Dangers of Living in the Moment: Lessons We Can Learn From Esau | Apply His Will

29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)
31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”
32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”
33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.
- Genesis 25: 29-34

In this passage we have Esau, Isaac’s oldest son, going to Jacob (his younger brother) looking for food. Jacob noticed how desperately hungry Esau was and wrongfully decided to manipulate the situation by having Esau sell his birthright for some stew.

Although Jacob was wrong for trying to grab his brother’s blessing, that’s not the issue we’re going to be focusing on. At the end of the day, in this particular situation, Esau had a choice. Jacob didn’t force him to sell his birthright, he simply offered him the opportunity to immediately satisfy his hunger and eat the stew if Esau agreed to sell his birthright – ultimately it was up to Esau to decide what he would do.

What is the significance of a “birthright?”

A birthright was no joking matter. The birthright, belonging to the firstborn son, involved inheriting the leadership role in the family as well as the father’s responsibilities and sharing in his authority (after his death or in his absence). It also includes being entitled to a double portion of the parent’s inheritance (Deuteronomy 21:17) amongst several other benefits.

Lessons From Esau We Can Apply to Our Life

Esau was only interested in the “now” which prevented him from thinking clearly. He was hungry, he wanted to satisfy his hunger and he didn’t think further down the line of the consequences and long term effects his rash decision would have on his future. He never stopped to consider the price he would have to pay.

It’s easy to look at this story and laugh thinking how foolish he was – how can you possibly exchange your BIRTHRIGHT for something so temporary? For something that will be gone in moments?

Yet we fail to recognize that many of us are doing this exact same thing in our own lives. I wonder how many of us have been exchanging our birthright, the plan and purpose God has for our life, for some stew – the temporary pleasures of this world.

Like Esau, many of us are chasing what feels good in the moment and completely choosing to ignore the long term side effects that come along with it. Esau traded several long lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. His feelings in the moment and his incredible hunger and desire for food caused him to distort his perspective making the stew seem much more important and urgent than his birthright.

This is what’s happening to many of us. We’re trading God’s purpose in our life for the opportunity to take on a job that will give us more money now. It’s only later on that we see it wasn’t worth it as it only caused us to feel more emptiness, took us further away from our family and perhaps even ruined our marriage.

Others of us are willing to trade our integrity, reputation, body and soul for the immediate pleasures of one night stands, casually hooking up or getting drunk. Like Esau, we’re quick to give into our desires and temptations right away without giving it a second thought to the price we’ll have to pay for doing so.

You Won’t Feel the Consequences of Your Choices Right Away..

Sure, you may not feel the consequences or side effects from living in the moment right away. Esau didn’t feel the consequences of his poor choices immediately either; it was later on that he truly understood the weight and heaviness of his rash decisions which ultimately changed the course of his entire life.

We miss out on the things God wants to do in our life. We miss out on the opportunity for God to use us in extraordinary ways and for what – for some temporary pleasures!

Yes it may “feel good” in the moment, I’m sure the stew “felt good” while Esau was starving, but what happens after? Is the temporary satisfaction really worth exchanging God’s purpose for your life?

In Conclusion:

Ask yourself: what are you willing to trade for the things you want? Next time you are facing temptation or are on the verge of making an important decision, stop to consider: Is this what God wants? The closer you draw to God, the deeper understanding you’ll have for the purpose of your life. He will give you direction on how to live according to His plans for you.