How much is your relationship with God worth? What are you willing to exchange for the blessing God has for you? What issues and agendas are you willing to pursue in spite of the effect on your faith, your witness, and your life? We all have something, or some-things, that we get so attached to that we let them affect the meaningful parts of our lives. Sometimes, we get so involved that the effect is more akin to consequence, and in that moment we lose something that is truly precious. Esau learned that lesson. He gave it all up for a simple pot of stew.
As the story line of Genesis unfolds, a dramatic encounter develops between Jacob and his brother Esau. Jacob and his mother sought to take hold of the inheritance that rightfully belonged to his elder brother. Together they formed a deceptive plan to gain the father’s blessing and a plot to convince Esau to surrender his birthright. Amazingly, it actually worked. Jacob gets ready for his brother’s arrival by preparing a pot of stew, and this culinary creation will be Esau’s undoing. Jacob will end the day with the destiny that belonged to his brother.
Esau was not a bad man. He was diligent and committed, a little impetuous and a little foolish, but not bad. His biggest struggle was his ability to get caught up in the moment, to the end that he lost a hold on what was truly important. Returning to the homestead one day, he let his hunger, amplified by the aroma of good stew, take him away from responsible behavior. In a moment, he willingly traded his inheritance for a meager pot of stew. When his hunger was satisfied, he realized what he had done, but it was too late. The blessing and the inheritance now belonged to his younger brother. He traded his destiny for a pot of stew.
Before you judge Esau too harshly, please look carefully at your journey. Maybe you too have known the moment when you traded something of value for what was passing. Maybe you have lost sight at times of what really matters. Maybe, the issues and agendas of your life cloud your ability to clarify your priorities. The truth is, most of us have been there, and some more than once. Church history is full of otherwise faithful people who exchanged their God-given mission for the color of the church carpet, or the vote at one meeting.
It is easy to feel very justified because it all seems so reasonable at the moment. Just like Esau who reasoned that his inheritance, blessing and destiny were a reasonable trade for a good meal, we tell ourselves how important this particular moment is while we surrender God’s best for our lives. We are then left with the impact of our decision to work out for some time. We never planed to trade something of eternal value for a moment of temporal success, but once done, it is often hard to reverse.
This year, as you make your plans for the new year, and as you reflect on life lived, maybe we need to ask the question, “What is my pot of stew?” What have I made so important that I am willing to trade God’s vision, my destiny, my eternal reward in order to accomplish it? It is a question of significant impact… just ask Esau. God wants you to experience the fullness of His blessing. Don’t let anything rob you of that. It may require some tough decisions and discipline, but it will be worth it when we receive what He has in store for us.
