Food for Thought

Hebrews 12: 16-17: "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears".

Esau's story shows that mistakes and sins sometimes have lasting consequences. His story can be read in Genesis 25: 29-34; 27:36. Even repentance and forgiveness do not always eliminate sin's consequences. How do you make decisions based on what you want now rather than what you need in the long run? Evaluate the long-range effects of your decisions and actions.

The Bible says that Esau had 400 bodyguards. Anyone who has 400 bodyguards must be doing well. This may have been the case but consider the fact that a whole nation now bears the name of his younger brother. It could have been his name and not Jacob's. Imagine Isreal that we know today being tagged as "The Nation of Esau".

No matter how well Esau lived, it does not change the fact that he missed out on a much bigger blessing when he sold his birthright. He let his hunger get in the way of his blessing the same way we let our wants get in the way of our blessings.