Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So [Esau] swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
Genesis 25:33
One day Esau was out hunting, and when he came back he was hungry. It just so happened that his little brother, Jacob, was cooking some stew in the kitchen.
You know what it’s like when you’ve been working a long day, and you missed lunch, and traffic was backed up on the way home. Your head thumps, you feel exhausted, and when you come home there is the aroma of home cooking wafting from the kitchen.
Esau is absolutely starving, and when he smells the food, he says to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (25:30).
Jacob already knew something that many others have discovered. When a man comes home hungry, and you’ve got food, you can ask him for just about anything and he will probably say, “Yes!” So Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright.”
Now, that was a rotten trick. Jacob shouldn’t have done that. But we’re staying with Esau’s side of the story today, so don’t get distracted by Jacob.
Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” (25:32). In other words, “Who cares about a stupid birthright? I’m dying for something to eat.”
Jacob wasn’t satisfied. “Swear to me now” (25:33). So, Esau swore an oath (a binding promise), selling his birthright to Jacob.
Then we are told that “Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way” (25:34). That’s it! We don’t read about any regrets that he had, or that he was angry with Jacob. He didn’t seem to give the matter another thought.
Have you ever made a hasty promise, only to realise later that it was unwise?
