Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?””
(Genesis 27:36)

“Therefore, everything you would like men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.“
(Matthew 7:12)

In chapter twenty-five, Esau had spurned his birthright, selling it to Jacob for a bowl of stew. At the end of chapter twenty-six, Esau disrespected his parents and took two Hittite women as his wives. He doesn’t respect his family, his responsibilities, or his position in the family. Chapter twenty-seven shows his family (his mother, supported by his brother) not respecting him, either. And while the blessing they cheated him out of WAS a blessing, it was only a blessing of worldly wealth and power. It was not THE blessing (Abraham’s blessing). Even in a perfect situation, Esau was never destined for the better blessing. Esau never respected who he was and where he was. He was always a man out for himself. In the end, while the treatment he received was not right, it was in line with how he had been treating everyone else.

Summary

Jesus calls us to godly living. Not to judge others. To put other people first. To seek the things of God. To plant seeds of righteousness. To sow blessing. When we do not. When we rely on selfish thinking and self-centred behaviour, we will find that we receive what we do not want to. We won’t be aligned with God. And we will miss out on the blessings He has for us.