If you were promised a great inheritance from your father how would you treat it? An example can be found in Genesis 25, where we read the story of Jacob and Esau. The Lord told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and the older child would serve the younger. Esau and Jacob were twins, with Esau being the older.
Esau Despised his Birthright
In verses 29-34, we discover that Esau, after coming in weary from working in the field one day, was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew that Jacob had prepared. He even swore an oath to Jacob that he would do it. In verse 34 we are told Esau treated his birthright with "contempt".
Esau Scorns The Holy
The word "contempt" here means that he scorned or despised his birthright. Esau treated something holy as if it were common and of no importance. Esau despised his birthright. God seemed to be unimportant to him. Later in life, he ignored God's instructions by marrying Hittite women, which saddened his parents because God had plainly told the Israelites not to do this.
Birthright To The Firstborn
What is a birthright? A birthright usually went to the first born son. It was a double portion of the inheritance. It also gave a head of household status to the son. For Esau it meant also that the promises that God made to Abraham and to his father Isaac would pass to him.
Why Would Esau Sell His Birthright?
For Esau to sell something so incredibly important, both in a spiritual and a literal sense, for a bowl of stew seems ridiculous. Esau was living in the moment. His physical needs seemed more important than any double portion of the inheritance he might get when his father died. Either he thought that swearing to Jacob meant nothing or he didn't realize the significance of what he was giving up or worse he just didn't care.
Swearing An Oath
In Numbers 30:2, Moses tells the people that if they swear an oath and bind themselves to an agreement, that a person must do everything they swear they will do. Swearing an oath was not taken lightly, unlike how it is often viewed today. In Ecclesiastes 5:5, Solomon says it is better to not make a vow at all than to make it and then break it. There will be a price to pay unless a person confesses their sins and accepts their guilt. Esau would have known all of this. He would have known what could happen if he gave up his birthright and what would happen if he tried to say the oath was not serious.
The Legacy of Esau
The end result was that Jacob received the inheritance and Esau did not. Jacob became one of the fathers of the nation of Israel and is in the lineage of Jesus. In fact his name was changed to Israel in Genesis 32:28. Esau became the father of the Edomites (Genesis 36). The Edomites, who became pagans, hated the nation of Israel. They often sided with Israel's enemies. However, Israel was forbidden by God to hate them because they were close relatives (Deuteronomy 23:7). Eventually the Edomites were conquered and faded into history.
New Testament Perspective
What does the New Testament tell us about Esau and his choice? The writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 12:16-17 tells us to pursue holiness, to be careful not to fall short of the grace of God "lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright." A profane person is one who is disrespectful towards sacred things. We should not look to the world to satisfy our needs but we must look to God, this is what Esau did not do.
Esau's Failure
Esau had a wonderful inheritance that he casually renounced because he wanted to gratify his worldly needs. By sinning, Esau fell short of the grace of God. He did not feel convicted that he needed to confess his sins and repent. His sorrow was not over breaking God's laws, but over what he lost. He continued to blame Jacob for his bad decisions.
Christian Inheritance
As Christians we are told repeatedly that we also have an inheritance, a birthright. Romans 8:17 says we are coheirs with Christ. 1 Peter 1:4 says we have an inheritance in Heaven. Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:34 that we will inherit the Kingdom. Galatians 3:29 lets us know we are heirs according to promise. Colossians 1:12 says there is an inheritance of saints.
To inherit something, someone must die. Jesus is referred to as the first born of God six times in the New Testament. Jesus is called the "first born of many brothers" in Romans 8:29. We are God's children (Galatians 4:7) because of this we share in Jesus's inheritance. This eternal inheritance is only made possible by the death and resurrection of Christ. It is made possible by the unmerited grace that God gives us through His Son.
Hebrews 12:16-17 reminds us not to take our inheritance lightly as Esau did. Our inheritance was bought with a price: the death of the Son of God on the cross. God forbid that we should "despise" our birthright, our inheritance, as Esau did. God forbid that we should fail to repent and acknowledge our sin as Esau did. When we fall into unrepentant sin, when we live for the moment, when we treat our salvation with "contempt" we need to acknowledge our sin and trust in God's grace and forgiveness.
Look Forward To That Living Hope
Our inheritance means so much more than anything the world has to offer us. As 1 Peter 1:3-4 says,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,"
I am looking forward to that living hope, that incorruptible inheritance, the one that never fades away, that Christ provides for me in Heaven. I hope you are too.
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