Compiled By: Lisa K Gonzales
From: The Life Application Study Bible
16 “Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau. He traded his birthright as the oldest son for a single meal. 17 And afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he wept bitter tears.” ~ Hebrews 12:16-17
Esau’s story shows us that mistakes and sins sometimes have lasting consequences. – 29 “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home exhausted and hungry from a hunt. 30 Esau said to Jacob, ‘I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew you’ve made.’ (This was how Esau got his other name, Edom – “Red”). 31 Jacob replied, ‘All right, but trade me your birthright for it.’ 32 ‘Look, I’m dying of starvation!’ said Esau. ‘What good is my birth right to me now?’ 33 So Jacob insisted, ‘Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine.’ So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all rights as the firstborn to his younger brother. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the fact that he had given up his birthright.” – Genesis 25:29-34 – A birthright was a special honor given to the firstborn son. It included a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honor of one day becoming the family’s leader. The oldest son could sell his birthright or give it away if he chose, but in so doing, he would lose both material goods and his leadership position. By trading his birthright, Esau showed complete disregard for the spiritual blessings that would have come his way if he had kept it.
Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate desires without pausing to consider the long-range consequences of what he was about to do. We can fall into the same trap. When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it. At first we feel intensely satisfied and sometimes even powerful because we have obtained what we set out to get. But immediate pleasure often loses sight of the future. We can avoid making Esau’s mistake by comparing the short-term satisfaction with its long-range consequences before we act. Esau exaggerated his hunger. “I’m dying of starvation!” he said. This thought made his choice much easier because if he was starving, what good was an inheritance anyway? The pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent. We often experience similar pressures. We might feel such great pressure in one area that nothing else seems to matter and we lose our perspective. Getting through that short, pressure-filled moment is often the most difficult part of overcoming a temptation.
Even repentance and forgiveness do not always eliminate sin’s consequences. How often do you make decisions based on what you want now, rather than on what you need in the long run? Evaluate the long-range effects of your decisions and actions before you make them.
Father GOD guide us in our decisions. Help us to remember to consider the long-range effects of our decisions rather than being caught up in the moment and making decisions that will have long-range, undesirable effects. LORD, give us wisdom to make our decisions based on what we need rather than what we want, help us to evaluate the long-range effects of our decisions and actions before we make them.
Photo: Estes Park (Colorado)
Photo By: Lisa K Gonzales
Click on the photo to enlarge
