Based on Genesis 25:29-34 (New King James Version)
“Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’ And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’ Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
The Bible teaches us this: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:17. Why is faith so important? Well, within the natural, it is very important. Because, in the end, the simple definition of faith is: believing in what you cannot see. Whether people realize it or not, everything in the world and each person in the world runs on faith. From when we come out of the womb, we practice faith; even if it is instinctive. One of the first impulses of a newborn is eating. And of course, the newborn does not ask or understand what’s being put in its mouth. The only thing it knows is that it’s hungry, and it will eat whatever is put in its mouth; no doubts. While one grows, someone teaches them how to walk. And, how does it happen? The youngster trusts the person that is holding them in some way, that they won’t let go, and they start taking their first steps, trusting instinctively that their legs will work without understanding how. They know nothing about muscles, about balance, or gravity. But, nonetheless, they push themselves to walk with the help of someone they trust. No matter how you look at it, it’s faith. As children, we accept most things on faith. We accept that what we are taught is true, without having any kind of idea if it is right or not. A human being is not born with knowledge. Everything is learned, especially what is intellectual. When we are adults, we practice faith in different ways. We practice faith when we eat (like when we were children – some things don’t change). We practice faith when we believe an employer will pay us at some point, and we trust that payment will happen timely. We practice faith when we get in a car or in some sort of transport every day, trusting that we will get to our destination. We get on a plane confidently assuming that we will get to where we want to go, flying kilometers or miles above the earth’s surface.
What do these examples have to do with faith? Everything! Regarding food, were you there when the fruits or vegetables were grown, or when the cattle was raised and fed, or when they made the bread, or when all of this was cooked? How do you know if things are healthy or clean? But, without knowing any of that, you ate it, and you did not doubt for an instant. Did you see if the company you work for has enough money in their bank account to pay you? How are you so sure that they will pay you? It’s the same thing with cars and planes. Do you know how they work? Are you certain they will not fail? What assures you? Nonetheless, all these things and more you do without any doubt, without knowing how they work, or without any concrete assurance. All of this and more is done with faith (and in some cases, with either a very incredible or foolish kind of faith, considering the evil that exists, and the negligence we see daily).
But now, we will try to tie all these things together with the passage we read today. We use faith daily, and on things that are here now, but gone tomorrow. Esau sold his birthright (which not only meant succeeding his father as the head of the family, but even more importantly, receiving a special blessing or spiritual privilege that was passed from father to son), for a plate of food. Esau focused more on solving a temporary problem than on the importance of what he was giving up; as a man, and as a being with a soul. Basically, Esau sold the blessing on his soul to supply for a temporary and physical need. He did not apply any faith for the well-being of his family, nor for economic well-being (because by succeeding his father, everything his father owned would have been his), and even less, for his own and his generation’s spiritual well-being. He threw it all away for food! Sounds stupid, right?
Well, the big problem is that many people sell their spiritual and family well-being for things that are not worth much; just to get by or for something temporary; or they sacrifice what is holy for things that only last for a little while, for something short-lived. People prefer to apply their faith to material things, or temporary things, or superficial things, then to apply their faith to save and benefit their own soul. This happens every day! And this is the temptation we face every day, especially as disciples of Christ (those that have decided to follow Christ). There are many temptations, but the main temptation is to abandon the things of God because of sin and the world. There are many that sacrifice their walk with Christ because of giving into their own lust. They give up and go backwards because some sort of need overtakes them, or rather, because they allow themselves to be overtaken. For example, this happens when a believer does not find a mate, and prefers to not only look in the world, but also, starts adopting the practices of the world with the goal to find someone (no matter how). By trying to fill their loneliness, they go away from God. They will fornicate if they have to. They start entangling themselves with the other person’s world. They will unequally yoke themselves. And they will continue falling until they get what they want. But that is not what God teaches. For it written: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:12-15. And there exists an endless number of other examples of how a birthright or blessing from God is sold for things that are not worth much; for temporary and passing things (e.g. because of money, harmful relationships, vices, pride, trying to follow society, things that are abominable to God, etc.). No matter how you look at it, the practice of sin destroys a person, leaving behind damage in this life, but even more importantly, affecting eternity. Nothing in this world should be worth more than your soul. And finally, the Lord says this: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:7-8. God loves you (a lot), but you should also start loving and valuing yourself. Will you acquire and keep your faith in Christ, until the end, no matter what the cost? Lord bless! John