Bibledoorajar examines "Portions"

      "See what love the Father has lavished on us in letting us be called God's children! For
        that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it has not known Him.
        Dear friends, we are God's children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will
        become. We do know that when he appears, we will be like Him; because we will see him
        as he really is."
                                                                     1 John 3:1-2

        "I have been so deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is, and I think,
         my strength is gone, and so is my hope in the Lord....But in my mind I keep returning
         to something that gives me hope---that the grace of the Lord is not exhausted, that
         his compassion has not ended. They are new every morning! How great is Your
         faithfulness! The Lord is all I have, I say, therefore I will put my hope in Him."
           
                                                                     Lamentations 3: 17-18; 21-24
   
     "Please let me gulp down some of that red stuff--that red stuff-- because I am exhausted!....Jacob
       answered first sell me your rights as the firstborn. Look, I am about to die, said Esau. What
       use to me are my rights as the firstborn? Jacob said, First swear to me! So he swore to him, thus
       selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave him bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, got
       up and went on his way. Thus Esau showed how little he valued his birthright."

                                                                                      Gen. 25: 30-34

       I once lived and worked in Jackson, Mississippi. On Sunday mornings several ladies from the church we attended would go to the City Jail and share a lesson from the Bible with the inmates. I can recall that after teaching, many of the women would gather around asking for some of the "red stuff" because they were exhausted and felt they (and the children they had left in the world) were "about to die." Usually, it was "pay this" or "please get groceries to my children" but often it was "can you help me get out of jail?" You see, they really were not interested in the "precious portion" that had been  discussed and the hope therein, but rather just in their immediate need.

This was Esau's problem too. His birthright, his portion, meant little to him. His hunger actually had so much of his attention that he lost the hope of his inheritance, a part of which he was already enjoying. The "big hunter" had lost his peace. We Christians must avoid such a lamentable place! We are children on the way to a bigger and brighter future. Keep the faith; dare not give it away! Find happiness in the portion you have now!

Bibledoorajar Observes Misplaced Confidence

              "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who
                reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble
                minds."             
                                                                       Albert Einstein

                "It is better to take refuge in the Lord, than to trust in human beings;
                  better to take refuge in the Lord than to put trust in princes."
              
                                                                       Psalm 118:8-9

                "The strongest of all warriors are these two...time and patience."

                                                                       Leo Tolstoy

 Yesterday, our little ones came out of Sunday School with the visual results of their lesson. Our two little guys gave their lessons to the Aunts to "put on the refrigerator." As I looked at the lesson, I wondered what seed the Spirit had planted in their hearts and I silently prayed that He would please make the seed abound in both their hearts. You see, the Bible story was about Esau losing his birthright to Jacob. The main point that they were supposed to learn was that they would do well to be patient. There on the picture were Esau and Jacob and a bowl full of beans that the boys had glued on.

The Sunday School teacher had put the focus on the beans and it made me wonder how many times Rebecca had taught her boys about the comfort and rescue of a  "pot of beans." But alas, we find out that Esau spent so much time in the world seeking its' comfort that when famished he did not even know what to call the pot of beans. He just said "give me some of that red." Only Jacob realized the importance of his portion, though simple, was from God. Only Jacob had realized the comfort of being patient and being nourished by the provision of one's own pottage. Only Jacob had allowed time and patience to be a part of his life and only Jacob knew how to "cook" his portion.  I don't think the dullest of mothers could have helped but know the difference between the two boys. It must have been very difficult for Rebecca.

For our boys Sunday School lesson, the goal of learning patience was seen as a great race. If they waited in a nice way and didn't get upset if they had to wait, and if they didn't whine while waiting, and if they would be grateful for the food God had provided then they could all win and enjoy their snack together. " So let's not get tired of doing what is good" (Galatians 6:9a) was the final thought. Not a bad final thought for this entry either.
                                

Bibledoorajar Looks at Family Favorites

"Every family has favorites, and I think I am my mother's favorite."

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Turning now to Rebecca's favorite son, Jacob, we find him not in the fields but within the home.  The scripture describes him as a "plain man, dwelling in tents." Do not think that this plainness was "less than manliness", however, for in Hebrew the word plainness is translated as upright or undefiled. It is hard for a mother to accept a physical disability of a child, but a moral disability may be worse to accept. Rebecca would mourn the lack of character in Esau, but she was uplifted by Jacob's basic moral nature. Jacob's nature was one of not looking to the world for his future but rather to waiting on God for that which was to come. And his nature had a seeking component. For me, this is probably the trait that God loved the most about Jacob and what led Him to declare from the beginning that Jacob would be the son to be served.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you singing Hallelu, Hallelujah. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God singing Hallelu, Hallelujah."
                                                                Song based on Matthew 6:33

What a joy it is for a mother when she has a son who gets his priorities right. Our Rebecca was no exception. That Jacob appeared to have a keen human insight into the privilege of birthright cannot be denied. Indeed, he had come from his mother's womb holding tightly to the heel of his brother. We will see him maneuvering to get that very birthright. And we will see that his beloved mother, Rebecca, will aid him in his efforts to do so. The Word does not speak of Jacob complaining about his life position, but we do see that God will begin a series of "lessons" that will help Jacob more adequately assess his future to a better city.

Bibledoorajar knows the Difference

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am God.

I am the Lord that strengthens thee.

I am the Lord that strengthens thee.

I am the Lord that strengthens thee.

Anonymous

Esau was the firstborn. That gave him the birthright. Even today, many young Jews from all over the world visit Israel to strengthen their identity with the land of their origins. That should have been the goal of Esau: a man strengthening his identity in the God-given goals of his father and grandfather.

There are few things more important in life than understanding God's priorities. But, for some, these priorities can become far away from hearts and spirits. Oh, people may be ethical in their thoughts but not moral in their actions. What do you mean, you say? Well, I have worked with many professional mental health workers over the years and they could all tell you the ethics called for in any situation. However, it was only the truly moral who carried them out. 

Right priorities are essential in carrying out the spiritual life and Esau's story makes it clear that he did not discern this. There is nothing in his story to indicate that he would protect his birthright and destiny at all cost. As a matter of fact, the story reports he had little regard for it when the world had let him down. When that happened, and he came home empty handed and red faced from his own efforts, he had never been so in need of something the world did not provide. He was tired and he was hungry to the point of being famished.  He did not even have any thing to give his father, who loved the wild game Esau killed.

The Bible says that the descendants of Esau took on the "redness" of Esau (red all over at birth) and therefore were called Edomites (red). They held the most productive part of early Palestine and were mortal enemies of God's people. They did not seek God's priorities and His people had to war with them often--battling ethics vs. morality. Such is the Christian's fight today. The world (especially the political world) espouses ethics and often writes them down as to what is believed, however it is the truly moral of the world who seek God's heart and His help to do the right thing. They would fight the world to the end to not lose the birthright God has given them. There are always choices to be made. James, the brother of Jesus, cautioned that Christians cannot be double- minded. Many desire to serve the Lord but the world is so alluring to them. How about a foot in both worlds?

      "Regard it all as joy, my brethren, when you face various kinds of temptations; for you know that all the testing of your trust produces perseverance. But let perseverance do its complete work; so that you may be complete and whole, lacking in nothing. Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in trust, doubting nothing; for the doubter is like a wave in the sea being tossed and driven by the wind. Indeed that person should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, because he is double-

minded, unstable in all his ways."  James 1:2-8

Esau was tempted by his poor circumstances and evidenced no trust. Unwilling to persevere and seek God, he was tossed like a wave. Lesson learned? God help us all.