The Cost of Stew Has Really Gone Up

When I read about Esau in the Bible, I always think about how he and I are very similar. He was big and strong and hairy. He was an outdoorsman, and he loved to go out and hunt and climb trees and crush stones with his bare hands. Esau was a man's man. He would have been one of the guys in the World's Strongest Man competitions on ESPN. Like I said, we are practically mirror images of each other.

Alright, so maybe I'm not very much like Esau in those ways. I don't look like him, and I'm not an outdoors-y type. I did play football one year when I was a kid though, but we didn't even win a game. However, there are times when I am like Esau in a negative way, and maybe this is true of you too. In Hebrews 13:16-17, the author warns us to make sure that we are not like Esau, "who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears."

This is a reference to Genesis 25, which tells how Esau came home after a hunting trip and saw his younger brother Jacob cooking a pot of stew. Esau was so hungry that he traded his birthright as the oldest brother to Jacob, just so that he could have some of the stew. Part of the birthright meant that Esau was supposed to get a double-portion of the family's inheritance when their father died. But instead, Esau was so concerned with filling his belly at that moment that he threw it all away just so that he could have a bowl of stew. He forsook something much greater for immediate satisfaction.

All of us do the same thing from time to time. For us, it probably isn't selling our inheritance for stew (though I can sort of relate to Esau. It's hard for me to open my fridge and see cans of Coke in there without grabbing one, even if I know I should have something else.) But it's easy for us to become short-sighted and to pursue temporary thrills or pleasures while sacrificing greater rewards. That's one of the root causes of sin, really. We tell God, "This is what I need right now, so I'm going to ignore what you command so that I can get it. I know what's best for me." Afterward, though, we can look back and see the foolishness of our decision.

What does this look like in real-life situations? It might be spending money impulsively on something you see in the store window instead of using it wisely as a resource to help others. It might be settling for a relationship that is easier and more immediate instead of working for one that is better. It might be loafing around on a couch with potato chip crumbs all over you instead of remaining active and healthy. It might be choosing a career path that will give you fame and fortune instead of one that you can use to do real good in the world. It might be choosing a short time of pleasure instead of a life of purity. It might be spending all afternoon watching YouTube videos instead of spending any time in Bible study or prayer. And the list could go on and on with ways that we choose the easy, immediate, quick ways to handle life instead of the ways that God commands us to follow.

It's all so difficult because living a life of obedience can take a long time to see its goal. Several times, Scripture refers to righteousness and holy living as "fruit" (Phil. 1:11). Fruit takes a while to grow. You have to plant a seed and wait for the plant to grow, and then you have to take care of the tree so that it can produce healthy fruit in season. Growing fruit takes hard work, patience, and diligence before you ever get to taste the final product. And to see the benefits of a righteous life, it takes a long time. We need long-term vision if we are going to be faithful to remaining on track. Our problem is that we wish that instead of being fruit, it was more like a Pop-Tart--put it in the toaster and 30 seconds later, it's hot and ready. So we chase after the Pop-Tarts of life instead of waiting for fruit, which is better by far.

So watch out for the Esau-like tendencies in your own life. In Hebrews, the author gives a ton of other examples of people who were quite the opposite--people who resisted temporary comforts and pleasures because they knew something better was coming. The list includes Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others. These were people who didn't settle in because they "were longing for a better country--a heavenly one" (Heb. 11:16). In the same way, author exhorts us to look for "the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:14). Focus on what's to come, not on the cheap substitutes that are right in front of you.

On the right, you'll see a new link for Eat Your Bible, a blog that my friend Sy is doing with daily Bible studies. I encourage you to check it out. I wrote a guest-post for it on Aug. 15th, so check that out too.

And now, a contest: Recently I have moved into my own apartment, which means that I have to start cooking for myself. So far, my cooking arsenal includes BBQ chicken sandwiches, spaghetti, hamburger helper, ham sandwiches, frozen pizza (which I burned and set off my smoke alarm with), and hot dogs. So if you have a recipe for anything that a culinary moron like me could make, leave it in a comment. The prize for the recipe I like best: I'll cook it for you if you come visit me in Cincinnati. And if you buy all the ingredients. And if you leave a tip.