The Coveted Blessing

”…The firstborn… is the first sign of his father’s strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.” Deuteronomy 21:17

Something very unfamiliar to us, but well known to Esau and Jacob was the blessing of the Patriarch’s estate, bestowed on the eldest. This ‘right’ (anointing, power) rightfully belonged to Esau. But Esau did not value this blessing enough, and Jacob probably coveted it a bit too much. So, both of the brothers messed up pretty badly in regards to the blessing, because Esau, the rightful heir…

SOLD IT…

”Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished! Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ ‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’ So Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:29-34

Famished? About to die? Save the drama for your mama. His birthright meant little to nothing to him. It did matter though. It was the difference between a blessing and a curse. Clearly, Esau was thinking with his belly, not his brains. But are we not all guilty of something similar in our past? It’s short term thinking, without thinking of the long term effects. One is impetuous, the other is wisdom. Hebrews 12:16 says, Esau was ‘godless’ for selling his birthright. But this is what the ungodly do - they trade the hopes of heaven to avoid pain or to gain pleasure on earth. But there is no ‘stew’ on earth that compares to the blessings God has prepared for us. Treasure His blessings.

…THE OTHER STOLE IT.

”Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” Genesis 27:19

Manipulation (first Esau and then his father) is not the way God’s Kingdom works. This can work in the kingdoms of men, but it is never God’s way. What Jacob did came down to either trust or trickery. He chose fraud, which is always faster (the devil is in a hurry and wants us to rush) than trust, but it comes with tons of baggage. ‘Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows’ Galatians 6:7-8. Aside from the stealing, Jacob’s other sin was trying to make something very sacred and spiritual happen through physical means - much like religion.