Once upon a time, in a land far away, twin brothers were born.
They could not have been more different: The firstborn, Esau, was red and hairy; Jacob, the younger of the twins, was pale and smooth.
Oh, these twins were a big deal: Their birth had been prophesied to their mother, Rebekah:
Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger…
As they grew, their differences became even more apparent. Esau was a rough-and-rowdy, rugged man’s man: he loved to hunt and roam and live fearlessly, reveling in unrestrained freedom and wild adventures. Bent on self-indulgence, he wanted nothing more than to do exactly as he pleased.
And it was no secret that he was his father’s favorite.
Jacob, on the other hand, was quieter, gentler, and liked to stick close to home, tending to the flocks and the soil, helping out in the kitchen, and probably helping out with the decorating and the embroidery too. Naturally, his mama liked him the best, as mamas of mama’s boys tend to like their boys a little bit soft …
…and I’m guessing his daddy probably frowned a little at how sissified his boy was.
Well, back in these days, the eldest son was entitled to special privileges. A birthright. An inheritance. The privilege of being the family patriarch.
And this birthright was a big deal.
So naturally, Esau being the oldest, he lucked into the rights and privileges that went along with it.
Or, rather, was given this blessing by God. Luck had nothing to do with it.
The birthright: It was Esau’s. Naturally. And yet… Jacob wanted it.
And Jacob’s mama thought her baby boy should have it, what with Esau being so… rough around the edges and all. So the two of them connived a wicked scheme to obtain the birthright for Jacob.
~~~~~
Esau had spent his day as he usually did: roaming in the wilderness, scratching, grunting, spearing animals, and just reveling in his manhood.
Which makes a boy hungry.
He finally came wandering home, famished, spent, and was greeted by the delicious aroma of …. something cooking.
Jacob was cooking some soup. And IT. SMELLED. DIVINE.
Esau, starving, wanted that soup more than life itself. Or… at least more than his birthright.
And Jacob saw his opportunity to prey upon Esau’s moment of weakness: I’ll trade you some soup for the birthright, he said, coyly…
Well HECK YES! agreed Esau, ANYTHING to fill his belly with that delicious soup… for he… was… HUNGRY.
And just like that, Esau gave away his BIRTHRIGHT… his ETERNAL INHERITANCE… for something that would be floating downriver tomorrow…
In financial terms, he traded an asset for a depreciating item.
Traded something permanent for something he could not keep.
And he could never get it back.
~~~~~
And who hasn’t done that before? Had something of tremendous worth, and flushed it down the toilet (like… ahem, used soup)…
Traded the ETERNAL for the PLEASURE OF THE MOMENT.
The VALUABLE for the RIGHT NOW.
Something YOU ALWAYS WANTED for something YOU CAN’T KEEP ANYWAY.
And the chance never comes again.
May we always recognize the value in God’s gifts and never treat them as worthless.
~~~~~
Like all good lessons in life, this one reminds me of either an old hymn or a song from my high school youth group days… in this case, The Everlasting by one of my old-school faves, Geoff Moore, an amazing guy with an amazing life and amazing music. I’ve seen him in concert a handful of times, and this song remains one of my all-time favorites…
It was the autumn of his days
We sat in the twilight
Waiting for the falling night
One by one the stars begin to glow
He said, Soon I’ll leave this place
And with my view here at the end
I hold a few regrets my friend
I listened as the words of wisdom flowed
I would have lived my life
Like there was no tomorrow
For life is really like a gift we’ve borrowed
I would have not confused
These things I soon will lose
With the everlasting.
Here in the summer of my days
I think of how my hands have labored
Long for moments past, unsavored
Lord help me cherish every day
Between the future and the past
Let us live like it’s our last chance
To be beacons shining in the night
People living in the light of eternity
Let us live our life
Like there’s no tomorrow
For life is really like a gift we’ve borrowed
May we not confuse
These things we soon will lose
With the everlasting.
loved it. & i love you! <br /> 🙂
Thank you Rikki. Love you and MISS YOU! Why are you no longer on facebook?!
"May we always recognize the value in God's gifts and never treat them as worthless." – I never thought of it that way! Thanks for a new perspective.
wow. love this! you are such a great writer…love it.