he lost and missed out on the blessing.

Remember Hebrews 12:14-17 “14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 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.”

Don’t despise the gift of grace.

Esau rejected the gift

Esau did not love God of his gift!

He is called profane in Hebrews.

This may be simple but you know we should really love God!

Matthew 22:37 “37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

He has done so much for us!

Loved us first

He was short sighted.

Esau traded blessing from God for temporary satisfaction.

He had to eat again after that meal but if he’d trusted God his needs would have been met!

Don’t put comfort of pleasing God

He placed more value in a bowl of beans than God’s promise

Genesis 25:34 “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.”

Esau regretted his decision

Esau ended up crying over his choice.

Going with God and his way is far better than stuff in this world.

Matthew 6:19-21 “19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

This world can’t help you

1 Sam 12:21 “21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.”

Trust God not junk

How will you respond to the gift

Now it comes down to you. See you have an obligation to respond to that blessing given to Abraham too.

Galatians 3:14-16 “14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

See theres a blessing for you and it is salvation and grace from God!

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Conc- Don’t be like Esau and waste the gift. Respond well to the oppournity God has given