Esau accepted a bribe from his brother to give him his birthright for a pot of stew. Henceforth Esau threw away his future for a moment of instant gratification.  Jacob on the other hand, offered a pot of stew to his gullible brother in turn for his birthright (inheritance), he henceforth seized an opportunity to give up instant gratification to secure his future. One brother was gullible, lacked vision, and was more focused on what he could get now and not how his choices could affect his future in the long run, while the other brother prudently sought out ways how he could secure his future even if it meant giving up something he wanted now.

Many would argue that Jacob was a trickster, I beg to differ. He was smart and shrewd and knew that in order for him to make it in his life, he would have to sacrifice and make some unconventional decisions.  In the end, it was Jacob who became the better off of the two brothers and even ended up giving his brother some of his riches.  He was the pride of God’s eye and became the father of God’s chosen people, as God changed his name from Jacob to Israel.

Many focus on the trickery of Jacob in this story and missed the whole lesson altogether. I think this message is profound and prevalent to us today.  We are fast becoming a nation of Esaus; we have to be instantly gratified, and we throw away our future; our time, finances, values… etc., for a pot of stew! Therefore we make wrong short term choices which yield sorrowful long term consequences. The bible says “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Christianity is not for the feint of heart, but for the vigilant renegade!
Therefore, choose this day if you will be an Esau or Jacob.