Daily Devotion, June 8, 2020

Devotion: Read Genesis 25:27-34.

From the moment of birth, Jacob had desired the honor and inheritance that was due the firstborn, but despite his grasping the heel of his twin brother Esau to hold him back, Jacob was born second. As the brothers grew up, they were clearly very different from each other. Esau was his father Isaac’s favorite, loved the outdoors, and became a great hunter. Jacob was his mother Rebekah’s favorite, enjoyed hanging around home with her, and apparently learned to cook a mean kettle of stew! We can only imagine why Esau, coming home hungry from the country, would trade his precious birthright for a bowl of Jacob’s stew. Perhaps he was indeed almost starved, or perhaps he was young and impetuous, not thinking about his future and the value of the birthright (double portion of the inheritance and the role of leader of the family). Or maybe Esau just wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier!

What Jacob did was not illegal, but it was wrong. It set the tone for a relationship of bitterness and mistrust between Jacob and his twin brother. God’s covenant would eventually pass, not through Esau, but through Jacob and his descendants. God would have selected the right brother for that without Jacob’s grasping for the birthright. Personal Worship Option: Reflect today on your desire for things, position, or power. Ambition can be a good thing when it motivates us to work hard and achieve good things. But out of control, ambition can also cause us to do things that hurt or take away from others. Pray for the balance God desires for us.