Someone says that whenever we preach about Esau selling his birthright and then weeping tears forever after; she is afraid.
We should not be afraid of Satan, for he is a defeated enemy. And fear is not the motivation by which we come to Christ; it’s His love that draws us, not craven fear. We come to Him because our shriveled up little selfish hearts are stretched outsize with an appreciation for Him, appreciation of what He has done for us in dying our second death. He went to hell to find us and to save us! And He gave Himself to that second death for us, which is hell itself.
But there is someone we should be afraid of—and that is self.
We cannot trust self; it is our nature to be at “enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). That means that if we were left to ourselves without a Savior, that’s what we would do: sell our precious birthright.
So, yes, we should be afraid!
Life today is much the same as life was for young Moses in Egypt long ago. He had a “birthright” but being just as human as we are, he was tempted to “sell” it in exchange for what Hebrews calls “the pleasures of sin for a season” (11:25).
“The pleasures of sin” are always only “for a season.” They are always to be feared!
Moses was given a special resurrection so he could join Enoch and Elijah in heaven (who were both translated without seeing death; see Gen. 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11; Jude 9).
But Moses firmly decided that he would not sell his birthright. Even from a boy, Moses settled in his mind his choice to be true to God. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Moses stood firm like a rock in the midst of enormous temptations in wicked Egypt.
Temptations today attract the young as they appealed to young Moses; but he said “No!” to them.
The little book of Titus is our lifeline to sanity and overcoming: “The grace of God [not craven fear!] brings salvation to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.” It teaches us how to live “soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” which is wicked as was ancient Crete where Titus lived and ministered.
But Paul cannot teach obedience to the law of God without presenting the sacrifice of Christ “who gave Himself for us” (2:11-14). Contemplating and appreciating that sacrifice saves us from selling our precious birthright today!
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
