Do Not Scorn our Inheritance

UV 3474/10000 Do Not Scorn Our Inheritance
Jacob said, “ Swear (an oath) to me today (that you are selling it to me (this food)”; so he swore an (oath) to him, and sold him his birthright.
Genesis 25 v 33

The sibling rivalry between the twin sons of Isaac, Jacob and Esau started early, almost from the womb. Both were quite different in personality and taste- while Esau loved the outdoor and hunting, Jacob was the quiet, home staying type. One day when Esau returned empty handed from hunting and famished, he asked Jacob for the food he had prepared. Jacob used it as the bait to trap his elder brother and cause him to sell his birthright to him. The serpent leader had taught him great cunning. Esau was the foolish one driven by his appetite and bodily desires. He was willing to sell his birthright for a pot of red lentil soup and bread. The man who was born red with red hair all over him failed to see red when Jacob made the tempting offer. Esau, thereby, scorned his birthright.

The story is a warning to those who follow the Servant Leader, Jesus not to take lightly the promises of inheritance of the kingdom of God and to never trade eternal life in exchange for any earthly good. The serpent leader tried even tempting the Servant Leader, Jesus who was famished after fasting for forty days and nights on the mountain to turn stones into bread, to exchange His right as First Born of God with the glory of ruling over all kingdoms of Earth. Jesus staved off these attacks and temptations deftly using the Word of God. Being strong in our knowledge of the Word and being wise in applying or obeying it in all situations of life is key to our moral, spiritual and personal victory in this life.

Jacob followed up this early deception with deceiving his father Isaac on his death bed to steal the blessing imparted on the first born. He covered himself with goal hair so that the old father blinded by age would recognize him to be his older son Esau. That act of deception led to Jacob having to flee from his homeland and his brother’s anger. The serpent leader used his mother Rebekkah’s partiality to him to create divisions in the home. To this day what we speak and do has consequences for our lives. Reverence for God and love for Jesus will keep us from taking our blessings lightly or bartering it with the enemy for transitory pleasure, wealth, power or fame.