In Order. Are You Hangry?
January 20, 2017. Genesis 25-26.
We live in a world where faster is better, time is money, if you can’t get it within the hour it’s not worth it. The culture of instant gratification is also one severely lacking a long term perspective.
Chapter 25 gives the account of Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac. Jacob and Esau were twins who, even in the womb, struggled against each other. Jacob, the younger, was a momma’s boy who enjoyed staying home and cooking stews. Esau was a manly man who, like his father, enjoyed wild game and hunting.
One day, after being out all day, Esau comes home starving.
Genesis 25: 29-30
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”
Remember back to a time when you were absolutely famished; so hungry you couldn’t even function; HANGRY. That’s how Esau was feeling, and in that moment Jacob could tell he could probably get Esau to give him just about anything he wanted for a bowl of stew. So Jacob strikes a deal:
Verses 31-33
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.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.
And it worked. Esau relinquishes his birthright for stew, it wasn’t even beef stew y’all. It was LENTIL stew, COME ON Esau.
It’s so easy to be tempted by what’s right under your nose. You know it will satisfy you in that moment. You’re feeling weak and just want to feel comfort. But will it be worth it? Do you think Esau looked back on that moment and thought “Yep, that lentil stew was totally worth giving up my entire inheritance”?
As a child of God, you stand to inherit much more than a warm bowl of stew. Let God be the source of your satisfaction. It’s always easy to say no to those things that will only bring brief satisfaction when you are already feeling full. In John 6:35, Jesus says
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Don’t let yourself get to the extremes of hunger. Jesus is the bread of life, feed yourself daily with His word and be prepared for when that delicious ______ (insert favorite food here) is placed in front of you, and its glorious aroma fills envelopes your senses. Know that there is something sweeter in store for you.