I am Esau

Photo courtesy of ibelieve.com

Recently in my quiet time, the Lord has been showing me how I am like the more sinful, often more unlovable character featured in familiar Bible stories.  It has, in a word, been humbling.

I read about Gomer and Hosea...and see that in so many ways, I am more like the promiscuous prostitute Gomer, whose love is fickle and whose heart is adulterous, than the faithful prophet Hosea.

I read about Jonah and the Ninevites, and realize that I am more like the bigoted prophet Jonah than the repentant pagans of Ninevah.

And most recently, I reconsidered the story of Jacob and Esau and the bowl of stew...and for the first time, saw that I am a lot like Esau.

Awesome.

Esau, whom I have often thought of as a foolish brute in this story--such a downright idiot to sell off his birthright to his younger brother just for a lousy bowl of stew.  "Thus Esau despised his birthright." (Gen 25:34; see Genesis 25:29-34 for the full story).

But, it's not like you might think.  God is not angrily pointing in my face with a stern finger, or wagging it in my face in shame.  No, it is more like a gentle unveiling of my true heart, all done in a full-on embrace of love and acceptance.

You see, I realize that I am like Esau when I prefer to roll over and go back to sleep when I am woken up at night with someone on my mind to pray over, instead of offering up a heartfelt prayer.

I am Esau when I prefer to watch a television show or check my Facebook account before I open up God's Word to read His truth during my day.

I am Esau when I prefer to spend my money, time, and energy to serve myself and my own desires, instead of seeing that they belong to God and are to be used to serve His will, not my own.

I am Esau when I choose to do the temporary, mindless, inconsequential, self-absorbed things of the day, instead of engage with the Creator of the Universe and focus on His truth, His love, His work, desiring to do His will.

In essence, I do more than trade a temporal birthright for a bowl of stew; I opt out of eternal service to my Lord and Savior to satisfy a trite and fleeting need or pleasure of the moment.  In so many ways, I, too, despise my birthright, not giving it the honor it is due.  So often, my priorities are out of line.  My heart is fickle.  I get distracted, and I take the easy road and simply sell out.

Oh, yes...I am Esau.  And perhaps I am not alone.

But thanks be to God that Christ is my righteousness, my Rock, and my Redeemer!  Like Paul so triumphantly declares:

"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
                                          --Romans 7:24-25; 8:1