Hard Choice: Stew or God. Hmmm…

Today’s Reading:

• Genesis 25:27-28:5

Faith-Stretching Verse(s):

• “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” – Genesis 25:32, NLT

• Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn. – Genesis 25:34, NLT

• “May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham.” – Isaac to Jacob. – Genesis 28:4, NLT

Thoughts:
Faith is a matter of life and death.

Esau’s dying. Or at least he feels like he’s dying. Of starvation. And Jacob has stew simmering over the fire, ready to eat. Esau asks for stew. Jacob says, “I’ll trade you—my stew for your birthright.” And Esau agrees, saying, “What good is my birthright to me NOW?”

What exactly was this birthright?

In that culture, the firstborn son was the primary heir of his father’s estate. The bulk of his father’s assets became his when his father died. If your father was poor, inheriting his possessions wasn’t too helpful.

But Esau and Jacob’s father Isaac was wealthy. And even if he’d been poor, he possessed a treasure no money could buy: God’s promises. God had promised Abraham to make him into a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, to make him a blessing, to bless those who blessed him, to curse those who cursed him, and to bless all peoples on earth through him (Genesis 12:2-3). And God had promised to give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:7; 13:14-17). In fact, God had promised Abraham Himself, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1).

All of these blessings from God were part of the birthright. They were meant to be passed on to Abraham’s heirs (Genesis 17:7-8).

But Abraham’s firstborn son, Ishmael, did not inherit these blessings. The birthright went instead to the promised son, Isaac (Genesis 17:18-22). And it was only passed on to Isaac after Abraham was asked to choose between God and His promises, on the one hand, and Isaac, on the other. Abraham’s choice was clear: Isaac faced death because Abraham valued God and His promises above even his own son (Genesis 22:1-18)! That’s how priceless a treasure God and His promises are.

Esau, Isaac’s son, threw this birthright away over a bowlful of stew! In exchange for stew, Jacob received the family’s primary relationship with God and His blessings!

Faith is a matter of life and death. Esau almost certainly would not have died without that stew. But even if he had literally been on the brink of death, he would have been better off to clutch his birthright promises jealously to his chest and die, trusting that God would bring him back to life and fulfill His promises (as Abraham trusted God would do with Isaac – Hebrews 11:17-19).

So perhaps this isn’t why I believe. It’s more why I cling to my faith so tightly. Given the fact that I believe in God and look forward to the day He fulfills His promises, there’s nothing that could replace Him. Nothing.

For an overview of this year’s blog, please see http://threequartertank.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-do-believers-believe.html.