THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUS

OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES LESSON 3 “Esau: Prince of Bad Bargains”

Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing: THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Ben Bailey. “Let us eat, drink, and be merry—for tomorrow we die.” This is the philosophy of the Epicureans. And it has been the philosophy of numerous people who have been caught up in worldliness. It basically says that we need to have fun and enjoy all the pleasure and lust that we can because we might not be here tomorrow. While many people have espoused, and still do espouse, this idea, no one better exemplifies this philosophy than the profane man Esau. He sold everything he had that was of any importance for a bowl of stew or a bowl of chili! Can you imagine that—everything of importance (wealth, spiritual blessings, etc.)—being sold for a bowl of soup? Yet such a practical lesson exists from this story for us today. We have a birthright given to us by God. We are sons and daughters of God, and heirs of all that God has to offer (Gal. 4:4-6). The lesson that we will learn from Esau is that if we stay away from worldliness, do not get caught up in hedonism, and stay true to God, then unlike Esau, we can be faithful and receive our birthright. As we begin our lesson, I want us to hear the story from Genesis 25:27-34 of what Esau did so that we can see how foolish his mistake was. “So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’ And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’ Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Here we see some rivalry. The parents had played favorites with the two sons, so there definitely was some rivalry going on. Esau comes in from the field, and detects the wonderful smell of stew. He is famished, so he says, “Please, let me have some of that.” Jacob says, “Sell me your birthright, and I will.” The things that went on there were not all pleasing to God. But look at how profane Esau was. He said, “I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Thus, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew or a bowl of beans (“lentils” as the NKJV says). Think about the foolish thing that Esau did. He had a lack of trust in God to take a care of him. He failed to continue to be faithful to God. And ultimately he sold what God had given him as a blessing—all for a bowl of soup or beans?! Think for just a moment about what Esau gave up. In the Old Testament, what was a birthright? The birthright was given only to the firstborn. Esau (Jacob’s twin) was born first (Jacob had his hand on Esau’s foot, and thus became known as the “supplanter” or “deceiver”). Esau therefore received the birthright. It was naturally his. But what was his birthright? According to Deuteronomy 21:15-17, a birthright meant that Esau would receive a double portion of his father’s goods as his inheritance. If Isaac had 100,000 acres of

-2land, then Esau would receive 75,000 of those, and everyone else would receive what remained. Esau would get twice as much as everyone else. There was a great financial gain involved in that inheritance. What a blessing it was. We learn from Scripture that it often was the firstborn son who often served as priest for the family. This principle is exemplified in the lives of Abraham and Job. The firstborn usually carried out the priestly duties. God often spoke to them and through them, which gave them a connection with God with that responsibility as the priest of the family. There was a great deal of respect and recognition that came with the name “firstborn.” The firstborn was placed on a higher level. There was almost a sense of awe or reverence tied to the blessing of being the firstborn. In Old Testament times, when someone said “firstborn,” that carried with it the idea of respect. But also included was the spiritual blessing of the firstborn’s father. Genesis 27:27 indicates that Esau was blessed because he was born first. It may have been sought after, and recognized as a prized possession of the birthright, to have the spiritual blessing of the father placed upon him. The firstborn and/or first fruits of the harvest was/were always dedicated to God in a special way. In Exodus 22:29-31 we learn that the firstborn sons (or first fruits of the harvest) always were dedicated to God in a very special way, and held a very special place in that sense. What did Esau give up? He gave up his physical inheritance. He gave up his spiritual blessing. And he gave up everything that went along with being the firstborn (and being dedicated to God). He gave up those things because he was hungry and worldly. He thought about the flesh more than his spiritual needs or the blessings of God. How does this apply to us today? We can look at the story of Jacob and Esau and say, “Well, that’s all good and well.” But what does it mean for us today? Do we not realize as Christians that there is a birthright and blessings for us, as discussed in the New Testament? All who obey the Gospel have certain blessings and privileges as sons and daughters of God. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Look at the rest that we are promised. In 1 Timothy 2:4-6 we are told that God wants all people to be saved and “come to a knowledge of the truth.” When we obey the Gospel, we receive certain blessings and privileges that accompany our birthright as Christians. What are some of those? Christians are promised a full portion (not merely a double portion, but a full portion!) of Heaven itself. Unlike Esau, who would have received a double portion of everything that Isaac owned, as children of God, our birthright exceeds that of the Old Testament because we will receive a full portion of Heaven itself. Look at the beautiful words of Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” We cannot begin to compare anything with the wonder and glory of Heaven. The temptations that we face are just “a drop in the bucket” compared to how beautiful Heaven will be. Galatians 4:4-7 says, “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

We are heirs to God’s blessings! We can have access to the full benefits of Heaven itself. What a wonderful idea Heaven is! We should want to go to that place where there will be no more sorrow, death, crying, or pain because all the former things will have passed away

-3(Rev. 21:3-4). We should want to go the “city whose Builder and Maker is God” (Heb. 11: 10-20). We should want to go to Heaven, where we can put off this old tent and put on the new habitation from God—a place where we no longer will have to face the things that we face now. But more than anything, we should want to be where God is. Matthew 6:9, I believe, lists the greatest attribute of Heaven. Jesus prayed, “Our Father who art in heaven….” What made the birthright so powerful? One thing was that it came directly from the father and was directly associated with him. We are “of the Father.” We can be with the Father forever. That is the greatest privilege of being a child of God. We never will have to be separated from God because we will have the joy and beauty of Heaven as ours. Part of our birthright is the fact that we are priests of God. Revelation 1:4-6 says that we are “a kingdom of priests.” Are Christians priests in the same sense as people were priests in the Old Testament? No, we do not offer animal sacrifices. We do not go to the temple to help people atone for their sins, or things of that nature. So how, then, are we priests today? Notice the words of 1 Peter 2:9, which says, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” How is there a typology with our being priests today? The priests were special, unique people who had been set apart among the tribes of Israel. They were sanctified as holy. They helped God’s people and proclaimed God’s holiness. The same is true for us today. We are a royal priesthood and a holy nation. We are to proclaim the praises of Him who “called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” It is the fruit of our lips (Heb. 13:15) that gives praise to God. It is the honor and glory we show Him by the life we live (Mt. 5:16). So, in a typology, we are priests of God today. Think about what a privilege that is. It was a high and holy privilege to be born into the tribe of Levi and to serve as a priest. Yet today all Christians are sanctified and made holy. “Be ye holy, as He who called you is holy” (1 Pet. 1:15). We are to let our conduct be holy (2 Pet. 3:10-12). Hebrews 12:14 tells us that “without holiness, no one shall see God.” What a privilege it is to be sanctified and set apart as God’s holy people today! In the time of Esau, there was a recognition attached to the name “firstborn.” But we today also have a name associated with our birthright that carries a great deal of recognition. We wear the highly praised name, “Christian.” I do not mean that we wear it so that we will be praised. Rather, the name we wear praises the Son of God. Do we realize exactly what a privilege it is to be a Christian? In Isaiah 62:1-2 God said that when the Gentiles saw His righteousness, He would call His people by “a new name.” That new name, given by God, is the name “Christian.” How do we know that? In Acts 10 and 11, the first Gentile converts about which we know anything (Cornelius and his household) were “called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Notice the beautiful words of 1 Peter 4:16—“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” (or, as some versions say, “in this name”). The name “Christian” is a name of honor that we wear. In Acts 4:13 the Jewish leaders looked at Peter and John, and saw them as uneducated men. “Then they realized they had been with Jesus.” We wear the name of Christ in the name “Christian.” We claim to be children of God who follow the teaching of Christ. And there is no other name in all the world that has more honor and glory associated with it than Christ’s name. That being true, we must try to afford it such honor and glory in our Christian lives. But just as Esau received certain spiritual blessings from Isaac his father when he placed his hands on him and blessed each of his sons (Gen. 27), we today are promised every spiritual blessing from God “in Christ.” Look at Ephesians 1:3—“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the

-4heavenly places in Christ.” What a wonderful thought that is! Talk about a birthright— there is it! We do not get just a spiritual blessing from the Father; we get every spiritual blessing from God the Father in Christ. What do I mean by that? We have God’s love. In 1 John 4:8 we are told that “God is love.” We have the love of God in our lives if we have obeyed the Gospel (Jn. 3:16), and as we live according to the teaching of God. We have the spiritual blessing of God’s protection. I love the words of Hebrews 13:5-6, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ”

What a great blessing this is. God is on our side. He is our Helper. Man cannot do anything to affect our salvation if we stay faithful to God. We have the power of prayer. James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Jesus said, “Men ought to pray always, and never lose heart (Lk. 18:1). We have the blessing of God’s forgiveness. In Psalm 103:10 the psalmist said that although we deserve to die in iniquity, God has not “dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquity.” In Micah 7:18ff., Micah said that God has “cast our sins into the depth of the sea.” The psalmist said in Psalm 130:3-4, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” In the case of Esau, Isaac laid his hands on him, and there he received a spiritual blessing. That was a wonderful thing, but we have something far greater. We do not have just “a” spiritual blessing from a physical father. We have every spiritual blessing from God the Father. Just like Esau’s life (Ex. 22) was dedicated to God, so the Christian’s life is completed dedicated to God. Romans 12:1-3 illustrates the idea of how our lives must be completely dedicated to God to fulfill our birthright. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Our lives are to be “living sacrifices.” We must “love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Mk. 12:30ff.). We must be “crucified with Christ” and be raised to live a “new life” (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:4). We must learn to “come out from among them” and “be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17). We must do what Jesus said. “If any man desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Mt. 16:24). Do we have a better birthright than Esau? Absolutely! We are promised a full portion of Heaven. We serve as priests of God today by giving Him honor. We wear the highly praised name, “Christian.” We are promised every spiritual blessing from the Father. And our lives must be completely dedicated to God. Imagine if you can how Esau sold all of that—everything he was promised—for a bowl of beans or soup! Can you imagine that? What a terrible waste and tragedy that was! Talk about a bad bargain? There has never been (outside of a Christian giving up on his birthright) a worst physical bargain than that. This would be like Bill Gates giving up all his wealth for a Big Mac®. Can you imagine that? What if the billionaire owner of Microsoft® gave up everything because he was hungry for a Big Mac®? What does the Bible say of Esau? It says that Esau was a profane person. Here is God’s commentary on Esau, as found in the New Testament. It is lengthy, but I want you to hear it. Hebrews 12:14-17 says,

-5“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

Was Esau sorrowful for what he had done? Sure he was! But he couldn’t take it back. He sold his birthright. And once he had sold it, it was gone. That was a horrible, horrible bargain. There is a worse bargain than what Esau did in Genesis 27. Are we any different today if we obey the Gospel, become Christians, and have access through our birthright to all the things I have discussed here today—and we then “sell it out” for the pleasures of this life? How much worse that would be than what Esau did! Yes, he sold out his physical blessings, as well as some spiritual blessings. But if we sell out for worldly lusts today, we give up on Heaven. People today are selling their souls to the devil because they are giving up on their birthright in order to gain worldliness and materialism. The Bible says in 1 John 2:15 that we are not to love the world, or anything that is in the world. If we do, then the love of the Father is not in us. If you sell out by giving up on being faithful for God in order to gain this world, you are far worse off than Esau. Esau sold out for a bowl of beans. But imagine giving up on Heaven for worldliness and materialism. How is that worse? Just imagine that you could amass all the worldliness and all the material good of this life…. What would it amount to? In 2 Peter 3:10-12 we are told that the Earth and everything on it will one day be burned up “with a fervent heat.” If we could have the greatest wealth imaginable, in the end, what would it amount to? It will all be destroyed. How much worse are we than Esau when we sell our birthright? Sometime people sell out for sexual sins and the lust of the flesh. In 1 Peter 2:11 Peter said, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” In Hebrews 13:4 the Scripture says, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Esau sold out because he had a lust of the flesh. It wasn’t a sexual lust. But it still was a lust of the flesh. His belly hurt. He was hungry, and thought he was going to die. So he sold his birthright for physical lust. How horrible it is when people today sell out the joys of Heaven for physical lust—whether it be overeating, adultery, fornication, or things of that nature. Imagine what we are giving up when we do such things. When Esau sold his birthright, it was indeed a horrible thing. And for any Christian to sell out the beautiful blessings that he has is far worse. But to have access to the birthright, you must be “born again.” All of the blessings we have discussed here—the beauty of Heaven, being a Christian, having a life that is dedicated to God—cannot be obtained if a person is not born again. How does one gain access to the New Testament birthright? He must be born again and become a Christian. What does the Bible say that a person has to do to become a Christian? He must hear the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Once a person has heard God’s Word, he then must commit to what the Bible says and believe in Jesus as God’s Son and Savior of the world. Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will surely die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24). But a person cannot stop with belief. He also must repent. In Acts 3:19 Peter preached, “Repent and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out so that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” A person must stop sinning, turn from sin, turn to God, and bring forth “fruits worthy of repentance” (Lk. 3:8). Having re-

-6pented, a person then must confess the name of Jesus. In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus said that if we did not confess Him before men, then He will not confess us before the Father Who is in Heaven. But if we do confess Christ, then He will confess us before His Father. Then, in order to have access to the birthright, a person must be born again. In John 3: 1ff., Nicodemus came to Jesus. He flattered Jesus by saying, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus then “cut to the chase.” He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was confused, and said, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus then said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Have you obeyed God’s plan of salvation concerning baptism? You cannot be saved without it. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:16). Peter said in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” I implore you today, if you do not have the Christian birthright because you are not a child of God, then be born again so that you can have that birthright. If you are a Christian, do not do what Esau did. He sold out for a bowl of soup. If you sell out for fleshly lusts and sin, you will have done something far worse. May each of us be faithful as children of God, looking forward to the blessing associated with our birthright—the full portion of Heaven.

Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing: THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members of the church of Christ. The McLish Avenue church of Christ in Ardmore, Oklahoma, oversees this evangelistic effort. For a free CD or DVD of today’s broadcast, please write to: THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST 607 McLish Ave. Ardmore, OK 73401 You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the web at www.thegospelofchrist.com. We encourage you to attend the church of Christ, where “the Bible is loved and the Gospel is preached.”

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STUDY QUESTIONS FOR OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES LESSON 3 “Esau: Prince of Bad Bargains” 1. According to material presented in this lesson, what is the motto of Epicureanism? 2. According to Genesis 25:27-34, what did Esau do that epitomizes the Epicurean philosophy? 3. According to Deuteronomy 21:15-17, in Old Testament times, what did the bestowal of a birthright mean? 4. Of the twins born to Isaac and Rebekah, who was born first, and thus was the natural heir to the birthright? 5. In this lesson, the statement was made that Christians do not receive “a double portion” as their birthright from God, but instead receive “a full portion.” What does the phrase, “a full portion,” represent to Christians? 6. What important point is contained in Galatians 4:6? 7. Of what was the apostle Paul speaking when he said in Romans 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”? 8. What are some things, according to Revelation 21:4, that will be conspicuously missing in Heaven? 9. According to Hebrews 11:10, for what should every Christian be seeking? 10. According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are “Christians”? 11. According to 1 Peter 2:9, what should Christians be doing during their lives on Earth? 12. What, according to Hebrews 13:15, is one of the things that Christians should continually do? 13. What, according to Matthew 5:16, is another thing that Christians should continually do? 14. What does 1 Peter 1:15 admonish Christians to do? 15. In Matthew 16:24, what did Christ tell His followers to do? 16. What does 1 John 2:15 admonish Christians not to do? 17. According to 2 Pet. 3:11, what type of conduct are we as Christians to exhibit? 18. How does Hebrews 12:16 describe Esau? 19. According to 2 Peter 3:10-12, what will one day happen to this Earth and everything associated with it? THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, 607 McLish Ave., Ardmore, OK 73401; (580) 223-3289; www.thegospelofchrist.com