WHAT DO YOU VALUE?

 

WHAT DO YOU VALUE?

Gen. 27: 36 Esau said bitterly, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for he has deceived me twice, first taking my birthright and now stealing my blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?” NLT

Esau blamed Jacob for his troubles, but in reality, he was to blame. Earlier he had given to Jacob his birthright in exchange for some food. He was famished and deemed food at the moment to be more important than his birthright. As the firstborn son, he was entitled to double the blessings from his father. He was to be held in high esteem in the family and essentially the primary heir to the family name. Esau did not value his rightful place in the family lineage as more important than his hunger pangs.

Now, with the help of his mother, Rebekah, Jacob fooled Isaac and took away Esau’s blessings from their father. It was not the right thing to do, but it worked. Isaac elevated Jacob to the position as heir of the family’s lineage. He was to be the one God would bless to carry out His promise He had made to Abraham and Isaac. We are not told why God allowed this to happen, but we trust in God’s sovereign will. God knew the heart of both men and knew which one would be a better vessel to use to fulfill His promise.

Bitterness is the natural response of the heart who forfeits God’s blessings. Hopeless and helpless is the soul who does not value God in his life. There is an emptiness that cannot be filled by the things of this world. Any satisfaction that is gained from worldly things is fleeting, leaving the soul in worse shape than before. Ignoring God always creates a void in the soul that never can be filled. Misery is not uncommon when God is rejected.

Don’t be like Esau who valued life without God’s blessings. Seek the Lord while He may be found. Seek the pleasures of heaven and not the earth. Value highly God’s role in your life and you, like Jacob, will be blessed. It is far better to be at peace with God and have nothing on earth than to have everything the world has to offer and not have God.