Sermon – Is It Worth That Bowl of Beans?

  • Opening question before we read our passage … what would you trade (of value – importance – worth to you) for a bowl of beans?

  • Genesis 25:27-34 (NLT – Esau Sells His Birthright) … As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter.  He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home.  (28) Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.  (29) One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry.  (30) Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved!  Give me some of that red stew!”  (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)  (31) “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”  (32) “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau.  “What good is my birthright to me now?”  (33) But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.”  So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.  (34) Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew.  Esau ate the meal, then got up and left.  He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

  • In the previous section, Genesis 25:19-26, you’ll read that Isaac married Rebekah when he was 40; and it wasn’t until he was 60 that twin sons were born.  If you’re quick at math, then you knew right away that 20 years passed.  We aren’t told how long Isaac pleaded with the LORD, but eventually the LORD answered his request. 

  • You might be praying for something … perhaps you’ve been praying for something for a long time … this is just another example to NOT give up.  Keep praying and pleading before the Lord; and don’t give up until you get your answer.

  • Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT) backs this up … “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds.  And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

  • Back to our story at hand … We have two boys born … Esau the oldest, hairy, grew up to be a skillful hunter and was loved by his father … Jacob the youngest, fair, preferred to be at home and was loved by his mother.  One is the favorite of the dad; and the other the favorite of the mom … (and if you’re familiar with this saga, you know this isn’t a good thing later on).

  • You have the oldest son – Esau – the favorite of his father … the one that the family line was to go through … the one the double blessing was to be given to … he had everything but gave it up for a bowl of beans.

  • You have the youngest son – Jacob – the favorite of his mother … the one that would have received the “leftovers’ and who wouldn’t be in charge of the family name or land or business … he seizes the opportunity to turn the tables.

  • Esau – who we read was a skillful hunter comes in from a hunt tired and hungry; and he says he was starving – dying of starvation; and that his birthright wasn’t doing him any good RIGHT NOW!

  • It is doubtful that Esau was truly starving to death.  What skillful hunter wouldn’t take adequate supplies with him?  What skillful hunter wouldn’t be able to take down something or find something in the wild to eat or drink?  Esau might have tired and hungry, but could also have been putting on – exaggerating if you will … Esau could cook because he does later on in the saga … maybe he didn’t want to; maybe he wanted to save his game for later to share with his father … we don’t know … but whatever the reason, he despised his birthright enough to trade it for beans.

  • It’s thought that Esau wasn’t serious about this trade; and that there weren’t any witnesses; and that he could claim his brother was lying … but for something as serious as the birthright – the double portion – being the one the family line continued through – taking over the family business … this was not something to joke about … it was not something to lose, especially for something this trivial as a bowl of beans.

  • Now, I like beans; made a pot of soup Friday night; but I wouldn’t trade anything grand or major for  it; but sadly, some people trade away more important things – things they’ve worked long and hard for in exchange for something not as good … or they try shortcuts that don’t work out.

  • Husbands or wives that trade a marriage of 20 or 30 years for a bowl of beans … an athlete who cheats via performance-enhancing drugs throws away a career for a bowl of beans … a promising student that plagiarizes and gets kicked out school, all for a bowl of beans … instead of working hard and saving, someone decides to steal or scam and gets caught, all for a bowl of beans.

  • Scripture is full of examples of this:
    • Abram and Sarah couldn’t wait … what did that bowl of beans turn in to?
    • David sinned with Bathsheba … what did that bowl of beans get him?
    • Ananias and Sapphira wanted applause … what did that bowl of beans get them?

  • What about your faith?  Do you choose the right and honorable; or do you trade them for beans? … do you spend time in prayer and study? … do you invite people to Sunday School, services, and studies? … do you even attend these events? … are you using your talents, resources, and gifts to build God’s Kingdom? … do you follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting to either do good or not sin?
  • Esau traded his hunger – which was temporary – for his birthright – which was permanent.

  • That choice set off a bunch of other events … his mother and brother conniving together to steal the blessing … his brother fleeing … him being angry enough to kill … all because in one moment, he chose the beans over something that could have altered his life.

  • What are you willing to trade for a single bowl of beans?  character?  reputation?  word?  dedication?  family?  job?  finances?  purity?  honor?  salvation?

  • Each of us are faced with temptations – perhaps daily – that we must choose whether we will stay true to God, His ways, His will, His standards … or choose the beans.
  • Jesus, Himself, was tempted directly by the devil; but refused to buy the beans … Matthew 4:1-11 … Luke 4:1-13 give us the account … The devil offered Jesus 3 things … the kingdoms of the world … protection (by tempting God to save Him) … and to turn stones to bread after fasting for 40 days … Jesus turned down the beans – said “No” to temptation and refuted the devil using Scripture.

  • Luke 14:34-35 and Matthew 5:13 both tell us about what happens to salt that loses its saltiness (or savor or flavor or taste) … it’s thrown out – trampled on – it isn’t good for anything

  • How does salt lose its saltiness … by rejecting what God has for us and choosing the lesser things … by choosing sin over sanctification … by trading holiness for whatever type of bean you prefer.

  • Jesus told a story of two brothers – the Parable of the Prodigal Son(s) … one traded his good life and wound up feeding pigs … one brother didn’t see what he had either and complained when his brother came home … both wanted something else then what they had; and both suffered for it.

  • Hebrews 12:16-17 (NLT) says, “Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.  You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected.  It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

  • When Esau traded his birthright, nothing changed right away; but the course was set.  So much was based on that one decision … and for us the same holds true as well.

  • One (bad) decision might not seem like much; but they can add up and before you know it the snowball or boulder is chasing you down the mountain and you can’t stop it.

  • Ephesians 4:30 (NLT) says, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.  Remember, He has identified you as His own (or has put His seal on you), guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”

  • Each time we ignore the Spirit’s leading, be it to not sin or refuse to do good, we grieve Him.  I do believe that a lifetime of grieving the Spirit could be the same as blaspheming the Spirit, which according to Jesus in Matthew 12:31 is the only unforgivable sin.

  • What happened in the Old Testament when the Holy Spirit was grieved or made sorrowful or offended or sinned against?  The Spirit left the person, and they were not the same – they were abandoned.

  • If we trade our salvation for a bowl of beans; we’ll be like Esau, crying after the fact … in utter darkness, with (weeping and) gnashing of teeth.  One bad decision may not lead us to Hell, but can still impact our walk with God, our relationship with others, and our witness. 

  • Each day – perhaps, many times each day – you have to choose what is most important; and if God isn’t the most important – if your faith isn’t where you get your identify … you’ve traded Him for a bowl of beans.