# 239 His Problem? He Walked Away As If Nothing Happened

The Book of Genesis

Day 239

Ge 25:28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.  29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.  30 And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore his name was called Edom.  31 But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day."  32 And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" 33 Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.  34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

I’m beginning to think that Esau had a real problem with food! Isaac favored him because of Esau’s love of his father’s style of food. And here we see more of his love for food as he begs Jacob for some of the lentil slop that Jacob had thrown together in the kitchen. I don’t mean to imply that Jacob was a lousy cook, but when it came time to fool  his father and trick him into getting the blessing that belonged to Esau, it was Rebekah who did the cooking, not Jacob!

At any rate, Esau comes in from the field, so hungry that he could eat a horse, and Jacob seizes the opportunity to try and supplant Esau as the heir. He wants Esau to sell his birthright for what’s cooking on the stove!

This birthright would guarantee Jacob, a double portion of inheritance, leadership over the family, and the blessing to carry on the covenant of promise given to Abraham, Noah, and Adam.

Esau, who is a man governed by his fleshly appetite gives these blessings away for goulash. This is an age old problem for God’s people and we are warned about it in  Heb 12:16, “lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.”

Let’s not sugar coat this, a profane person is a godless person, and a fornicator is anyone engaged in sexual immorality, specifically shacking up outside of wedlock! Do you not know that fornicators are specifically listed among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God! Yes, that’s right, unless they repent, they like Esau, have sold their birthright! Let that sink in, and tremble! You can read about it in (1 Cor 6:9-11, but read all of it, because you don’t have to finish that way! ("But such WERE some of you!")

The Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul and warning about those who reject Jesus and the cross, in Phil 3:19 says, “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.”

These are warnings for us today! We must resist the sin of Esau! With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must subdue the desires of our flesh, lest we too forfeit our birthright! 

Esau, “ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” He indulged his flesh and walked away as if nothing happened, and that’s how he lost his birthright! Father God, should we choose to indulge our flesh, let us not walk away as if nothing happened, but rather run to the cross, with godly sorrow over our sin, that we might receive forgiveness and keep our birthright that You have gracefully granted to us!