April, 2007
“Are You Living an Esau Lifestyle?”
Genesis 25:27-34
INTRODUCTION: Have you ever wondered why children in the same family who were brought up in the same way can turn out so differently? Maybe one becomes successful in school and the other drops out. Maybe one obeys the laws of the land and the other is always getting into some kind of a scrape with the law. One has long range goals and the other just lives from day to day thinking “Whatever.”
In today’s scripture we see a family who sees these extreme differences in their twin sons. Isaac and Rebecca’s twins, Esau and Jacob turned out having very different lifestyles which caused themselves considerable grief as well as their family.
Today’s message is entitled, “Are you living an Esau lifestyle?” You might ask, “What in the world is that?” I think we can apply this Old Testament scripture to our lives today because we see these same characteristics showing up in our families and in our friends and co-workers--and yes, even in ourselves.
Right from the beginning there was favoritism evident in this family that caused problems in the long run. Isaac loved the oldest of the twins, Esau, because he was a rough, rugged, outdoorsy type. He liked to hunt and Isaac liked to eat the meat he brought back from his hunting trip. Jacob was Rebecca’s favorite. He stayed closer to home and had a different personality altogether. When it came time to give the birthright to the oldest one of the twins, Rebecca tried to figure out a way to get it to her favorite, but Isaac wanted it to go to his favorite, Esau. Rebecca and son, Jacob, were schemers and came up with a plan to DECEIVE Isaac who was getting old and who couldn’t see very well. They would trick him into blessing the wrong son--the younger one instead of the one to whom the birthright actually belonged.
What was the birthright and why was it so important?
Although the birthright was usually given to the oldest son, it could be forfeited by behavior that was offensive or opposed to God’s will. In this case Isaac intended to give the birthright to Esau, its rightful owner.
You might say, “Well what was the big deal about it? So, he lost it.” There were five major things contained in a birthright which directed the lifestyle of a person who received it.
1. First of all the oldest son would receive a larger part of the father’s property (He would benefit FINANCIALLY).
2. He would have the rule and authority over the youngest members of the family (he would have POWER).Gen. 27:9
3. He would have the sacred dignity of being the family priest (He would have STATUS. Ex. 4:22).
4. He would have permanent possession of Canaan for their future inheritance and access to it (a rich and fertile choice land for PRODUCTIVE crops).
5. He would have fellowship with God. (SPIRITUAL ACCESS).
Are you living an Esau lifestyle? How can we relate to this today?
1. Esau’s Values--Our values: Esau placed no value on the birthright. He was impulsive and only lived for the moment. He didn’t consider the consequence of his decisions. He made bad choices. He married women who were outside the line of promise and into families that God had rejected. Later he chose an Ishmaelite wife, but the blessing would be coming through ISAAC and not ISHMAEL. He married the daughter of Ishmael. He was a proud, self sufficient, arrogant person who thought he could do everything on his own. He didn’t take responsibility for his actions and blamed others for his losing the birthright. He is presented as a VICTIM of his brother’s deception. He couldn’t blame Jacob, Rebecca, or Isaac or even God for losing the birthright. Scripture says, “He despised his birthright.”
Esau only valued the world and the bowl of stew was so tempting to him. Jacob, found just the right moment to seize the birthright away from him. In a moment when he was hungry, the stew looked like a good trade.
What do people value today? What do you value? Are we inclined to spend our time making bad bargains that only bring us grief and pain? I think we do so much of the time. We might think, “Well, it is the person who is not a Christian who is living an Esau lifestyle--not me.” That is true for many people who are exchanging their eternal soul for things that have no eternal value whatsoever. Scripture says, “for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). If you are not a Christian today, you are making a bad bargain.
People are saying by their actions, “I am exchanging my eternal soul for a bowl of stew that only lasts for a few minutes. I am choosing other things that have no eternal value.”
Evidence shows that Christians are too often living Esau lifestyles just the same as the non-Christian. By not being faithful in your walk with the Lord, is shows what you REALLY value. By living just for the moment being so busy with your work and your family that there is no time for church or Bible study, your true values shine through. When we leave God out we are saying, “I am really self sufficient and I can handle it on my own. Don’t need God, don’t need to go to church all that often.” But when this happens, like with Esau, you are forfeiting God’s blessing upon your daily life.
Many people feel, “I know the church will always be there for me. I can take it or leave it.”
STORY: There was a little church located in a small town and there were few people attending. They didn’t want to close it down because there wouldn’t be any church for miles around. The church board decided to go to every house in the community and ask, “Would it matter to you if we closed the church doors?” Most of the people said, “No, we don’t attend anyway.”
After everyone in the town was contacted, the doors were locked and eventually the building was torn down.
The values of that town were evident.
2. What Was Left for Esau?: Although God didn’t take the birthright away from Esau, it was gone nevertheless. Scripture said that when Esau realized that the birthright was gone, “he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me--me too, my father” (Genesis 27:34).
But Isaac said, “hey, it’s gone. I can’t do anything about it now.”
Esau said, “Don’t you just have ONE blessing for me.”
What was Isaac going to come up with? Everything of any value was gone. He couldn’t reverse the blessing. Jacob had it now. What was left was not very good, but Esau was reaping the consequence of his lifestyle.
His blessing was really a skimpy blessing and he was bitter about it.
1. Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven. (an unproductive arid land).
2. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.
3. But when you grow restless you will throw his yoke from off your neck. (Genesis 27:39, 40).
Hebrews 12:17 says, “Afterward when he wanted to inherit this blessing,...could bring about no change of mind though he sought the blessing with tears.”
Esau thought he would bide his time until his father died and then kill Jacob.
What do you do about your consequences? Sometimes you can’t do anything. We are often like Esau. We can’t go back and change a thing. When we begin to see value in more lasting things, we have to make a new start from that point. We have a new week ahead, a new month, a new year. What will we do with it to go on from where we are?
What happened to Esau and Jacob after the transfer of the birthright? 20 or more years later Jacob wanted to move to another location, and he would have to pass through Esau’s territory. He was fearful of Esau who he heard had 400 men with him. They would not allow passage through their land. Can this situation of long standing be resolved?
3. Helping People Come Out of the Esau Lifestyle: I don’t think Jacob knew whether it could be resolved or not. Maybe we feel that people will never change or that we can never change. Teenagers even feel sometimes that they have messed things up so bad that it is too late for them.
There is something in scripture that tells us that things can change in our lives and in the lives of others even though we have the baggage of consequences. Whoever would have thought so in this long standing situation?
Jacob prayed (Chapter 32:9-12)
It was short, earnest, and to the point. There were four things in this prayer which I believe will help us to come out of an Esau lifestyle as well as enable us to help others:
1. He RECOGNIZED God--Esau was a person who didn’t. Esau and his descendants the Edomites didn’t give God the time of day. Jacob did.
2. Jacob CONFESSED his unworthiness. He recognized the grace of God in his life. He was not proud and arrogant as Esau and his descendants had been.
3. He ASKED FOR HELP--safe passage through the land--deliverance from the enemies. He was not self sufficient. He needed God’s help.
4. He REMINDED GOD of His promises to Abraham.
God turned the situation around. Esau’s hatred for his brother left and he and his 400 men provided protection for Jacob and his group. This turnaround was different from what Jacob was expecting.
When Jacob met up with Esau he
1. showed respect for him as the older brother
2. he gave him a gift
We can help others to come out of their Esau lifestyle through our prayers for them and through the respect that we show people. God’s grace converted Esau from an enemy to a friend. They reconciled, but each went their separate ways. This shows that the yoke was broken as was prophesied.
CONCLUSION: Are you living an Esau lifestyle?
1. You can answer that by taking a look at what you value and what your priorities are.
2. You may have to live with consequences but you can move on because of the grace of God in your situation.
3. You can help others and yourself by recognizing God, asking for his help, and reminding Him of His promises.
SHALL WE PRAY:
