And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint…”
And Jacob said, Sell me this day your birthright.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. ~Genesis 25
I read a comment on this passage yesterday that struck me as odd. The person commented that while a deal is a deal, having your brother sell his birthright to you for a pot of lentils is theft. Sounds a lot to me like typical modern thinking. That is, you make a deal but as soon as it is no longer to your advantage, you were taken advantage of and cheated.
I feel certain a great many Christians agree with the comment—until put in a modern context. I am comfortable saying so because I’ve heard it from their own mouths. Here's a paraphrase of the modern context.
I desperately want to go to college and make a deal for tuition money. I seal the deal and go my way, get a degree. Then the predator who loaned me the money wants to be repaid. But it’s hard on me to repay so my wealthy Uncle must relieve me of the burden of my deal because the terms now seem unfair.
No matter what he said or thought, Esau was not going to die without those lentils. If he really thought that he would have just taken them. The biblical picture of him leads me to believe he was bigger and stronger than his brother—and he was dad’s favorite.
In a job market like today’s no one is going to die or even be unemployed without a college degree. It is not a necessity for a full, happy, and comfortable life. However, refusing to honor the commitments you make and that no longer suit you is a prescription for unhappiness.
But what does God think about it? I point you to Psalm 15.
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? …he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.”
Salvation is essentially a deal we make with God. It’s made on His terms and it sometimes hurts, but it’s a deal God will not go back on—ever! Be like God.
Maranatha
