Wandering Toward Promise - Week 6: "Trading Away the Future"

The Season of Pentecost & Summer Sermon Series

These stores aren’t about perfect people. They teach us to trust God even when we cannot see the path ahead.  

Today, we are going to read a story about sibling rivalry, a dysfunctional family, and how an impulsive decision shaped the history of an entire nation.  

We live in a culture of immediacy.  We can order things on Amazon and have them arrive the same day.  We become frustrated when our favorite TV shows can't all be binge-watched, and we have to wait for the next episode.  We want what we want, and we want it now; we don't like to wait.  

And sometimes, we are faced with decisions driven by our hunger or longing, and instead of being patient or surrendering to our outcomes, we take matters into our own hands, trading away what matters most for the lure of immediate satisfaction.  

THE CHOICES WE MAKE IN MOMENTS OF HUNGER CAN SHAPE THE COURSE OF OUR LIVES

Genesis 25:19-34

19 These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren, and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

    and two peoples born of you shall be divided;

the one shall be stronger than the other;

    the elder shall serve the younger.”

• Isaac and Rebekah are in a familiar situation—longing for a child. 

24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle, so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

• The twins emerge with clear differences and names that reflect them. Esau is named to reflect his "ruddy" appearance, and Jacob is named "he who takes away." 

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he was fond of game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

• We immediately see how favoritism plays a role in the dynamics. Favoritism can poison family dynamics, and this pattern recurs in later stories. 

29 Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore, he was called Edom.) 

• Esau returns from hunting and finds Jacob preparing what he wants/needs. He's hungry in the moment, and most likely speaking in hyperbole. 
• “That red stuff” - play on words reflecting Esau’s appearance & impulsivity.

31 Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.

• Jacob bargains with him, and Esau essentially throws away his future. 
• The idea of “despising” his birthright needs to be unpacked a bit.  

The ancient Hebrew text indicates that after this incident, Esau couldn't even stand thinking about it.  

• The text doesn’t shy away from showing the flaws in their “heroes.” 

We often trade what matters most for what satisfies us now.  

Some Questions

• How did both brothers trade away what mattered most, and why?

Esau was hungry at the moment and just wanted to satisfy his hunger. Jacob traded away his integrity and the relationship with his brother to get what he longed for. 

• Where in our lives do we trade away our future to satisfy us momentarily?

We do this with our money, our health, our relationships, and, more broadly, with faith, politics, and perceived security.  We despoil the earth for convenience and wealth.  

• What can we learn from this story about our own history as a people?

We should be able to look back on our past unflinchingly and learn from our mistakes.  We all have moments in our lives where we give in to immediacy and trade away what matters most to satisfy ourselves in a moment.   

We should also look back on our own history as a nation in our 250th year--the original sin of slavery, and environmental decay because of greed. Deforestation, industrial pollution, reliance on fossil fuels, and pesticides.  The benefits of the immediate don't account for the long-term cost.  

• What can we do to begin living differently as followers of Christ?

Recognize our blind spots regarding self-interest.  Slow down. Live in humility. Realize that what God desires for us is to trust that God is with us as we wander, and that God is a God of second chances.   

THE CHOICES WE MAKE IN MOMENTS OF HUNGER CAN SHAPE THE COURSE OF OUR LIVES