Esau’s bad trade

Esau was sweaty and out of breath, totally exhausted after a hard day’s work of hunting. He wanted two things, to eat and to rest. It is pretty much how most of us feel after a long hard day. We get home and want to just collapse on the living room sofa and perhaps if someone could just bring us our favorite meal, everything would be perfect. Jacob was more than ready to please. The wise younger brother had prepared a splendid meal that Esau could not resist and I am sure many of us would not resist either. However Jacob was not as nice as we would hope, nor was he so generous. Jacob was a man with a plan. (Genesis 25:29-34)

Jacob understood that blessings were worth more than rest or food. He understood how to make a good trade. Jesus also talked about trades. He said “what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Much of what we can obtain in this world comes with a price. It will cost us money, or our time. Jesus made it clear that as we embark on our adventures of conquest, whether they are to obtain wealth, success, recognition, a higher position, or even someone’s favor, we must be sure of what the price is, because we don’t want to lose our souls. We never want to do anything that compromises our principals, our morality and most importantly our relationship with God!

Certainly this means saying no when asked to do something that we know is immoral, but it also means saying no when our time and energy is consumed, leaving little time for God. Our salvation is a great treasure that cannot so easily be surrendered. Our walk with God must be cultivated and developed to its fullest maturity and this takes time.

Esau ignored his great treasure and surrendered it easily. Jacob held that delicious plate of food, whose aroma must have truly been overwhelming, and simply asked for Esau’s birthright. Surely this meant great blessings, an inheritance and rights that should rightly belong to the eldest Esau. Esau agreed and filled his stomach and rested. Jacob would become the father of all Israelites, the chosen people, and from his lineage would descend the Messiah.

Let us not sell our great blessing for so little, all that this world has to offer pales in comparison to all eternity. Let us guard our salvation as it is our greatest treasure.

Related articles

• Not for Sale! (brokenbelievers.com)
• Worth a Hill of Beans – 02/18/14 (thedeepblog.wordpress.com)
• Genesis 27 – Jacob Deceives Isaac and Steals Esau’s Blessing(lastdayscalendar.com)
• Deal With Your Esau Before He Deal With U. (holyspiritmyteacher.wordpress.com)
• We Should Not Allow Ourselves to Be Swayed From God’s Will by the Pleasures of Sin or Relying on Might. (kneeghan.wordpress.com)
• Jacob Steals A Blessing (lacykitkat.wordpress.com)
• Jacob cheats Esau out of the blessing of Isaac (Gen 27:1-27:45)(efinne1540.wordpress.com)

Just like predicting the weather

Here in NYC we are debating the coming snow storm wondering if public schools will be canceled. Turns out many private and charter schools have already given up and announced cancellations. However the Public schools remain open so far. Why? To put it simply they don’t want to take action until they know for sure the weather will make it impossible to keep schools open.

The weather is an act of God. We know He is in control. We accept that the weather services can be wrong, even though they base all of their prognostication on reliable data and sound scientific predictors. Even with the greatest minds in science testing and observing we know they can be wrong. We understand the limits of the human mind and all the instruments we can use. In the end we are limited and God is not.

Perhaps we ought to apply this thinking to the rest of our lives. Sometimes we look at the observable data in our lives and make decisions rather quickly without considering God. We determine we have studied the situation, we have gathered all the advice necessary and we can reasonable determine what will happen next depending on the actions we take. Now we are ready to make a decision. Yet everything we have determined and all of our predictions can be 100% wrong just like the weather. God is the only one who knows, with 100% certainty, what will happen and what the best decision is.

The Israelites, like weather men, gathered information when they were approaching the promise land. The data they discovered was scary. Twelve men were sent to do this job. (Numbers 13: 19-20)

Sure enough they came back with their report. They described the strength of the people, giants and mighty fortresses. (Number s 13:27-28) They also brought their own informed and educated analysis. “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”(Numbers 13:31)

The people had heard enough. They were prepared to make a well informed decision. They decided to choose a captain that could lead them back to Egypt and enslavement. (Numbers 14:1-4) They gave up the dream of the promise land. They gave no consideration to what God had been telling them all along, that regardless of how impossible the situation appeared, all they had to do was believe in Him, obey Him and take action with faith, instead of depending on the “weather report.” They did not see the promise land.

We need to remember that even when it looks like rain and everybody says it’s going to rain, God has the final word. The situation may seem impossible but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) Instead of a storm it may just be a sunny day.

Related articles

• Stand Still!
• How do I know God’s will? Numbers 9