The Allure of . . . Stew?

Oct 18 2024 - Eric Buresh

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the struggle it is for me to keep my mind centered on the eternal when the temporal realm is so noisy and persistent. After re-memorizing a key New Testament passage on this topic (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:17-18), I was asking the Holy Spirit to give me more clarity so I could fight the battle better. He placed in my mind the story of Esau and his birthright in Genesis 25:29-34. It seems like an obvious connection, but I’d never made it before. When I read this passage in the past, my general thought was, “geez, Esau was such an idiot.” This time, I saw me as Esau, making me the idiot. 

Esau’s birthright secured his special place as the firstborn son, it carried with it, a double portion of a future inheritance, the privilege of being the spiritual leader of the family, and most importantly, it entitled him to the blessing of God’s promises passed down through Abraham. He gave up all of this for a bowl of lentil stew, because he was hungry after a hard day’s work. Esau’s hunger was more than just physical; it was a symbol of his deeper spiritual condition. It pictures the discontent and temptations we all experience, and the decisions we will rashly make in our pursuit of self-gratification. For what immediate gratification or cravings will we throw away the eternal blessings and vast inheritance God promises to His children? Won’t we see it plainly someday as an idiotic choice just like Esau’s decision looks to us now? 

For me, this story reminds me of the deception of the temporal. Just like our varied cravings, the stew in Jacob’s pot must have looked incredibly appealing to Esau in his state of hunger. It promised immediate relief, comfort, and satisfaction. In reality, it was a single meal that would soon be digested and forgotten. Yet in that moment, Esau could see nothing else. He was so focused on satisfying his immediate desires, he allowed the urgency of the present to eclipse his view of the future. This is the deception of the temporal. The things of this world—its pleasures, its comforts, its temptations—seem so appealing, even so necessary in the moment. But they are fleeting. They do not last. They satisfy for a time, and then grow old and are forgotten for the next fleeting thing. All the while, we lose sight of the fact that we are throwing away the One True Treasure in the Lord. 

Esau’s choice was irreversible.  This is the tragic consequence of valuing the immediate over the eternal. Esau’s story is a warning to us all: don’t let instant gratification blind you to eternal satisfaction. Let us not be like Esau, who traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. Instead, let us hunger and thirst for righteousness, for the eternal inheritance that is ours in Christ Jesus. May we fix our eyes on the things that are unseen, the things that are eternal, and may we guard our hearts against the temptation to trade the lasting treasure of God’s blessing for the temporary satisfaction of this world.