Our POTUS (President of the United States) is well-known for the business deals he has made over his adult years. Those deals have added to his inherited wealth, building for him an "empire". All of this preceded his ascension to the US presidency.
Have you ever made a bad deal? There's an expression that goes "made a deal with the Devil". Goodness gracious! I hope none of you have made a deal like that!
We find deals struck in the Bible, some of them good ones, others not good. One of them, in fact, the writer of Hebrews calls "unholy". That deal was not only detrimental to the one who made it; it had long-lasting, far-reaching consequences.
Have you ever made a bad deal? There's an expression that goes "made a deal with the Devil". Goodness gracious! I hope none of you have made a deal like that!
We find deals struck in the Bible, some of them good ones, others not good. One of them, in fact, the writer of Hebrews calls "unholy". That deal was not only detrimental to the one who made it; it had long-lasting, far-reaching consequences.
15See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
Hebrews 12:15-17 NET
The story can be found in Genesis 25, and though the story won't be reproduced here, do go read it. The gist of it was this: Esau had been given by God the privilege of being firstborn of twins. The Bible records Esau emerged from the womb first, but that his twin brother Jacob came out holding on to Esau's heel! So, it was "Esau for the win, by a hair", so to speak.
Being the firstborn son was "a huge deal" (pun intended), in Old Testament times. It carried with it many rights, privileges and wealth not accorded the younger children. As a young man Esau lacked judgment and was full of pride. When he made his very bad deal, he did not think it was such a BIG deal (sorry...my "punnishness" is punishing you, I know.)
The Hebrew word "despised" in verse 34 is way-yi-ḇez and is found in only one other place in the OT Bible (Esther 3:6), where it is applied to Haman. It is variously translated in Genesis 25:34 as "showed contempt for" or "belittled". Essentially, Esau believed that he did not need his God-given birthright - - - that he could do just fine without it. Or, perhaps he believed that his bad bargain with his brother could be undone. Regardless, all of his reasoning in this life-changing situation was faulty. He made an unholy deal from an unholy heart, because he did not value the gift God had given him. And, the course of human history was completely changed, as a result.
As we examine our lives today, Christians, what gift or gifts has God given you that perhaps you have allowed Satan to convince you are worthless? Satan loves to do that, you know - - - to convince us that our gifts aren't worth spit. He loves to deceive us into believing we don't matter, that God's calling on us is insignificant. If he can keep us in that mindset, then we accomplish little for God's kingdom, which makes room for Satan to create more havoc among those in God's kingdom and beyond. We can look at unholy Esau and "tsk tsk". But, are we any different when we reject God's calling on our lives? Not really. The consequences may or may not be as earth-changing. Remember: Esau did not think selling his birthright was significant either. After he ate and drank (vs. 34), he "got up and went out" - - - apparently thinking no more of it.
I heard Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, say last week that we need in this country a "guaranteed minimum salary", that is, a minimum salary that is paid to every citizen, regardless of whether they work or how much they work. What an unbiblical idea!
We tend to think that, if something is not easy, it is then neither holy, nor valuable. We view opposition, trials and roadblocks as God's "no". What inaccurate, unholy thinking! God ministers to us in difficult times. He grows and matures us then, as long as we don't wiggle out from under his tutelage, choosing an easier path. Difficulty (extreme hunger) compelled Esau to make his very bad deal, after all. God's grace was available to him in that situation; yet, he chose the easy way out.
God does not always spare us the consequences of our unfortunate trades, our costly deals with the deceiver. I am thankful that, on the contrary, sometimes He does. But, do we really want to play such a game of "Russian Roulette"?
Sacrificing the long-lasting, even the eternal, on the altar of the immediate has ruined millions of precious souls!
A far better mindset and attitude is to keep our hearts as attuned to His as we possibly can, seeking Him in every decision. How can we know which of our choices will forever change the world? There is one choice which, as long as each of us has breath, can be changed for the better. If you, like Esau, have persisted in unbelief concerning Jesus Christ, you can, as long as you draw breath in this world, change that terrible decision for the better.
At the heart of Esau's mistake was his unbelief and his brother, Jacob's, belief. Jacob believed God's promises and esteemed them; Esau did not. According to the Bible, the grandaddy of bad deals is the "deal with the Devil", because that is a deal which leads to an eternity in Hell.
God's number one gift to you, His number one promise, is that if you call on the name of His Son, Jesus, as your Savior and accept Him as your Lord, you will make the best deal you can ever make. Now, THAT is the deal of a lifetime!
And, if you have already taken advantage of God's offer of salvation, if you have already surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ, search your heart today to find the additional gifts He has given you. Then, believe Him! Don't despise your gifts! Embrace them and work them, so that God through you can change the world!
Being the firstborn son was "a huge deal" (pun intended), in Old Testament times. It carried with it many rights, privileges and wealth not accorded the younger children. As a young man Esau lacked judgment and was full of pride. When he made his very bad deal, he did not think it was such a BIG deal (sorry...my "punnishness" is punishing you, I know.)
24When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 25The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau. 26When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.
27When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 28Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29Now Jacob cooked some stew, and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 30So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31But Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32“Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 33But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” So Esau swore an oath to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. So Esau despised his birthright.
Genesis 25:24-34 NET
The Hebrew word "despised" in verse 34 is way-yi-ḇez and is found in only one other place in the OT Bible (Esther 3:6), where it is applied to Haman. It is variously translated in Genesis 25:34 as "showed contempt for" or "belittled". Essentially, Esau believed that he did not need his God-given birthright - - - that he could do just fine without it. Or, perhaps he believed that his bad bargain with his brother could be undone. Regardless, all of his reasoning in this life-changing situation was faulty. He made an unholy deal from an unholy heart, because he did not value the gift God had given him. And, the course of human history was completely changed, as a result.
As we examine our lives today, Christians, what gift or gifts has God given you that perhaps you have allowed Satan to convince you are worthless? Satan loves to do that, you know - - - to convince us that our gifts aren't worth spit. He loves to deceive us into believing we don't matter, that God's calling on us is insignificant. If he can keep us in that mindset, then we accomplish little for God's kingdom, which makes room for Satan to create more havoc among those in God's kingdom and beyond. We can look at unholy Esau and "tsk tsk". But, are we any different when we reject God's calling on our lives? Not really. The consequences may or may not be as earth-changing. Remember: Esau did not think selling his birthright was significant either. After he ate and drank (vs. 34), he "got up and went out" - - - apparently thinking no more of it.
I heard Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, say last week that we need in this country a "guaranteed minimum salary", that is, a minimum salary that is paid to every citizen, regardless of whether they work or how much they work. What an unbiblical idea!
We tend to think that, if something is not easy, it is then neither holy, nor valuable. We view opposition, trials and roadblocks as God's "no". What inaccurate, unholy thinking! God ministers to us in difficult times. He grows and matures us then, as long as we don't wiggle out from under his tutelage, choosing an easier path. Difficulty (extreme hunger) compelled Esau to make his very bad deal, after all. God's grace was available to him in that situation; yet, he chose the easy way out.
God does not always spare us the consequences of our unfortunate trades, our costly deals with the deceiver. I am thankful that, on the contrary, sometimes He does. But, do we really want to play such a game of "Russian Roulette"?
Sacrificing the long-lasting, even the eternal, on the altar of the immediate has ruined millions of precious souls!
A far better mindset and attitude is to keep our hearts as attuned to His as we possibly can, seeking Him in every decision. How can we know which of our choices will forever change the world? There is one choice which, as long as each of us has breath, can be changed for the better. If you, like Esau, have persisted in unbelief concerning Jesus Christ, you can, as long as you draw breath in this world, change that terrible decision for the better.
At the heart of Esau's mistake was his unbelief and his brother, Jacob's, belief. Jacob believed God's promises and esteemed them; Esau did not. According to the Bible, the grandaddy of bad deals is the "deal with the Devil", because that is a deal which leads to an eternity in Hell.
God's number one gift to you, His number one promise, is that if you call on the name of His Son, Jesus, as your Savior and accept Him as your Lord, you will make the best deal you can ever make. Now, THAT is the deal of a lifetime!
And, if you have already taken advantage of God's offer of salvation, if you have already surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ, search your heart today to find the additional gifts He has given you. Then, believe Him! Don't despise your gifts! Embrace them and work them, so that God through you can change the world!
