During some seasons in my life, there are certain Bible
characters that I can really relate to. Unfortunately, it’s not John, Enoch, or
Esther, instead it’s Saul, Jonah, and Esau. The people who didn’t trust God wholeheartedly
and turned to their own devices. It’s the people who knew right but chose to do
wrong. Those are the people from the Bible whose stories I’m drawn to simply
because they remind me of my own.
One person I read with a sympathetic eye is Esau. He was the firstborn twin of Issac and Rebekah who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup (See Genesis
25:19-34). The first time heard about this story was when I was 8 or so during children's church. It made absolutely no sense. Why would someone give up their inheritance for a bowl of soup? Did he not know how many bowls of soup he could buy with his birthright?
Maybe he did but at that moment he wanted soup. Esau's story didn't make sense to me until I got into a relationship where premarital sex was apart of it. It was then that I realized that I was willing to trade a moment of satisfaction for an eternity with God in heaven.
The Bible is clear. Fornication is a sin regardless of how passionate a moment is, regardless of if you plan to marry that person, etc. The Bible reminds us that our bodies are a temple and we must not sin against it for our own protection (i.e. children born out of wedlock, soul ties). (See 1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
I draw a connection between sexual immorality and Esaus especially when he shows up again later in the New Testament: "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God...that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears" Hebrews 12:15-17.
I think it's purposeful that "sexually immoral or unholy like Esau" are grouped together. Yes, there are other sins that could have been placed here, but the connection between Esau and those who offer up their birthright for something so temporal is strong.
Andy Mineo summed it up nicely in his song, "Tug of War," "Then after smashing I'm sitting there asking/If eternity in Hell is worth some moments of your satisfaction[?]"
My urge to anyone reading this is to repent before it is too late. We don't know when our time on earth will be done nor do we know when Jesus will return for his church, but we do know that we can learn from Esau. Our birthright is heaven, so let's not be like Esau who could not repent and receive his inheritance.
Best,
Courtney
