By Olubunmi Adebayo
*Most people are never sensitive to the discussions they engage others with or the discussions that may be going on around them.*
*They forget that every discussion going on around us has transactional value or perspective attached to them.*
*It is not for fun that the Word of God warned us -*
*”Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Pet.5:8).*
*For you to know that Jacob was dead serious about claiming the birthright of Esau, he did not just propose the exchange of food for birthright, he insisted his brother must swear! If someone is pushing too hard around you, then be sensitive and pay attention for Christ’s sake.*
*Gen 25: [32] And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?*
*[33]And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.*
*Read verse 32 above very well, “and what profit shall this birthright do to me?*
*Don’t you be careless with the statement of your mouth please.*
*The moment Esau said what profit is this birthright to him, the brother capitalized on this by pressing him deeper and told him that he should swear to it – swear over give me food or not give me food.*
*From the narration above, 2 actions that sealed the doom and destruction of Esau emerged :*
*A) He Swore : the meaning of this was that the event was no longer a joke or child’s play anymore. It was a legal oath in the Name of God that was binding before God and before men.*
*Translated to mean Esau signed away his destiny with his mouth.*
*Many have sworn away their birthright by their mouth with careless and carefree statements like “I will never be rich,” “I will never marry,” “I will do anything for money.” Be careful what you say, and much more, what you swear to when you are faint.*
*B) He ate, cleaned his mouth, and went his way : No guilty conscience, no remorse, no second thought. He ate, drank, rose up, and went his way – as if nothing ever happened, forgetting that we may forget what we did or say, Heaven takes records of all.*
*When you see a man or woman who indulges in casual sex, the same thing also happens – they do the “thing”, stand up, dress up and go away.*
*This is the danger of strange negotiation — it looks normal after you do it. He ate and continued life. But Heaven has sealed it into an actionable plan, either for the now, or for the future.*
*God didn’t just record that Esau ate. God recorded that Esau DESPISED his birthright, and sold it for a plate of pottage.*
*Concerning illicit sexual transactions, this is how the Bible puts it :*
*”What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh”.(1Cor.6:16).*
*Please know that transactions like these are not just legal in the physical, they are deeply profane and reckoned with in the spiritual – this is why a lifetime may not be able to undo them.*
*Why should we consider this a strange transaction?*
*It was strange on the account of the following reasons :*
*1) Unequal Transactional Value : Eternal birthright for just a plate of pottage. It violates all laws of equity.*
*2) Wrong Transactional Time : it was done “this day” — in a moment of weakness. Important decisions should never be made when you are faint, angry, or lonely.*
*3 Wrong Transactional Motive: Esau sold because of appetite, not because of revelation. Jacob acted and bought because of intentional revelation, not appetite.*
*4. Irreversible Transactional Consequences : Heb 12:17 — “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears”.*
*Esau cried later in Gen 27:34 – “Bless me, even me also, O my father”. He wept bitterly, but it was too late. The birthright had been spiritually and legally transferred.*
*You can weep after strange negotiations and transactions, but tears cannot reverse the oath you swore to or the events you consciously actioned.*
*Are there lessons for you and I to learn from all of these?*
*We shall look at this tomorrow, God willing.*
Top of the day to you 👍
©️ Olubunmi S Adebayo.
