Hebrews 12:16
“that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
Esau was Isaac’s favorite. He was athletic and strong. He was a great hunter. His game would provide tasty bbq. One day he came back from hunting and he was famished. Jacob was making lunch and Esau was so hungry that he traded his birthright for the food. He said, “what good is my birthright, if I starve to death.” He was younger, so at this point he didn’t value his birthright. He was into his present activities. This was fairly natural, as young people don’t always have the right priorities. The birthright had to do with inheritance and authority. This sounds like business and responsibility to a young person. These are things that Esau saw as work. They probably didn’t interest him anyway. It’s much like some high school students don’t see the point in many of their classes. However, when they are in their early 20’s, they get it. They see their college graduated friends getting jobs that make alot of money while they are working at Home Depot. Some go back to school and others stay in the blue collar arena. Esau was into hunting and didn’t care about anything else. The passage says he is immoral and godless. Even though he didn’t care about the birthright, he should have received enough religious training to have respected it. He did not fear the Lord. He had no regard for the things of God. Do we fear God? There are many levels of this. I have seen movies inwhich many crooks won’t pursue someone if they entered a church. While they aren’t christians, there is a fear of God. If we fear Him, we’ll obey His word. If we fear Him, we’ll know what His word says, by spending time in it. If we fear Him, we’ll respect and look out for His guidance. He guides us by His word, people’s advice, peace in our hearts, circumstancess and more. Esau was like a bull in a china closet. No regard for the things of God. Ps. 32:9 says, “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you…” Lord, give us insight to better respond to You and proper fear, so we will respect You.