Esau: A Man with Faulty Vision for the Future

Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that … stew, for I am weary.” But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die, so what (use) is this birthright to me?” Genesis 25:30-32 In the eyes of man, Isaac and Rebekah’s firstborn son, Esau, had many natural leadership skills. But he lived so completely in the present, depending solely on his own strength and resources, that he repeatedly failed to clearly see the future. Esau succumbed to many of the types of temptations that still entice leaders today: (1) He focused solely on the here and now, not concerned about what tomorrow might bring. (2) He relied on his natural gifts and on his birth order rather than on God’s plan. (3) His shortsightedness prompted him to give up the long term reward for immediate gratification. (4) Favored by his father, he thought that love would bail out of any poor decision he might make. (5) His limited vision caused him to make a poor choice in marriage, consequently grieving his parents. (6) His clouded vision blinded him from the deception of his brother, Jacob. Today we remember Esau as a self-centered man with faulty vision. In the Bible it tells us to examine ourselves, “lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Is there any area of your life where you are exchanging the long-term plan of God for self-centered immediate gratification? Please comment below or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com