Resources/Articles
What Good Is His Birthright?
..Looking carefully lest there be any one man that falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Hebrews 12:15-17
Esau becomes our example of what happens when you lose something for a moment of fleshly satisfaction and wishing you had never let it go. There was a point where Esau could have changed the results. Consider these:
(1) Esau was tempted. There is no sin in temptation. Sin is when you entertain a lust and let that lust lead to an ungodly action (James 1:13,14). Esau could have said no. He did not have to swap a bowl of pottage for his birthright, but temptation is so deceptive, luring, and attractive. You believe what is needed now is more valuable than what your spiritual needs are for the future. Think about it next time you are tempted. Will you swap heaven for a brief enjoyment of this world whose lasting value may be for about five minutes or less?
(2) Esau exaggerated his dilemma. Esau was in “great” hunger when he approached Jacob. His intense focus on his dire circumstances caused him to yield to Jacob’s offer. He failed to use strength of character in the midst of adversity to withstand the trial. People today view themselves in similar circumstances. “I have to drive a beer truck or my family will starve!” “I have to drink a cocktail with my boss or I’ll lose my job!” No one is forced by circumstances into sin, unless that person has exaggerated and rationalized his plight into the idea “unless I sin, I will die.”
(3) Esau’s mistaken values. He does not see his birthright to be important when he is starving. He reasoned it was better to be alive and without an inheritance than to hold onto it and die in the process. That same philosophy has been played and rewound again and again. “What value is virginity if no one loves me?” “What good is honesty and soberness if I don’t have friends?” “What good is following the truth when you lose your family’s love?” Will we trust God who promised to watch over us?
(4) Esau followed bad reasoning with bad action. There does not seem to be any hesitation in his action. He trades away the invaluable for the valueless. For what have you traded your own soul (Mark 8:36)? When a lust is brought to action, it cannot be retrieved. Although Esau sought “diligently with tears” to regain what he had lost, there was no way to change what already happened. “It’s too late” are some of the saddest words we may ever speak or hear. Yielding to a temptation, we risk ruining our reputation, relationships, and reward. Next time you are offered a moment of pleasure, think. It could be a bad trade.
