Some believers have abandoned their birthright as a child of God because they have followed the desires of their flesh and allowed those desires to satisfy their soulish needs. Yielding to those desires has caused some to sell their birthright and follow the flesh.

After Isaac married Rebekah, she became pregnant. She gave birth to twins named Esau and Jacob. Esau, the firstborn, was a man of the field. Jacob preferred to remain at home.

“One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, ‘I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!’” (Genesis 25:29-30). Jacob agreed to feed Esau under one condition: “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son” (vs. 31).

“Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So, Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. 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” (vs. 32-34).

The word contempt has been translated in various ways, but its essence means to not esteem or respect something. Esau’s contempt was to not esteem the value of his birthright. It was an act of disdain, not respecting his birthright.

Esau allowed his hunger to rob him of his birthright, selling it for a bowl of stew. Esau was suffering from the effects of his hunger. He allowed his suffering to blind him to the significance of his birthright.   

There is an application for us in this covenant. Jesus became the firstborn of the new covenant: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).

As we follow the Lord, we will share in His suffering if we are His followers. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:16-17).

At each point of our suffering in this life, as we follow the Lord, we will be offered opportunities to honor, not disdain, what the Lord has given to us as our inheritance. Lust, greed, pride, or any temptation that comes our way to motivate us to sell out our inheritance must be addressed because those temptations are trying to cause us to sell our birthright and yield to the temporary satisfaction of our needs.

The Lord is after those things in our lives that will attempt to satisfy our immediate needs at the expense of living a life of honor and truth. These temporary counterfeit solutions are selling our birthright that was given to us from Jesus as we follow the example in His suffering. All of the issues in life that tempt us to sell out our birthright will produce a deep sorrow when we finally realize what we lost when we demanded a bowl of emotional stew to satisfy our needs. As co-heirs with Christ, we have a higher calling.