Day 63

 

The Lunchable

 

"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"

 

Genesis 25:32

 

 

"So who is your boyfriend?" I asked Michelle.

"I don't have one right now," she said.

This was surprising because I thought I knew who her boyfriend was. She was only 8 years old and having a boyfriend didn't really mean that much except as status at school.

"What happened to Carmelo?" I asked. "I thought he was your boyfriend."

"He was, but now he is some other girl's boyfriend."

"What happened?"

"This girl asked him to be her boyfriend but he said he couldn't because he already had a girlfriend. Then she said she would give him her lunchable if he would be her boyfriend. He was hungry, so now he has a new girlfriend."

I was astonished and amused. "Michelle, you mean you got traded in for a lunchable?"

"Yeah, basically."

Self esteem was no problem with Michelle so I didn't worry about some deep emotional scar over being traded for a lunchable. She had just stopped by my office to chat and we were both laughing about it. It reminded me though of how often we trade in our birthright, as God's children, for something as transient as a lunchable.

Esau was a hunter and would go off on long trips looking for game.  Jacob was more of a stay at home type. One day Esau came in from a long hunting trip and saw Jacob cooking. "Quick, let me have some of that red stew!" Esau demanded.

Jacob was shrewd and the second born (if only by a few minutes since they were twins). So Jacob said, "First, sell me your birthright."

The birthright of Esau, the firstborn, was double the portion of any other brothers he might have. There were only 2 of them so Esau stood to inherit two thirds of Isaac's estate to Jacob's one third. It was a steep price Jacob was asking for.

It didn't take much for Esau to cave in to Jacob's asking price and Esau swore an oath to sell his birthright. It is then we read that "Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew."

Esau thought he was trading his birthright for some "red stew", meaning meat stew and what he got was a bowl of beans. It would have been bad enough to trade the birthright for some beef stew but all he wound up with was beans.

It happens like that all the time. As Christians we trade our birthright, our position in God's family, for things we think are going to be really great and we find out what the world has to offer is just a bunch of beans. It is terrible and foolish to trade away a close fellowship with Christ for anything this world has to offer.

Satan tried to tempt Jesus with this same kind of offer. After Jesus had fasted 40 days Satan tried to tempt him with his physical needs (some bread), pride (showing off he was the Son of God by jumping off a high point and having angels rescue him) and power (all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would only worship Satan). Jesus turned down all these offers knowing them to be nothing but beans compared to what his heavenly Father had to offer.

And that is what we need to remember. What God has to offer is so much more than what Satan or the world has to offer. The world offers candy and God invites us to the "wedding supper of the Lamb." (Revelation 19:9) The world offers a false sense of pride and God makes us "co-heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:17) Satan offers us power and God promises us we will reign with him for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5) The world promises beef stew and delivers beans. It promises you everything and will abandon you for a lunchable.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Genesis 25:24-34

• Who was Isaac's favorite son and who was Rebekah's favorite? (v.28)
• Do you think having favorites helped or harmed the relationship between the brothers?
• Do you think Esau was really in danger of starving or was he just hungry?

 

Read Genesis 27:35-36

• What 2 times did Jacob deceive Esau?