If you were very hungry what price would you pay for a very rich meaty stew? Would you give up the most valuable thing you owned? Now I’m not talking about hunger to the point of starving to death. I’m just talking about severe, head pounding, low blood sugar type hunger pains. You’re probably wondering by now, “what’s the point? Nobody gets that hungry”.

Well, in the book of Genesis somebody did get that hungry. His name was Esau and he sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob, for one bowl of red meaty stew. Well, maybe he got seconds for the price he paid. The story is found in Gen. 5:30-34. Esau, who was a hunter, came in from the field and was really hungry.  Then he saw his brother, Jacob, making his favorite red venison stew. It must have smelled mouth-watering good because Esau said, VS 30 - “feed me some of that same red pottage (stew) for I am faint” (I figure that Esau must have been hypoglycemic and was having a blood sugar low) and Jacob said, VS 31 - “Sell me this day thy birthright”. Then Esau said, VS 32 - “Look, I’m at the point of dying; and what profit shall this birthright be to me?”. Bad deal! Caveat: never let your flesh overrule your mind.

To go on with the story in VS 33, it says “And Jacob said, ‘Swear to me this day’ and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob”. VS 34 - Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up and went his way: thus, Esau despised his birthright.

What was the “birthright” that Esau despised and that Jacob coveted so much. The birthright was the Blessing that God gave to Isaac’s father, Abraham. It was full of God’s promises: Gen. 12:2,3 - I will make of thee a great nation and make thy name great, and I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. Gen. 12:7 - And to thy seed will I give this land (Canaan, which is the land, most of which, Israel occupies today). Gen. 13:2 - And Abram (His name had not been changed to Abraham yet) was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

So the blessing was, and is, very powerful. It contained good health, longevity, peace and prosperity. Guess what! You and I have that same blessing available to us today. Gal. 3:7 - Know ye therefore that they which are of faith (in Jesus), the same are the children of Abraham. VS 9 - So then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. VS 29 - And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the PROMISE!

All we need to do in order to get in on this tremendous BLESSING is to give our lives to Christ and BELIEVE that all the promises God made to Abraham are ours as well. We can expedite these BLESSINGS by not only believing them but by SPEAKING them because Christ is the High Priest of our Profession (confession - Hebrews 3:1) The duty of a High Priest is to intercede for and see to it that the prayers and confessions that line up with the Word of God are performed. How can you lose?

Glory to God,

Be Blessed,

Hal Mitchell

Halmitch@cox.net