Hebrews 12:14-16 NKJV Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: (15) looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; (16) lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.
We are encouraged not to fall short of the Grace of God and that those who fall short of the grace of God are like Esau who sold his birthright. We need to understand that the birthright is a classic illustration of grace. The birthright means the firstborn male receives double the inheritance of all other children and this is decreed before the child is born, before he has done anything right or wrong, it is not earned in any way.
Esau had that birthright but listen to what he said:
Genesis 25:29-34 NKJV Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. (30) And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. (31) But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” (32) And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” (33) Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. (34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Why would Esau have reacted the way he did? Why say, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
The answer is found in previous verse, verse 28:
Genesis 25:28 NKJV And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Here is legalism verses grace.
Isaac loved Esau BECAUSE, there was a condition attached to his love of Esau. Planting in the heart of Esau the idea that he needed to perform for the father’s love, this in relationship to God leads to the need to ‘keep laws’ to be accepted.
Esau had never experienced ‘grace’. So placed little value on the untimate expression of grace, the birthright.
On the other hand Rebekah loved Jacob FULL STOP!
Rebekah’s love for Jacob, despite the fact he was a thief and liar, was unconditional, she loved Jacob. In relationship to God this leads to a picture of grace and it was Jacob, not Esau that got the blessing, the birthright and the name Israel – the Prince of God.
Having never known ‘unconditional love’, Esau falls short of grace and loses his birthright and the blessing.
Jesus put it this way, the one who is forgiven much, loves much. He who experiances grace values the rewards of grace, the one who never knows graces places little or no value on it’s rewards. The context of the Hebrews passage is that having experianced grace, unmerited favour, live life as a reflection of the grace bestowed.
Just a thought
See you in church!
