A Bowl of Stew

Posted on by Matt Parker

“So [Esau] swore to [Jacob], and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.” – Genesis 25:33-34

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 26-28:5

If you have a sibling, you have to appreciate the relationship between Jacob and Esau. The two brothers seem to be always competing for their father’s attention and will not stop. Jacob especially seems to worm his way into receiving his brother’s birthright and his father’s blessing, a blessing that had been pledged to Esau. Perhaps you have had similar experiences with asibling.

I love the story of Jacob, Esau, and the bowl of stew because it always makes me stop to think about the cost of temporary satisfaction. Esau is famished from working in the field asks Jacob for some food. Jacob is willing to offer Esau abowl of lentil stew in exchange for his birthright. Why was the birthright so important to Jacob? As the firstborn, Esau had the privilege of receiving adouble portion of inheritance (cf. Deuteronomy 21:15-17). In this story, we see that Esau’s short sightedness and carelessness causes him to give up his birthright to his younger (and more cunning and calculated) brother, Jacob.

What are you willing to give up in exchange for temporary satisfaction? Esau demonstrates that he is willing to give up a double inheritance for a bowl of stew. How many times do we trade our blessings for temporary happiness?

This Sunday, we will hear more about sacrifice as we go back and look at thestory of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. Take a couple of minutes and read the passage before worship this Sunday. As we discover more about Abraham’s sacrifice and God’s provision, we will also be celebrating baptism in both of our services. Finally, I want to encourage each of you to bring your Bible to church with you this Sunday. 

Have a great weekend and I look forward to being with you in worship this Sunday at 8:45 and 11:00!

Blessings,
Matt

P.S. Are you interested in a Financial Peace class? Beginning this Sunday, Michele and I will be leading a small group in our home, and we have room for 4 more people. This nine week class will work through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University as we study more about financial management using Godly principles. If you are interested in joining us or want to know more, reply to this e-mail and let’s talk.