Introduction
Do you know the story of Esau? The man who sold his birthright at the face of horrible hunger. And after many years, the reality of what he had done dawned on him but he couldn’t turn back the hand of time to undo the transaction that had taken place.
In this article, we will dig into his agony of lost destiny, why he missed it and what should be our posture when we are faced with the kind of situation that exchanged Esau’s destiny for a morsel of meat. (Hebrew 12:16)
The Battle for the Birthright
We learnt from science that fertilization of egg take place amid a serious contest among millions of sperm released during ejaculation. Eventually, one sperm must fertilize the egg, yet millions of sperm entered the competition at once. There’s a level playground for all and sundry, the battle for life and survival always begins at conception. It wasn’t different for Jacob and Esau.
The struggle for headship was fierce, the elder will get the birthright according to the culture of the land at the time. Esau won the contest, he came out first at delivery, taking the place of heirs to the birthright of the family. Jacob fighting spirit was never quitted, the way he grabbed his twin brother’s heel was an indication that the battle was not over yet.
Isaac loved Esau; Rebecca loved Jacob
Here we see there was equal playground for these two growing young men who have chosen their career in life. The elder was a hunter; the younger, a tent dweller. They were both good at what they were doing, both loved by either of their parents, God was not partial.
As a matter of fact, Esau played his card well. He knew the importance of father’s blessing and he was making sure his father got venison often. But why was there no record of him giving venison to his mother? He probably undermined the power of women; this might be his first pitfall in his fight for destiny.
Esau: Caught Unguarded
Unaware of the ongoing battle for birthright, he traded his long-standing victory for a “morsel of meat”. He sold his birthright, his right to the family name and a double portion of his father’s inheritance to Jacob over a plate of pottage and bread. He despised the very essence of his headship at the face of horrible hunger.
The heel of Esau was still in Jacob’s hand, Jacob lived in that consciousness until he stole that which belong to his brother. Consciousness, they say, is the proof of existence.
Jacob Stole the Blessing
Remember, I pointed out earlier the negligence of Esau about building relationship with his mother. Though, he left some of his clothes in his mother’s room, yet this didn’t translate to meaningful relationship that could save him in his day of adversity.
The loophole he left in his relationship with his mother became his pitfall, the second tragedy that befell him. The same venison he has fed his father with over the years, which was requested by his father before the blessing will be released was readily available at home.
His mother improvised using kid goat Jacob fetched from the flock. Hence, Esau missed the blessing, he lost the battle again. His foolishness of neglecting is mother cost him his destiny.
He sought it with Tears
The agony of despised birthright and stolen blessing befell Esau. The foolish decision to exchange a plate of food for his birthright and building one-sided relationship with his father, neglecting his mother has brought upon him a colossal lost he could never recover from.
Do not be like Esau
The book of Hebrew seems to link the foolish act of losing his birthright for a morsel of meat to his rejection of inheriting the blessing. ‘You can’t eat your cake and have it’s. The birthright is the gateway to the blessing, you can call it a spiritual order.
It is the one that carries the birthright that must inherit the blessing. Apostle Paul admonished the believers in Christ Jesus not to trade eternal things for temporary pleasure of this world, no matter the circumstances.
Shun the Conduct of Jacob
Though, the Bible recorded that God recognized Jacob to be in the line of promise, He did not approve of Jacob’s conduct. Jacob’s scheming bore terrible fruits throughout his life. He was banished from home never to see his mother again, he was tricked by his uncle Laban repeatedly and he lived in fear of his brother for many years.
His dishonesty also affected his children, who not only dealt treacherously with the Shechemites but also deceived their own father regarding the alleged death of his favourite son, Joseph. these results show not only God’s disapproval, but also the bitter harvest that sin can bring in one’s life.
Conclusion
God never tempt us with evil and His thought towards us His children are always good. However, our choices and decisions put us in a state of destiny fulfilment or destiny derailment.