Despised

Genesis 25:²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. ²⁸ Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.^f]">[f])

³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

So last week the Lord put this on my heart and I went and read this verse. I was all prepared to write about how Esau had easily given up his birthright. So I did a little research and found out that it wasn't necessarily easy thing. See, in the next chapter it talks about a great famine that came. So great that Isaac was thinking about going to Egypt. Esau was a hunter outdoors type while his brother was a homemaker Mama's boy. So there Esau was out living off the land by himself or maybe with the Hittite women he married (it doesn't say). But then famine came and food became scarce. So I think it was an act of desperation that he came back home to find Jacob cooking some stew. I imagine that he would have given his brother anything because he was probably near death and literally starving. See, I had never caught that a famine had started and thought it was just that he was out hunting one day and came back a little hungry. But the result is the same. He sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. Which gets me to thinking...

At what point are we selling our birthright for sin? You know... I believe that man is sin. I also believe that there is no way we'll ever not sin. But I do believe that willful big sins committed over and over again will separate us from Christ. There is a time when the Holy Spirit will convict you of a sin and then you have a choice. Either follow the Holy Spirit and eliminate this sin from your life, or eliminate the Holy Spirit from your life and follow the sin. You really can't have both. Sometimes it's a really easy thing where you can just change your environment or thoughts and that sin in your life is gone. But then there are habit sins. Maybe it's drugs or alcohol, maybe it's pornography or even adultery. Things that are huge sins and you may quit for a day, but then it's back to the same old thing. It's these sins that you MUST depend on Jesus Christ combined with the Holy Spirit while leaning on God's love and direction that will get you through it. And then it's not easy. So which are we going to be? Esau selling his birthright when the body became hungry, or Jesus who stood his ground to the Devil when tempted? See, even though Jesus was hungry since it was over 40 days since he had last eaten, He didn't sell his birthright. Everyday our body gets famished from Earthly lifestyle. Everyday we have to make a decision... are we like Esau or are we like Jesus?

For everyone reading this I encourage you to listen to the Holy Spirit in your life. I encourage you to start today to rid your life of habit sins that destroy your relationship with Jesus. It's through the Holy Spirit that we can get the strength to overcome these sins. Even with the Holy Spirit it's still a daily crawl over razor blades, knowing that with one little wrong decision you could ultimately destroy everything. The encouraging thing is that we're also one little right decision to coming back and restoring our relationship with Christ. So we need to check our relationship status constantly and see the Holy Spirit as guidance. God wants us to seek his face, which means that it's our responsibility to constantly strive to be in his presence. I think it's a great time to lay down our sinful habits at the alter and make this the year that we draw near to Jesus. Which is more important, the stew or the birthright? Which do we want, a life of death or a death of life? I don't want to despise my birthright. I want to be with my Creator and walk with my Savior. I choose to endure and draw close and let the Holy Spirit guide me and protect my steps.