Life Changing Decisions Series

Before celebrating our remembrance of our Savior Jesus Christ through communion, let me share with you from 2 simple verses ending in Genesis 26. It is about a man named Esau, his wives, and his parents. Let us start with some background about Esau. Please open your Bibles to Genesis 12. Read along with me v1-3…………..

God chose Abraham to be the father of many nations and to bless him and his descendants.

Now turn to Genesis 17, verse 19…………….

And so, God’s Chosen People were to come from Isaac.

Now turn to Genesis 24:7………

Although God gave a new land for His Chosen People through Abraham and Isaac, God did not want His Chosen People to marry the natives living in that land. And so, Isaac married Rebekah.

We read in Genesis 25 that Isaac and Rebekah had twin boys (show chart), Esau and Jacob. We read in Genesis 25:23, The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." God foretold of the 2 different nations from Esau and Jacob. But note that at that time, God really didn’t give a promise to either Esau or Jacob.

But we know that God’s promise will go through their father Isaac.

And, it is important to note that neither Esau nor Jacob were perfect godly people! Remember, we talked about people having good and bad traits! Both Esau and Jacob had good and bad traits. We noted from the end of Genesis 25 that both Esau and Jacob were selfish. But Esau made some major decisions that were life changing. You and I will make life changing decisions. Let us learn from the mistakes of Esau.

Esau sold his birthright to Jacob! (Gen. 25:33)

How important is it to have the birthright??

A birthright is a special privilege and an advantage over all other siblings. A double portion from the parents is given to the one who has a birthright. Judicial authority in the family is also passed on to the one who has a birthright!

Esau who was slightly older than Jacob had the birthright.

But Esau sold his birthright for bread and stew!

What does this tell us about Esau when he sold his birthright for food??

Esau didn’t seem to care about his family or the Promises of God! The end of Genesis 25 tells us that Esau despised (he didn’t care) about his birthright!

What else did Esau do to impact his life? Now let us read the end of Genesis 26, verses 34-35………..

And so, what else did Esau do wrong that impacted the rest of his life? Well, he got married!!

All kidding aside, yes marriage will change your life but the problem with Esau was what??

Esau publicly married 2 women at the same time!

At this point in time, we don’t see anyone openly and publicly marrying more than one person at the same time. Remember God’s instruction in the very beginning? Gen. 2:24, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become ONE flesh. Marriage is a union of 1 man and 1 woman!

More tragically, Esau not only married 2 women at the same time. Esau married Hittites (a people that God didn’t want His Chosen People to marry)!

You see, the major tragedy is this, Esau was not concerned about God!

We will see in later chapters in Genesis that Esau could have had a change of heart towards God. Remember Ishmael, the son of the slave Egyptian woman Hagar.

Here’s what we read in Genesis 28:8-9, Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Esau had a heart of stone, fighting not only his family but God Himself!

What was the result of Esau’s selfishness? Genesis 26:35 sums it up doesn’t it? Esau and his wives were a source of grief to God’s Chosen People!

The Biblical principles for us today are simple.

We read in 1 Timothy 2:4, God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

In other words, God is still in the business of calling people back to Himself.

1. God wants to give every person in the world a “birthright” to heaven! John 3:16 tells us, For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life!

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And 1 Timothy 2 continues in v5-6, For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men-the testimony given in its proper time.