It's 2:30 pm on Saturday afternoon, I have been closed for about 30 mins and I am cleaning up and getting ready to go home. I am at the register ringing out when I hear this loud banging on the door. I look up and there is this guy standing there looking at me and knocking. I figured there must be a problem so I run over to the door, open it and say "how can I help you?" He looks at me like I am stupid and asks me if I am closed. TIME STOPS... What to do? Do I:
A. Sarcastically tell this man that I always lock the door, turn off the "OPEN" sign, and put up the chairs during business hours
or...
B. Politely tell him that I am sorry but we close at 2pm on Saturday.
for the record, I did option B, but think about how many signs he missed. There is the shut off "OPEN" sign right above the door, the hours sign posted on the door, the locked door and the chairs up on the tables. Why did he feel the need to bang on the door to confirm that I was closed?
Some things we will never know...
I have a confession to make, I also missed a sign this week. It was the "low battery" indicator on the Digital voice recorder. Which means that 5 mins into the teaching this week the batteries died on the recorder and I can't post Sunday's teaching. I have confessed, I repent and I wish to forsake this sin and walk in freedom from now on... do you forgive me? Thanks!
We finished Genesis 25 this week, we talked about the birth of Jacob and Esau and how Esau traded his birthright for the "Lentil Stew and Bread" combo meal. I think I would have held out for the "Hot and Spicy Mutton with Goats Milk" Combo but hey, to each his own.
Verses 32-34 show us Esau's opinion of his birthright. In vs. 32 He says "what good is it (the birthright) to me?" Like a few teenagers I know, he thought he was about to die of starvation. Moses then says in vs. 34 that Esau's actions show that he actually despised his rights as the firstborn.
So what is a birthright? As the first born Esau would have gotten a double or greater portion of the inheritance. He would also have become the leader of the family, bearing the authority of his father Isaac. Finally there was a third inheritance that was unique to this family, The Covenant of Abraham. As firstborn he would have been the one to inherit the covenant promises, he would have been the one through whom God fulfilled his promises. This was the birthright he despised. Was this the reason God prophesied Jacob's leadership in the family in vs. 23?
And the LORD said to her: "Two nations [are] in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; [One] people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."
Gen 25:23
The Author of Hebrews describes Esau as a "profane" man.
...lest there [be] any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Heb 12:16
"Profane" is an awesome word that we just don't use anymore. It has a few meanings but one basic idea that ties them together. If something was profane then it was not allowed into the Temple. It didn't have to be something something completely blasphemous either... like an Idol, it could be common things too - like bacon (totally unauthorized in the presence of God back then.) Esau's problem was that he valued satisfying his flesh over his birthright, which included his relationship with God, this is what made him "profane"
We can be profane too when we choose anything, fleshly or common, that gets in between our relationship with the Lord. I want to encourage you to spend some time with the Lord this week and see if there is any "profane" thing that is causing you to despise, neglect or think nothing of your birthright as a Christian. Just ask Him to show you anything that might be out of place and be willing to deal openly with our Father if He has anything to say.
oh... and stay away from red lentil stew... the lentil and sausage soup at Carrabbas is way better anyway.
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