0 - Bible Commentary | Karuna Sadan

And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:34)

Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. Esau is a person in the Bible who chose a temporary pleasure over a long-term blessing. Have you ever given something truly valuable up for a momentary gain?

Having the birthright meant that “Being the first-born son, a double portion of the paternal inheritance was allotted to him,” “he became the priest of the family,” and “he inherited the judicial authority of his father.” Esau traded a double portion, priestly position, and judicial authority in the family for stew. He gave up his blessings.

Esau selling his birthright indicated his lack of respect for the position and privilege in which he obtained. His careless treatment of his God-given blessing shows his true focus was on temporary desires over a lifetime blessing.

An example is sexual purity. When the Lord clearly states in Scripture that sex is between one man and one woman in marriage, anything outside of that is stew. It might be a momentary pleasure, but it takes away from the blessing that God has promised within the covenant of marriage.

According to the writer of Hebrews, Esau is an example of a person who places immediate satisfaction over spiritual temperance and faith.

¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. (Hebrews 12:16-17).

Chapter 25