“Esau”
The Man who lived for the moment.
Genesis 25:19-34; Hebrews 12:14-17
Esau was concerned with the temporary. The things of God were never his desire.
He was more concerned with the contents of the bowl than he was the contents of the birthright. Many today have looked to a worldly bowl instead of God’s book.
The contents of the bowl were
A. Limited in enjoyment when the bowl was empty the joy was gone.
B. Limited in effect the soup was filling for a short while, the birthright was his for the rest of his life.
C Limited in endowment, he alone benefited from the soup. He and his family for generations to come could have benefited from the birthright
I. The Twins (Gen. 19-28)
A. Children (vv. 19-23). Isaac and Rebekah were married for twenty-one years before they had children. Note: "Two nations in thy womb"-the Edomites and Israelites. The Messiah would come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
B. Character (vv. 24-27). Esau was a man of the field, a hunter. Jacob lived in tents and helped his mother with the household chores. These boys were raised the same. They lived under the same roof were taught the same things. Both became what they were by choice.
C. Confusion (v. 28). Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. We will see later how playing favorites with the children led to problems and troubles.
II. The Temptation (vv. 29-34)
A. Impatience (vv. 29-30). Esau had no self-control. His selfish desires came first. God was not first in his life. Compare with Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5, 6. Note the importance of self-control in 1 Corinthians 9:27.
B. Indifference (vv. 31-34). Although Jacob should have fed his hungry brother (as we all should) Esau was indifferent to his God given right.
III. The Test (vv. 31-32). Jacob knew full well what the situation was. He knew Esau was a profane person and jumped on the opportunity before him.
IV. The Trade
Trade (v.33). Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. The birthright was the privilege of the firstborn. This meant a double portion of the inheritance and the leader of the home. Esau gave all this up for a bowl of soup -a momentary pleasure.
How many today give up the blessings of God for the momentary pleasures of this life.
IV. The Tragedy (Heb. 12:16, 17)
A. Warning (Hebrews 12:16-17) Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Esau gave up all for his appetite. Esau was called profane, without respect for the sacred. Selfishness always causes this. See Luke 9:23.
1. Physical appetites. See Luke 21:34.
2. Sexual sins. Adultery and fornication. See 1 Corinthians 6:9.
3. Material appetite. Desire for material gain. Compare with 1 Timothy 6:10.
B. Result (v. 17). Esau lost all because he was careless. He was sorry, but it was too late. Note the wrong gain (Mark 8:36).
Esau later married heathen women. What a difference in these two - Esau and Jacob. Both had the same parents and home life. What made the difference? Choice! Children can be taught. They can be given good examples. They can be counseled and even chastised. But they will make the decision that determines their destiny. Learn to live for eternity-not for the moment. The blessing of living for god will far out weigh the most this world could ever give.