Genesis 25:32

New International Version (NIV)

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

For meditation

Maybe Jacob set a trap for Esau when Esau came from the open country, famished; or maybe he did not (Gen. 25:29-34). It could also be that Jacob took advantage of Esau’s weakness, and exploited his vulnerability. Either way, we know Esau had a decision to make when the sweet aroma of Jacob’s cooking filled his nostrils. His stomach may have rumbled, as a surge of saliva gushed out of his taste buds. Esau gulped deep, while his gastric sensors messaged his brain that there was a serious energy crisis of catastrophic proportions. Emergency food aid was needed before he became a casualty. Esau, therefore, appealed for some of Jacob’s food.

“Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”

“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob said.

“Look, I am about to die … What is the birthright to me?”

Jacob pressed for an oath and readily received it from Esau. The deal was done. Esau received a good portion of bread and lentil stew from his younger brother in exchange for his birthright.

“He ate and drank, and then got up and left” (34). What a sad commentary!

Esau carelessly made the worst decision of his life and bartered his future away without the slightest inclination towards regret. But his tears before his dying father some years later, revealed his heartbreak over his hasty and, what the Hebrews writer calls, “godless” decision (27:36; Heb. 12:16).

Ron Edmondson lists some “7 Ways to Make Bad Mistakes” in a blog post on Bible Study Tools, three of which are relevant here – Make them too fast, Make them reactionary, and Make them out of fear. Esau certainly made a hasty decision without much reflection on the price he was paying for a bowl of meal. The future consequences of that exchange could have used a little time for contemplation. However, he reacted rashly to a strong sensual appetite and a false sense of imminent death, if that hunger was not satisfied immediately. He traded his natural inheritance as the first born of Isaac and all that came with it, especially, the Abrahamic covenant. His decision revealed his lack of spiritual fervor, and a fleshly attitude that displeases God.

1. How do you make decisions?
2. Do you make them hastily or thoughtfully?
3. Do you make them reactionary or proactively?
4. Do you make them out of fear or calmly by faith?
5. Do you consider the far reaching consequences of your decisions or you downplay them?

I pray you will avoid the Esau syndrome and put all sensual indulgences aside when making decisions, no matter how mundane they may be.

So: May you treasure God’s heritage for you and ardently protect it; and may you reap its abundance in this life and for eternity in Christ Jesus. Amen!

Shalom