Your Birthright

Your Birthright (Hebrews 12:14-17)

Just a few years ago (2012), Dakoda Garren, a 19-year-old from Washington state was charged with stealing a rare coin collection worth at least $100,000. After Garren had completed some part-time work for a woman living north of Portland, the woman reported that her family coin collection was missing. Her collection included a variety of rare and valuable coins, including Liberty-Head quarters, Morgan dollars, and other coins dating back to the early 1800s.

Initially, Garren denied taking the coins, but then he started spending the coins at face value, apparently unaware of their worth. He and his girlfriend paid for movie tickets using quarters worth between $5 and $68 apiece. After the movie, they bought some pizza with the rare coins, including a Liberty quarter that may be worth up to $18,500.

Yahoo News reported, “Garren has been charged with first-degree theft and is being held in jail on $40,000 bond. Which, technically, is an amount he could easily afford if the valuable coin collection were actually his.” (Eric Pfeiffer, “Man allegedly steals $100,00-coin collection, then spends at face value on pizza and a movie,” Yahoo! News, 9-21-12; www.PreachingToday. com)

Some people don’t appreciate the value of what they already possess. How about you? How about me? As believers in Christ, we possess unimaginable, spiritual wealth, but sometimes we squander that wealth for cheap thrills. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Hebrews 12, Hebrews 12, where the Bible warns us about selling out.

Hebrews 12:14-17 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. (ESV)

ESAU SOLD HIS BIRTHRIGHT.

He traded something of great value for a bowl of stew! You see, as the first-born son in his family, Esau was entitled to special privileges; but when he sold his birthright, he gave up those privileges.

First, he gave up the privilege off being a priest. The first-born son was especially consecrated (or given-over) to God. In families that didn't know the Lord, they carried this to the extreme and often sacrificed their first-born sons to their pagan gods. But in Esau's family, a good Jewish family, the first-born would be given to God to serve Him. He would have the privilege of representing his family before God as the priest of the family. Later on, that privilege would be transferred to the tribe of Levi in Israel (Numbers 3). But in Esau's day, the priesthood still belonged to the first-born. So when Esau sold his birthright, he gave up the priesthood.

More than that, he gave up a double portion of his father's estate. When the father's estate was divided among the sons, the first-born usually got twice as much as the rest of his brothers. For example, if there were 2 sons, the estate would be divided in thirds. The youngest would get one-third, and the eldest would get two-thirds. If there were 3 sons, the estate would be divided into fourths. The younger two would get one-fourth each, and the eldest would get two-fourths. And so on... The first-born's birthright included a double portion of the estate.

Now, for Esau, this estate included all of the Promised Land, the land promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, & their descendants. But in Esau's time, it was still only a promise. The only piece of land his father actually owned was a graveyard. All he had was a promise from God that he would get a whole lot more someday. And for a man like Esau, that promise didn't mean a whole lot.

So when Esau sold his birthright, he gave up the priesthood; he gave up the promises of God; and third, he gave up his power. He gave up his authority as head of the whole family. You see, in his father's absence, the first-born son had authority over his younger siblings. But with that authority came the responsibility to provide for his mother till her death, and for his unmarried sisters until they got married. That's probably why he got a double portion of the estate – so he could provide for his mother and sisters.

Esau had it all! As the first-born, he had the power; he had the promises of God; and he had the priesthood. And yet, he traded it all away for a bowl of stew. After all, of what use was the priesthood for a man like Esau? What would he want with some unfulfilled promises? And why would a man like Esau care about the authority and responsibility of providing for his mother?