It's Just a Bowl of Soup
Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom). Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
— (Genesis 25:29-34)
What were you thinking, Esau? Could you have possibly been that hungry? Maybe he didn’t think he could take another step without suffering death, who knows? It was a pretty amazing price to pay to have one meal. Whatever the case, it was a crazy deal and Esau was foolish—it was just a bowl of soup!
The birthright in the Jewish culture was given to the firstborn son to be the main beneficiary of the father’s estate. The father would verbally assign his property over to his sons just before his passing. The firstborn (or the eldest) would receive twice the portion and would be the head of the family.
We know that Abraham had been extremely wealthy and this had been passed down to Isaac. So Esau would have been given a double portion and been head of the household when the time came to receive the birthright. So he gave all of this up for a bowl of soup. That was clearly a lack of judgment, to put it mildly.
Sometimes we get to a point in life where we feel so hungry and restless that we are almost willing to settle for anything to simply fill the hunger and desperate-ness we are feeling. Like Esau, we are tempted to reach for things far less satisfying and far less significant than God’s best.
Sometimes we get to a point in life where we feel so hungry and restless that we are almost willing to settle for anything to simply fill the hunger and desperate-ness we are feeling.
The unfortunate reality in this story is this, a bowl of soup lasts a few minutes, the birthright was forever. When we settle, we get something that will never truly satisfy. When we wait for God’s plan, we get something that will last and will truly fill our hunger for good. It’s better to go hungry and wait for the food that lasts, instead of settling for the food that’s not from God.
Maybe you’re hungry, waiting for God to do something. Maybe you’ve been praying and hoping for a long time and it seems that God is just taking His sweet time. You’re growing restless and sad, and wondering if He will ever actually do what you’ve been hoping for Him to do. Don’t give up. Hunger is not bad. Don’t settle for soup. Especially when lifelong blessing awaits in God’s perfect timing.
Sometimes the most important part of our journey with God is the time of waiting. These are the times when we grow the most as we trust in Him and believe in Him to fulfill His promises. They may be challenging times, but these are the times down the road that we will look back upon and treasure as we reflect back and see the sustaining power of God’s hand in our lives. We are always going to be waiting for something. And with each step, God will be working to increase our faith. Remember, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
In the end, the birthright is not even the point. God’s glory is the point. Are we willing to compromise to please our own hunger or do we desire God’s glory above all things. Would you rather go hungry, maybe even starve for the sake of God’s glory, or would you rather deny God and only be temporarily satisfied? For apart from God it’s all no more than a bowl of soup.
