Must Have Been Some Bowl of Beans

Oct. 18

Read: Genesis 25:19-34, Hebrews 12:16

Must Have Been Some Bowl of Beans

There has always been a struggle between the people of God and the people of this world. Those who are “God’s portion” will always “struggle against” those who are given to other gods. This is a spiritual truth, greater than even the strongest ties of biology. Look here at Esau and Jacob - although they are brothers, they struggle even in the womb. Their spiritual identity supersedes even their biology. So when Rebekah prays to the Lord asking what is going on inside of her, the Lord replies:

“Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you shall be divided;

the one shall be stronger than the other,

the older shall serve the younger.” (v.23)

Esau is described as being born red, “all his body as a hairy clock”, and “fully formed” (That is the meaning of the name Esau). These descriptions may seem odd to us, but they carried a certain weight in the ancient world. This red hair was a genetic trait / tie back to the ancient city of Ur, that is Abraham and Rebekah’s place of origin.* Ur was the ancient city that Abraham was called out of… the place he was leaving behind to enter into the promised land that the Lord called him to. Abraham’s old hometown, Ur, was also one of the first great cities and civilizations on the earth and was founded by a character named Nimrod.

Nimrod was considered a god-king in Mesopotamia. He was the instigator and builder of the tower of Babel. Nimrod was rebellious against God and sought to kill God Most High - that is why he tried to build a tower to reach Him! Nimrod was also a giant - an offspring of the fallen angels in Genesis 6. (Hebrew: “gibor”) He was a ruthless “hunter” of both animals and men! There is folklore around how Nimrod tried to kill Abraham because he was against worshipping idols. Legend has it that Nimrod had a cloak that used to belong to Adam that made animals fall down before him; hence Nimrod was the most prolific hunter. This cloak was sought after by many as it gave the holder great power. These same legendary tales also say that Esau wanted Nimrod’s cloak and that there was a rivalry between them. Legends aside, what is wild is that Esau and Nimrod are described with he same word in the scriptures:

“When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field…” (v.27)

“Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man (gibon). He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” (10:8,9)

Esau is a corollary to Nimrod… His offspring would become the edomites and war against God the same way that Nimrod did. These clues surrounding his origin paint a picture for us of Esau’s loyalty, alignment, and character. Hebrews 12:15,16 puts it more bluntly:

“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.”

Esau is just plain “unholy”. He is called out as an example of what NOT to be like in Hebrews. He is aligned with a place God is calling his people OUT OF. He shares attributes with one of the first pagan god-kings of Mesopotamia (Nimrod), and most likely wants to replace Nimrod himself. He came out set in his ways, fully formed, and “cloaked”.

Esau didn’t want anything to do with the sort of blessings that came through the Lord and His ways. The type of “blessing” and promise that Isaac had to give… the same one that came from Abraham to Isaac… which originated with the LORD. That blessing, well, Esau traded it for a bowl of red lentils. That is how much he valued the sort of blessing that would / could come from the Lord. In the end it flat out says Esau “despised his birthright”. (v.34) To “despise the birthright” is to despise the Lord. This was true of Esau in the womb… from the very beginning… so he fought against “God’s portion” from the start.

What is our view of the sort of life and blessing that God has for us as his children? What is it worth to us today as his people? God paints a picture for us of the life we have available to us in Christ, this is our “birthright” of sorts. We experience this life in Christ as we are obedient to his leading and dependent on him… trusting him in every moment. When we come home “faint”, tired or exhausted (the words describing Esau) would we trade God’s blessing -our “birthright”- for a bowl of soup? Would we trade that birthright for a few beers… or some fleeting comfort on the television screen… or maybe some other distraction on the internet? This is the struggle that exists between God’s people and the people of this world. Esau represents what God is calling us OUT of. He represents the empty promises of the places we are to leave behind. Esau represents the sort of thinking that says a bowl of beans is more valuable than God’s blessings. Likewise, Esau represents taking matters into your own hands as opposed to trusting God. Esau, like Nimrod, was seeking to make himself a god as opposed to worshipping and serving the Lord Most High. This is the struggle we face… the battle… the temptation to trade our “birthright” in Christ when we are tired and worn out - “faint”. Don’t do it. Don’t trade the life God has for you in Christ for the world’s bowl of beans. It is not worth it! And you will regret it; Esau did. It says so in Hebrews: “For you know that afterward, when he (Esau) desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” (Heb. 12:17) Love you guys. Tomorrow we look at Jacob. - JDP