Texts: Genesis 25:19-34; Romans 8:1-11
Date: Sunday, July 14, 2002
Author: Rev. Jonathan K. Twitchell
As we approach our scripture text in Genesis 25 this morning, we find that the promise given to Abraham is once again in jeopardy. Isaac has grown and married, but Abraham has passed on without ever seeing one of his grandchildren. Poor Father Abraham, after seeing the promise given, challenged, renewed, and challenged again, finally sees Isaac get married. But, unfortunately, Abraham goes to the grave without knowing if the Promise would be fulfilled. For, you see, Rebekah, like her mother-in-law Sarah, was also barren. Can you picture Isaac and Rebekah--hoping and praying to see a child born before Abraham died? Surely, they wished to produce another heir to the Promise of God. And yet, despite the fact that Isaac had a miraculous birth, and that God had divinely directed Abraham’s servant to choose Rebekah as the wife of Isaac, there were no children.
And so, Isaac does the only thing he can do. He prays to God and asks Him to open Rebekah’s womb. God responds miraculously, not just with one baby, but with two baby boys. Isaac and Rebekah should have been so happy, even overjoyed at the prospect of two bouncing baby boys added to their family, but something seemed wrong with the pregnancy. The babies constantly wrestled inside Rebekah. Scripture tells us that they jostled each other so much that Rebekah asked God what was happening to her.
In Genesis chapter 25, verse 23, we read what the Lord says to her:
23b “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.”
I’m not sure that God’s response was of much comfort to Rebekah. Surely, she was amazed at the prospect of giving birth to twins, but then to have God tell her that they would both be fathers of great nations should have come as a shock. And then, to be told that they would always be at war with one another would be enough to break any mothers’ heart. To add to the great surprise and shock, Rebekah was told that it would be the younger child who would receive the greater blessings.
Sure enough, even in childbirth Rebekah could see the struggle between her sons. Esau was born first, red and hairy, and Jacob was quick to follow, holding on to Esau’s heel. The two boys were very different. Esau grew up to be a great hunter. He liked to be outdoors, away from home, demonstrating his skill and strength. Jacob, on the other hand, was a homebody, living among his family, watching after the affairs of the home. He was a great cook, and seems to have spent much time with his mother attending the affairs of the household.
Scripture tells us that Isaac had a taste for wild game and so he loved Esau more than Jacob, but that Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
33 “But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time understanding Esau in this story. As the oldest son, Esau had the birthright, which meant he was destined to inherit a double portion of his father’s estate. He would receive twice as much land, flocks and servants than any other siblings. Not only that, but he would be able to pick out which part of the inheritance he received. On top of all that, as the firstborn, Esau would have inherited the covenantal promise of God given to his grandfather Abraham, and extended to his father Isaac. You remember the promise of God given to Abraham don’t you? The promise recorded in Genesis 12, verses 2 and 3?
2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
And then, there was the promise in Genesis 13, where God said that Abraham’s offspring would be as numerous as the dust of the earth. And in Genesis chapter 15, God said that Abraham’s descendents would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.
And yet, Esau takes the double portion of his father’s estate, and the promises of God, and trades them in for a bowl of red stew. We don’t really see how Esau could be so short-sighted as to focus on the immediate desires of his flesh instead of the promises of God for his life. We look at Esau and shake our heads in dismay and disgust at the way in which he despised his birthright, and in doing so despised the very promises of God...all for a bowl of red stew.
And yet, I wonder...how many times have we traded in God’s promises for a bowl of red stew? Oh...our stew is different than the stew Jacob offered his brother. Our stew more often consists of controlling our time, talent, and treasures, instead of allowing God to control them. Our red stew might be our time, as we become mesmerized by the world of convenience and hurry. Perhaps our stew is those gifts and talents that we keep to ourselves instead of sharing with others for the Glory of God. Or, maybe, our red stew is in the form of money or possessions which draw our focus from God. In any case, we will never come out on top if we trade in God’s plan for our lives for a simple bowl of red stew.
Time has become a priceless commodity in today’s economy. With the advent of numerous gizmos and gadgets designed to make our lives easier, our time becomes precious to us. Drive-up fast food. Cell phones. Palm Pilots. High speed internet access. Microwave ovens. Automated Teller Machines. Carpool express lanes. Email. TV Dinners. Video Cassette Recorders, DVD Players, and more...
Sometimes I have to stop myself and wonder if the world is a better place because of all these gizmos and gadgets. Sure, we can work more efficiently, but at what cost? In the world of the drive-up marketplace, we have traded in our nature as a relational beings for the bowl of convenience. In many cases, we don’t develop relationships with those who wait on us because they are in a hurry, we are in a hurry, and the people in line behind us are in a hurry. God has made us in His image, and as such we are relational beings. But when we sacrifice relationship for convenience, we have traded in all that He has intended us to be for a bowl of red stew. Sometimes, we are too busy for the things of God. The pressures of our jobs and activities keep us from spending time with God and with His people. When this happens, we have traded in part of His plan for our lives for a bowl of red stew. When we simply don’t think we have time enough to serve Him, or to witness to others, or to read His Word, we have just made a tent next door to Esau, all for the red stew of convenience.
Perhaps, we haven’t truly surrendered our talents into God’s service. We may have great insecurities, we may be afraid to follow His call, or we may simply not see how He has gifted us. God gives gifts to his children so that they may use them for His glory. When we don’t exercise our talents and gifts, we trade in all that He has for us for a bowl of red stew. If we worry that we may not be good enough to serve, or are convinced that someone else could do it better, we trade in His plan for our lives for a bowl of red stew. Often, our unanswered questions keep us from serving God in the way He likes. We don’t dare start something, because we fear that we don’t know the ending. When that happens, we have traded in our faith in God’s guidance for the red stew of human certainty. If our talents are not surrendered to Him, we will never experience all of the life that He has planned for us...all for a bowl of red stew.
Or, perhaps, we have found it difficult to surrender our checkbooks to Him. Or our houses. Or our cars. We must remember that all that we have truly belongs to Him. We either have the choice of using it for His glory and in His service, or using it for ourselves. When our belongings aren’t surrendered to Him, we have traded in His promises of care and blessing for the bowl of materialism. Surrendering our possessions to God is so much more than simply putting a tithe check in the offering plate on Sunday morning. Really, tithing is a pretty simple thing to do when you consider the reality that ALL we have belongs to God and should be in His service. Whether it’s making your car available for a guest missionary, or providing food for a traveling stranger, if we don’t allow all of our possessions to be in His service than we have traded in part of His plan for our lives for a simple bowl of red stew.
In our Romans text this morning, Paul spoke very clearly of these issues. Hear these words again from Romans 8:5-8:
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
For Paul, the issue is one of control. Do we live a life which we control, or have we turned over the reins to God’s Spirit, allowing Him to have control over the direction of our lives? He will never force that control on us, but we must willingly surrender our control, yielding ourselves to Him alone. Are we living according to the Spirit, or have we traded that in for a simple bowl of red stew, maintaining control over our own life? Do we think that we know what’s best, or are we willing to recognize that Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth knows what’s best for us and will take care of us?
Why is it that we think we know what’s best? As children, we would question our parents, or disagree with them, and often be told that “father knows best.” Somehow, in our adult life, we tend to forget that “Father knows best,” and take the reins for our life, providing our own direction. What Paul seems to suggest here in Romans is that we must have our minds set on “Kingdom things.” When we set our minds on what God’s Spirit desires, we know that our path will be straight and true. When we allow our focus to shift inwardly, we act according to the sin nature. Truly, through Christ Jesus, we have been set free from the law of sin and death, and are no longer bound to live our lives according to the sin nature. Through Jesus, we have been set free from our insatiable hunger for red stew, and can live our lives according to the Spirit, which will bring us life and peace.
George Beverly Shea was once tempted to trade in some of the promises of God for a bowl of red stew. As you may know, George Beverly Shea grew up in a Christian household with Christian parents. He was often encouraged to use his talents and his singing voice in the worship services of the Wesleyan Methodist churches which his father pastored. Finances were tight in the Shea household, so at 23 years of age, he had dropped out of college to work in an insurance office. He continued to sing in churches and on radio shows. Unexpectedly, George was one day called and asked to audition for a secular singing position in New York City. He passed the audition and was offered a substantial salary.
While George was contemplating his decision, one Sunday, as he went to the family piano to prepare a song for the morning service, he found a poem that his mother had left lying around. She had been in the habit of leaving inspirational poems and lyrics around in hopes that God would use them to provide direction for George’s life. As he read the lyrics of the poem, he was so profoundly impacted by the text that he immediately began to compose music for the lyrics, and used that song that same day in his father’s church service.
“I’d Rather Have Jesus” became George Beverly Shea’s theme song over the years. He says, “Over the years, I’ve not sung any song more than ’I’d Rather Have Jesus,’ but I never tire of Mrs. Miller’s heartfelt words.” For George Beverly Shea, those words impacted him so deeply that he knew he must always give his talents and gifts to God, not ever trading in the promises of God simply for a bowl of red stew.[i]
Is that your testimony today? Can you stand and sing that you’d rather have Jesus than ANYTHING this world affords today? Or, like Esau, have you been guilty of trading in the promises of God for a bowl of red stew? I’d challenge you this morning to make these words the testimony of your heart. I’d encourage you to make them your theme song. Times will come when you will be tempted to trade in God’s promises for a bowl of red stew. Times will come when you will be tempted to grasp control of your life, instead of allowing God’s Spirit to direct your paths. During those times, sing these words, and remember that you’d rather have Jesus than anything else. Remember that God’s eternal promises are worth far more than ANY bowl of red stew this world may ever offer you.
Benediction - The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.
[i] Osbeck, Kenneth W., Amazing Grace-366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions. Kregel Publications : Grand Rapids 1990.
