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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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"The
Esau Principle" They
were twins, but they were definitely NOT identical.
At their birth, “the first came out red.
He was like a hairy garment all over; so they
called his name Esau [meaning “hairy”].
Afterward his brother came out, and his hand
took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob
[meaning “supplanter” or “deceitful”]”
(Genesis 25:25-26).
Jacob’s name was very prophetic, for he would
later deceive his brother, Esau. Years
later, Jacob, who preferred domestic duties, cooked a
stew. Esau,
the rugged outdoorsman, came in from the field, and he
was tired and hungry.
Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with
that same red
stew, for I am weary" (Genesis 25:30).
Jacob (the deceptive one) said, "Sell
me your birthright as of this day." By
that birthright Esau, the oldest son, would stand to
receive a double portion of his father’s (Isaac’s)
estate, and would have the responsibility of taking
over the leadership of the family upon Isaac’s
death. Esau,
thinking only of his immediate hunger, said,
"Look, I am about to die; so what is this
birthright to me?" (Genesis 25:32).
Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this
day." So
Esau swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob
(Genesis 25:33). Clyde
Woods, commenting on this passage, wrote:
“The famished hunter let the urgency of his
hunger outweigh in his mind the great value of the
birthright.
Because
of this event, Esau
becomes a classic example of the individual who fails
to evaluate properly the important things in life.” God
wants to bless us with long-term – in fact, eternal
blessings. Because
of SIN (wrong
choices made most often based on immediate
gratification), we do not have a right to these
blessings. The
good news is that through Christ, we may be “born
into” the family of God and become heirs
to an eternal inheritance.
These blessings await those who believe
in Jesus (Acts 16:31), repent
of their sins (Acts 17:30), confess
Christ before men (Romans 10:9-10), are baptized
in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of their
sins (Acts 2:38) and refuse to sell their “new-birth
right” Always
remember
the
Esau principle:
“DON’T
miss out on long-term (even eternal) blessings
for short-term pleasures!”
David A. Sargent,
Minister To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
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