11.13.2009

The Epitome of Pathetic

In six verses in Genesis we are told of one of the most pathetic actions in the Bible: Esau selling his birthright for bread and red stew of lentils. When I read that story, I am filled with disdain for a man who could be so blind as to give up his inheritance! How foolish—how idiotic! How…convicting. For if we Americans are anyone in this story, we are Esau.
In Esau’s case, Jacob recognized his brother’s recklessly desperate condition and craftily manipulated the situation to enrich himself. Satan likewise is very aware of the hold Americans have given him through their selfishness and greed, and no qualm deters him from eradicating America’s birthright: the next generation.
Esau denied himself his own birthright from the very moment he despised it. In that moment he lost every blessing and benefit that he could have reaped from the birthright and made himself vulnerable to any scheme against his birthright. Instead of accepting the leadership of his family and gaining the promise of unfathomable descendants, instead of making God “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau,” he chose stew. In the same way, by their own hands Americans have sentenced themselves to extinction in their loathing of pure, true womanhood; noble manhood; and the consecrated blessing of many children. From the moment that Americans despised the miracle and blessing of many children, and wished nothing more than to have that burden torn away, Satan captured and clutched those children. The eternal results will be no less devastating than the results Esau faced.
Esau’s progression, meanwhile, continued when he did what he had been mentally prepared to do all along: hand over his birthright to his brother rather than endure basic hunger until he could prepare some food. He chose instantaneous fulfillment of his stomach rather than his inheritance and responsibility of leadership. No better than that is the fact that Americans murder their future, their children, their blessing, so that they can enjoy this breath of life as far as they are capable. Americans relegate their children to pagan teachers, fussing and fretting when those teachers turn out to be pagan and bewitch their children. Women pursue recognition and glamour, deriding the role of full-time mother and wife as insignificant and contemptible in the world of career-based appreciation. Men live without purpose, failing to see the vision they have lost through their deprecation of their offspring. Esau later desired his blessing, but he was too late, and great and bitter was his mourning.
"Thus Esau despised his birthright" Genesis 25:34 says, and thus America has despised her birthright the facts say. Like Esau, we Americans are choosing instantaneous fulfillment of our flesh, our desires, our increase at the expense of our inheritance, our babies, our future. Like Esau, future generations of Americans will be enemies of the righteous unless we effect change. Like Esau, Americans will be ostracized and detested throughout history for our self-worship and self-love for which we will either do away with or sell our children and even our very souls.


Picture from http://masbury.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/jacob-esau-porridge-1_opt.jpg

4 comments:

  1. Very true. It's so sad how much America is willing to give up for so little - if only she would wake up and realize it! Good, convicting analogy. I think we Christians need to pay better attention to what treasures we give up for temporary gratification, too. Sometimes I think only persecution will truly and fully open our eyes to areas we compromise in for bodily comfort. Not that I wish for it, but then again...
    Thanks for the thought-provoking post!

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  2. More to the point, we Christians commonly desire the things of this world more than our heavenly inheritance. And while we deceive ourselves into thinking that this world is better than the next, Satan continually steals our hope, our joy, and everything else God has freely given to us.

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  3. What an excellent illustration! I had not made that connection betweem America and Esau before, but it is a very good illustration.

    Esau, in giving up his birthright, basically turned his back on salvation. Part of God's promise to Abraham was "in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed". In despising the birthright, he despised the coming salvation that God would bring through Israel in the person of Jesus Christ. In the same way, America's problem is that she has rejected God. America's immorality and wickedness is only a symptom of the disease and until she turns to God in repentence, the other issues (i.e. abortion, feminist agendas, and homosexuality etc.) will never be fully dealt with. A false morality is like a band-aid on cancer.

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  4. Sarah--I know what you mean about persecution. Someone was telling me today that in Albania, under Communism, Christians pretended to be Muslim in public rather than face persecution. Their children then became Muslim.
    Tyler, that is a good point to bring our heavenly inheritance into the picture. In fact, I believe that our rejection of God's best on earth will affect our heavenly inheritance! We do want God to call us good and faithful!
    Charae--So true how Esau rejected salvation. Although later in life he reconciled with Jacob, so...who knows if he later had a change of heart! But his descendants sure didn't!

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