I DONT HAVE MONEY NOW, WHAT WILL JESUS HELP ME WITH?

The story of Esau and Jacob is rich with spiritual lessons. As the Bible tells us, everything written in the Old Testament was for our instruction and warning. “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11, NKJV). We are called to carefully study the Scriptures because nothing happening in the world today is without precedent in God’s Word. The patterns and lessons from the Bible still speak to us today.

Have you ever wondered how much time passed from the moment Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob until their father Isaac blessed them? You might assume that this was a brief period, perhaps just a few days or months, since they were still children. However, the truth is far different.

When Esau sold his birthright, they were young men, approximately 15 years old, according to Jewish tradition. Esau’s decision to sell his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew occurred during a time when he was physically exhausted, hungry, and weary. Jewish tradition and the Talmud suggest that Esau was around this age when he made that impulsive choice (Genesis 25:29-34).

But, by the time their father Isaac was near death, they were no longer children but fully grown men.

“When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.” (Genesis 26:34, NKJV).

This means that Esau was 40 years old when he married, and by the time Isaac blessed Jacob, they were around 63 years old. Therefore, more than 48 years passed between Esau’s hasty decision to sell his birthright and the blessing ceremony. This long period underlines how much Esau misunderstood the weight of his actions.

But I want to focus on the theological significance of Esau’s character and why God rejected him. The Scripture says in

Romans 9:13 (NKJV):
“As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’”

At first glance, this passage might seem harsh or hard to understand. Why would God hate Esau? Many interpret this verse to mean that God rejected Esau because he sold his birthright for a single meal. However, this interpretation doesn’t capture the deeper theological message. The Bible teaches that God’s rejection of Esau wasn’t about the sale of the birthright itself but about the attitude that Esau displayed. It was his attitude toward the birthright, a symbol of God’s covenant promises, that angered God.

The true issue wasn’t simply the act of selling the birthright but the attitude that Esau had toward God’s blessings and promises. Esau’s actions demonstrated a heart that was disinterested in spiritual things, focusing more on immediate physical needs than on the eternal blessings God offered through the birthright.

The Bible further clarifies Esau’s disregard for the birthright in the following passage from Genesis 25:29-34 (NKJV):
29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.
31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”
32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Notice that Esau’s words, “What is this birthright to me?” reveal a profound disregard for spiritual inheritance. His focus was on immediate physical satisfaction (food) rather than on the eternal spiritual blessings that the birthright represented. This attitude is what God despised.

In Hebrews 12:16-17 (NKJV), we are further warned about the consequences of Esau’s attitude toward his birthright:
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 afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

Esau’s act of selling his birthright is described as “profane” and “disrespectful” in the eyes of God. The birthright was not just about an inheritance of material wealth; it was tied to God’s covenant with Abraham and the promises of salvation and blessing. By trading this for a bowl of lentil soup, Esau demonstrated that he valued his temporal needs more than his eternal inheritance. This reflects a deep spiritual blindness.

Romans 9:11-13 (NKJV) explains this further, emphasizing God’s sovereignty and the role of faith in His election:
11 “For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls,
12 it was said to her, ‘The older shall serve the younger.’
13 As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.'”

God’s choice of Jacob over Esau was not based on anything Esau did or didn’t do, but on God’s sovereign plan. The election of Jacob was about God’s purpose and His grace in choosing the line through which the Messiah would come.

Now, consider the implications of Esau’s actions in our daily lives. Much like Esau, many today disregard spiritual blessings in pursuit of immediate, temporary satisfaction. People often ask, “What can Jesus do for me today? Will following Christ solve my financial problems right now?” When the response is that God will provide in His timing, they often turn away, thinking that salvation isn’t useful to them. They value earthly success over eternal riches.

This attitude is similar to Esau’s disregard for his birthright. It’s a refusal to see the eternal value of spiritual things. But Scripture warns us that “those who seek the things of this world at the expense of the eternal” will eventually face regret. As Matthew 16:26 (NKJV) states,

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

The Bible also assures us that those who reject the gospel now will later seek it with tears, but it will be too late. Just as Esau sought the blessing with tears after he lost it, people who reject Christ now will one day realize the mistake, but they will not be able to reverse the consequences.

Matthew 8:11-12 (NKJV) warns:
11 “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;
12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

By now, most of us understand that the return of Christ is imminent. We might only have a few days, weeks, or months left before the rapture occurs. We are witnessing the signs of the second coming of Christ. The question is: Are you prepared? Are you like Jacob, who diligently sought after God’s eternal blessings, or like Esau, who sold his birthright for a momentary gain?

The choice is yours.

Shalom

Print this post