Gen 25:29-34 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.
Esau had arrived from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. In our wilderness, it is the place where we can be tested and sometimes severely tested. All Christians must go through a wilderness. We need to be broken if we are to be used by God. Even Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness solely to be tested. We are not tested when our bellies are full or when everything is going well. We are tested when we are at the point of extreme famish and exhaustion. We are tested when we are at the edge. In the wilderness, the devil came to Jesus when HE was most famished and exhausted to test HIM. Just as the Lord was tested, if we believe in HIM, we will walk in HIS ways and we will be tested as HE was tested to prove our faith and learn obedience.
However, when many of God's people are tested, we can end up like Esau who gave up his birthright. The birthright can represent our inheritance as a Christian. Just because Esau was first born, he was to receive the inheritance and blessing. When we are saved and become God's child, there is an inheritance waiting for us with many blessings. Moreover, when we are saved, we have received grace and mercy. We are HIS children. But as most children, they can take advantage of their parents' love assuming they will always be forgiven testing the boundaries of what they are allowed to do and what not to do. Many children, rather than waiting for their appointed time to receive their earthly inheritance are very impatient and demand their blessings now.
When Christians go through testing or hardship, most of our immediate reaction is to find an escape route. We fail to realize that we are called to endure so that the sin in us can be eradicated and to live for HIS Will. When we suffer, it is to humble us. But many suffer for their own bad choices. When they suffer from their bad choices in life, they are not suffering for Christ.
1 Peter 4:1-2 (NLT) So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.
When we suffer for the gospel, are we able to endure and persevere or do we complain looking for an escape route to get out of the suffering? Esau was in his wilderness and he was famished and exhausted. This can represent a Christian who may be tormented by her religious or unbelieving husband, boss, government, etc. If we are to receive any reward for our suffering, we must suffer unjustly. We must welcome and rejoice knowing it is an opportunity to glorify God. But rather, many walk by sight only looking at their problems and wanting immediate relief.
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Why couldn't Esau just wait an extra hour and cook his own meal? Why couldn't Esau wait and ask someone else to cook and eat then? He was willing to give up his birthright to satisfy his hunger which represented his flesh. When someone makes you very angry, can you just wait it out and go to prayer to overcome or will you just burst out in anger going nuclear to satisfy your flesh risking everything like your marriage? Or what about a spouse who is tempted in their lust, will they think God and their spouse will just forgive and so they give in?
Esau had contempt for his birthright. It is like a Christian who thinks God will just forgive them for any of their sins thinking God is just a teddy bear. Esau was not serious with Jacob in giving up his birthright. He wanted his flesh/hunger satisfied and was not really giving up his birthright. When the time of blessing came, Issac was ready to bless Esau and he was ready to receive his birthright blessing. In his mind, he didn't really give it up even though he did tell his brother he can have it.
This is a mindset of a Christian who is willing to cross the line with sin thinking God will forgive and therefore they enter into sin to satisfy their flesh. It is when one is spiritually and physically exhausted, rather than waiting for God, he/she gives in to the world and bow down to satisfy their cravings.
Moreover, it can represent praying for something and wanting it right now rather than waiting for God's time. We can be in some type of distress and rather than enduring and persevering for God's time for deliverance, we immediately demand it seeking immediate gratification rather than waiting for the greater blessing/healing/deliverance that is appointed for a later time.
At the end, Esau cried bitterly. Why did he cry? This will happen for many Christians. Esau cried not because he realized he had contempt for God's mercy and grace but he cried because he could not get his blessing. It is like a child crying because he/she cannot get their toy not realizing why they cannot get it. They had disobeyed and trampled on their parents' love and grace.
When more revelation and wisdom is given, you cannot cross the line into your old sin. You are held responsible for what you know. When more is given, more is required.
