Good morning!
Text: Genesis 24-26; Psalm 9
An old expression says, “Don’t eat your lunch for breakfast.” The notion is that it is not good to sacrifice the future to satisfy an immediate desire. In Genesis 25 we meet Isaac’s twin sons, Esau and Jacob. The Lord tells their mother, Rebekah, that “the older (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob)” – Genesis 25:23 – an upside down arrangement in the custom of inheritance. In fact, the Lord does this often, in part to teach the lesson that the Lord chooses whom to favor, not man. The change-up of Esau and Jacob starts when Jacob buys the birthright due to Esau with a bowl of bean stew. Jacob’s timing is just right – Esau is too hungry to think clearly, and his flesh wins the day:
Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. (Genesis 25:32-33)
Ouch! The future is lost on account of the power of the flesh. “Feed me!” wins out over prudence and forethought. Sound familiar? It is the way of so much sin – we give in to the appeal to a right-now desire and cloud our view of the consequences. The enemy uses this tactic in our lives all the time. It is pretty obvious, so it would seem we would be able to see it and resist it every time. But, sadly, that is not the case. Never underestimate the ability of an appetite to conquer the human mind and to slay the human will.
in Him, Mike