Q1. Selling the Birthright

[craigt]

Esau did not cherish what had been given unto him it was more important that he feed his flesh than to hold on to that which is spirit

Rev T

[Commissioned]

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17)

Thr New Testament condemns Esau for selling his birthright because he treated it as something not to be taken seriously.

What did selling the birthright represent?

Selling his birthright represented him giving his place and inheritance in the family.

What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values?

The transaction between Jacob and Esau says that Esau is not a man who looks beyond the present.

What does it reveal bout Jacob's character and values?

The transaction between Jacob and Esau says that Jacob is a shrewd opportunist.

[SPECIAL320]

THERE WAS A LOT OF DECIET GOING ON IN THE ENTIERE FAMILY. THE PARENTS PLAYED FAVORITISM WITH THIER CHILDREN. ESAU WAS ISAAC'S FAVORITE AND JACOB WAS REBEKAH'S. WHEN REBEKAH SOUGHT THE LORD BEFORE THEY WERE BORN, GOD REVEALED TO HER THAT THE YOUNGER WOULD RULE THE OLDER. THIS FACT WAS ESTABLISHED BEFORE BIRTH. REBEKAH KEPT THE FINDINGS OF THE BIRTH RITE FROM ISAAC. BUT BECAUSE JACOB WAS HER FAVORITE SHE SCHOOLED HIM INTO WHAT SHE WANTED FOR HIM. ITS NO ACCIDENT SHE OVER HEARD ISAAC TELL ESAU TO PREPARE HIM A MEAL TO RECIEVE HIS BIRTH RITE.WHAT IS UNKNOWN IS WAS THE DECIET GOD'S WAY OF REVEALING MAN'S SINFUL NATURE TO US. THE NEW TESTAMENT SPEAKS ABOUT THE LOVE OF MONEY BEING THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. THIS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF WHAT PEOPLE WILL DO TO ACHIEVE WHAT THEY WANT IN THE MANNER THAT PLEASES SELF. ESAU HAD ALREADY SOLD HIS BITHRITE AT THE POINT HE WAS HUNGRY. IT BECAME OFFICIAL WHEN ISAAC BLESSED HIM WITH IT. [/color]

[Guitar Jim]

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17)

Because of what his birthright represented. He was the grandson of Abraham, to whom God promised the land on which Esau lived in a tent. Esau thought more of a meal than his right to inherit the land and be the progenitor of a great nation. I'll never believe they didn't discus that issue around the dinner table.

What did selling the birthright represent?

It meant forfeiting his place as one of the ancestors of the nation of Israel. Instead, Esau's descendants eventually became Israel's enemies!

What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values?

Selling his birthright for a plate of stew shows that Esau lived for the moment and not for the future. He held no value in his heart for his family and only realized his error when Jacob received Isaac's blessing instead of him. I think Esau was a simple man who lived for the here and now and as long as he had his outdoor lifestyle and a chance to live wild he was OK. Not for him the responsibilities of being head of a rich family and being the role model for his family.

What does it reveal about Jacob's character and values?

Jacob was a man who wanted to be successful and powerful. He most likely lacked the physical stature to accomplish that goal but what he lacked in body he more than made up for in his sharp mind and deceitful ways. Jacob also was vitally concerned with being head of the family once his father passed on. He tricked and lied his way into that position. Jacob in the beginning was completely lacking in honor. Of course once he got out and experienced life outside his immediate family he grew into a man of character. At this stage in his life though, he was a real sneaky Pete.

Let's not forget this though:

God predestined Jacob to be the one through whom the blessing of Abraham would be passed down. God told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger. In another passage in the Bible we're told God said: Jacob I have loved and Esau have I hated. That's a pretty strong statement. God was against Esau before the boy was even born! Let's see you "God is Love" proponents explain that one.

This reinforces something that's been niggling at me for years. God is not above using one person . . or even one or more nations . . to advance the cause of a person or nation that God Himself holds dear.

I played lead guitar in a Christian band in the early 1990s. The leader of the band was a space cadet. Totally unfocused. But God had gifted him with the ability to write an unlimited number of songs with little or no effort at all. He could write a song on the train between stations on his way to work! They just popped into his head, one after the other. He succeeded in spite of his best efforts though and not because of them. God used the rest of us in the band to make him look good. With a band of lesser ability than we had this guy would have fallen flat. He blundered through life making one silly decision after another and God was seemingly always tidying up after him. He's just been sacked from his position as youth pastor at my sister's church. I'm waiting to see what cushy job he'll get next.

[Soboath7752!]

Eventhough Easu was an obedient child he did not pay much attention to what he was to inherit and didn't think about the future. Easu only thought about the now. He did not realize or had no revelation of what he was giving away. Easu wanted what he desured and saw in front of him. In other words, he loved the worlds posessions and focused on earthly more than his future inheritance that would one day bless him to have all he ever needed and perhaps wanted.

I believe that Jacob really did not know what was in the blessing. He followed his mother's instructions, who insitagted the deception and followed his mother instructions, Jacob became a liar and a theft. Perhaps he saw something that his brother did not see and he took advantage of Easu's weakness in asking for his birthright and hid behind his mother's deception. Jacob believe that this inheritance could mean a lot to him in the future so he was thinking ahead and not just about the now.

[wifee]

1a)NT life is a gift from God,rejecting birth right is rejecting God’s plan for our life & what is just and right in family ties because of instant need for food.

b)It meant selling legal rights of first born to a double portion of the inheritance,leadership of the clan when Isaac dies.

c)Esau shows his impatience, demand for instant needs/wants, no care for thinking of future.The high cost of selfindulgence,mistakes through not thinking about implications.

d)Jacob was weak in a different way,thinking of future but in a deceitful, scheming way.Knew he had good future but in greed, wanted more.

[Old Jerry]

I think that the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright because God is in control and He therefore had Esau born first which would have given him the birthright. But since he sold it he sold what God had given to him.

To me this says that Esau’s character and values are that I need instant gratification and it doesn’t matter what it cost to get it. As for Jacob’s character and values is that of do what it takes to get what you want.

[Ella Mae]

Esau allowed his emotions to get in the way .Not thinking of the consequences he would suffer.

[surty21]

Esau sold his birthright for something insignificant.  He did not care about the consequences he would reap. 

The New Testament seems to compare Esau's decision to sell his birthright to the eternal consequences one would receive for willingly giving up their Godly inheritance for immediate gratification of any kind.

Esau valued temporary or "worldly" things over tradition. 

Jacob was willing to do anything to get what he wanted.  Lie, cheat, steal, etc.

[Dror-Ben-Ami]

What is interesting here is that the new testament describes Esau as a "fornicator". Hence, since the old testament speaks about "whoring after other gods" this seems to suggest that by accepting the "red food of Jacob" esau was metaphorically accepting a new teaching about god.

 

in my opinion the key words in the story are : "red", "field" and "tired".

 

although most translations say jacob gace esau "lentil stew", the Hebrew words eau uses first to describe this food is:  "red red"...the hebrew word for red can also mean "man" or "ground".

since adam is made from ground, this is why his name is the same root as this hebrew word.

 

thus the phrase "son of man" can be translated as "the son of red" or "the son of the ground" or "the son of adam". my feeling then is that jacob gave esau "red earth" or "red ground".

 

in the old, as well as the new, testament a field is a metaphor for a school. so the parable of the workers in the vineyard is really about a religious school and the famous yeshiva during the times of jesus called Yavne" was also referred to as "the vineyard".

 

Since esau returns from the field after a long time and demands food, one would expect the text to say he was hungry, but what it says in hebrew is that he was tired. even today we still speak of intellectual strenght and it is my opinion that the story is saying that esau had studied religion for many years, but achieved no true understanding. Apparently, the father would pass on to his 1st born son religious secrets when he died. Esau, was not willing to wait for this knowledge. he wanted understanding and Jacob told him he would provide him with knowledge about "the world" or "the earth", in exchange for the knowledge their father would provide upon his death bed.

 

Esau felt he could not go on living in complete igniorance and accepted the terms of the deal. In other words, the story of adam and eve shows us that food is equated with knowledge in the old testament. Jacob provided esau with knowledge about life on earth in exchange for the spiritual knowledge Esau was suppose to receive in the future from their father.

 

As Moses would later say, the torah is the inheritance of the Jewish people. Abraham's covenant with God was an agreement to teach god's ways to his decendants and in exchange he would receive "the land/field of Israel". Thus the mistake of esau was to accept knowledge about the earth in exchange for knowledge about god's ways.  But I don't think this was a sin, it was merely a mistake...

 

further on the bible tells us that jacob gave esau bread and the lentil stew. as discussed , bread is a metaphor for the word of god, hence this suggests that lentils also represent something. the root of the word in hebrew is the same that is used for an optic lens or the lens on an eye.

 

Finally, the old testament tells us that the canaanites werer expelled from the land for sexual perversions. since esau is described as a fornicator in the book of hebrews, clearly this story suggests that jacob provided esau with some sort of false teaching about man.

[Frank Kopke]

Esau is a BLOKE...a MAN...cavalier in attitude and happy go lucky in life. He believes in eat drink and be merry fr tomorrow...

So his get it done attitude and no real planning for the future is not surprising. 

I think that this is an attitude that the New Testament deplores. 

All of the NT talks of the Living of the Christian Life to the full) as living with a view to eternity. Esau never even seems to consider something as important as marriage until he goes off and marries EXACTLY the woman that his folks told him to stay away from...not the cleverest of moves as any married man would attest. You gotta get the right one and to marry a woman from an unwelcome clan just to spite your dad, seems to be begging for trouble. You know that, whatever they tell you...you marry the in-laws too.

Although I must say that from as much reading and research that I can find, she made him an excellent wife and mother to his children.

 

Jacob on the other hand seems to have had that deceiver thing worked out from his earliest days with a real 'small man' attitude of wanting to be the bigger and better one. His competition for any advantage at all times, ably abetted by his mother, here rears its head and, while offering to fulfill the desires of Esau, the cost is negotiated first. In politics they call this spin, in business they call it getting the upper hand and winning on every deal. 

 

Poor Esau, needing now and not thinking of the morrow fell for it.

 

Character wise we have Esau as the guy you'd go to war with and Jacob as the guy who you would think twice about voting for.

Jacob seems what they used to call "smarmy" and his talk is often full of "schmatz" sounding very nice, offering good things for you right now...but not quite revealing the costs. This is strongly supported by his mother.

Esau is straight down the line. No agenda, no planning, just take it as it is, what you see is what you get. Honest as a die but somewhat gullible at the hands of those who have an agenda of their own.  I mean, really, would you go off hunting when you already know that mom and her mommy's boy brother of yours were plotting all sorts of shenanigans while you were gone?

[WinstonY]

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17) What did selling the birthright represent? What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values? What does it reveal bout Jacob's character and values? 

 

The New Testament seems somewhat obtuse about the answer to our question!  It seems, however that "...there are some doors we forever close for ourselves by our actions, actions that cannot be undone."(n0tes) It seems that this action led the brothers into a scenario that could not be changed. Much the same as Cain and Abel.  But is Esau completely to blame? we are to love one another!  Jacob has deliberately enticed his brother and knowing his character is quite sure he is successful. 

 

The birthright is  a spiritual as well as legal right. Spiritual in that he receives from the father the right  of leadership and the promises that the Father received from God. Abraham would have blessed Issac. But Issac is kept from blessing his older son. Jacob's character is hardly completely moral , he is being selfish, insensitive and unloving toward his brother.  He is cunning , farsighted and grasping. Not unlike the characteristic picture that many people see in Jews since that time.

[zoarabile]

Q1

a) Esau was godless hence did not see the importance of his birthright. 

Selling birthright represented lack of appreciation for its worth in his life. This also shows that choice is one of the rudimentary rights which God gives us and it is the basis upon which God judges us.

c) Esau is a man of instant gratification who would opt for fulfilling his desires besides controlling himself.

d) Jacob is a shrewd mana who will use whatever opportunity he gets to acquire that which he holds dear or useful to him.

[Ms. Green]

Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17)

Because your birthright is a privilege. It means you are entitled to a double portion of the families wealth and you are head of the family. By selling it, Esau didn't see the importance of it and was willing to forgo future blessings for immediate gratification.

What did selling the birthright represent? Esau giving away who he was supposed to be to Jacob.

What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values? He worried more about what was in front of him and couldn't see the long range plan. He didn't value what he could r sew at the time.

What does it reveal bout Jacob's character and values?

Jacob knew the value of the birthright and wanted it bad enough that he'd play on his brothers weakness to get it.

[GelilaKebede]

I think this verse on Heb.12:16 is based on verse 14 of the same chapter.  We need to pursue peace, and holiness, that is our part and God's part is abounding His grace in time of need.  v.15"...lest anyone fall short of the grace of God...". I think when His grace abounds we can see the value of spiritual things clearly.  Selling the Birthright is despising God's things, and ways and putting our ways and things ahead.  It is a life with out fear of God.  We may love God, but when we don't really have the fear of God in our hearts, and see His ways as optional, or of no value, especially in time of need and urgency, we miss the point.[

" Fear the Lord ] And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,"DEuteronomy 10:12 NIV

Love always produces obedience, and this really talks about our lives.  We love God up to some point, and we loose that place of encounter to our real destiny.  Most of us...this is what I learn from Esau. 

Jacob .... his life speaks a lot to us.  God's ways are different from our's, even if he has spiritual values in desiring higher things, I think as it iswritten  "Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 25:17, and mentioned in the lesson by Dr. Ralph considering other's interst like our's he missed that point of encounter God's way of dealing with things,to bring about His plans in his life.   Most of the time, we begin with God, and in the middle we take over to deal with things in our own understanding and ways, that will bring distress in our lives.  Blessings!

[CherylK]

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17) What did selling the birthright represent? What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values? What does it reveal bout Jacob's character and values?

°The selling of the birthright was the blessing and promises of the Lord that was initially supposed to be passed down from Isaac to Esau. Esau was condemned once he portrayed the lack of interest in God's promises and blessings over his life.

°The birthright represented the covenant that God made with Abraham, it was a transfer from all the blessings God had bestowed unto Abraham down through his lineage, often gauranteed to the firstborn son. It marked the faithfulness of God to His people. By selling his birthright Esau sold God's promises.

°Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentils, that tells me God was not a core value in his life therefore he did not hold any weight for the things of God. When a person loves God, they will also love and cherish the ways of God, because Esau so easily gave up the promises of God to him shows he was a carefree and unintelligent man. Like so many Christians today the cares of this world seems so much more important than the work of God. Esau lived for the present and did not think twice about his future.

°While Jacob is often portrayed as a villain, he understood what having a birthright meant. Though he went through an unacceptable way of obtaining it, I believe his desire to have it is why God allowed him to take it. It is often preached in my church that God will never force Himself on anyone, you have to want Him as much as He wants you. Because Jacob showed an interest in the things of God, he received the promises. This scripture can also show a lack of faith on Jacob's part and his mother, because God had already promised it to Jacob all he had to do was believe and be patient. The fact that he took matters into his own hands is what caused his departure from his homeland for many years. When we sin we seperate ourselves from God and His will for our lives, only when we humble ourselves and find repentance can we reconcile unto the Father!

[TheMessiah]

On 1/17/2010 at 12:33 AM, masika said:

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17) What did selling the birthright represent? What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values? What does it reveal about Jacob's character and values?

Whichever the question they are all answered with faith.  Everything is God's Design, Who knows and See's all before and after it Happens.  Frankly the answers are all:  Gods Design and Plan and they cannot be changed By anyone but God.  Have complete devotion and faith in God.  He answers all questions when he decides it Will be answered.  

 

[Irmela]

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17)

 What did selling the birthright represent?

What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values?

What does it reveal about Jacob's character and values?

A birthright was sacred, it was important, and Esau did not treat it as such.  Selling the birthright meant forfeiting what God had intended to be your blessing. viz.,  leading the family, being the one to carry the spiritual blessings God had promised Abraham and then this was passed onto Isaac.   

For the moment it meant nothing to Esau. He was hungry. Selling the birthright meant that the bowl of soup was worth  more to Esau than God's blessing. At that time and place Esau's values were selfish.  Not only did he forfeit his spiritual inheritance but also that of his children.  

This transaction showed that spiritual things did not matter much to Esau and it showed that Jacob was prepared to get the spiritual blessing , even if it meant scheming  to get it and not receiving it God's way. 

Both Jacob and Esau were wrong in their actions. Neither was prepared to wait. Both wanted what they wanted when they wanted it.