Genesis 25:29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint" 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 "And he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
This passage of scripture teaches us the sacred truth that children of the righteous have the freedom to exercise their choices in life, in ways that are contrary to what they have been taught, for this is a God-given freedom that must be respected. Jacob and Esau grew up in the same household, and received the same training, and went to the same church, but all of this did not guarantee that both of them would turn out to be the same, for even though parents do their utmost best in teaching their children the good and right way, yet it is ultimately left up to them individually to choose whether or not to serve God, and history has often shown that children of the same household emerge with greatly divergent views.
This difference was made manifest very early on when Isaac's wife, Rebekah was pregnant with non-identical twins. As the term of her pregnancy wore on, a disturbing pattern started taking place in her womb, in which the two boys were found to be fighting one another on a continual basis. This perplexing situation was then taken to God in prayer and the explanation thus given causes us to face a sobering truth about the raising of our children. Let's read:
Genesis 25:21 And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her" ..."And she went to enquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels"... 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob.
But even though the word of God concerning them stands firm because of His perfect insight, yet both of them were exposed to the very same teachings and instructions coming down from their God-faring parents, but Esau developed a disposition to hate restraint, and he viewed the whole religious experience as a burden rather than a joy. Jacob however, was different, in that he treasured the teachings and truths handed down from generations to them, and although he had his own faults like all of us have, yet he was pliable, in that God could work with him in directing his steps, and he being willing to follow where God led the way.
But Esau chose to differ, and the choices he made later on in life reveal that his estimate of eternal things, and of the salvation that was to be purchased at infinite cost, meant little or nothing to him, and because of this he permanently turned his back on God, nevermore to be recovered. The daunting question then is how can this be, even with the mega promises given us by God that He will engage satan and fight for the lives of our children? How is it that members of the same Christian household can come away with such divergent views and choices, even though God has promised to do all He can to save to the uttermost? Let's read:
Isaiah 49:24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
The fact of the matter is that in all of the efforts made by God and parents, the individual choices of our children is what will ultimately determine their destiny, for God never coerces the will of any person, though His Holy Spirit will make desperate rescue attempts in saving the lost. A person must desire to be saved in order to be saved, and even if we were to preach the gospel until we are blue in the face, yet the buck stops with the freedom of choice on an individual basis, and nothing in heaven or earth will reverse that.
The Bible tells us that there was war in heaven because there were divergent views and choices being held and exercised right in the presence of God, and even though God pleaded and reasoned, and extended mercy and probation for a very long time, yet at the end of the day He let the angels choose whether or not they will remain loyal to Him and the principles of His government. Now if this took place in heaven where God dwells, then it is absolutely possible for it to be repeated within the sphere of families of the righteous, therefore we are never to conclude that children only go astray because of flaws in parenting or teaching. Lot's daughters who despised the word of God were lost in Sodom, and Samuel's sons were said to be sons of Belial, yet as far as we know the parents, as well as God, must have made concerted efforts for their recovery.
In our efforts to reach and save our children, let's always remember that they have been given the freedom to choose, and even though we are responsible for what takes place under our roof, yet no force or coercion of any kind must be made when it comes to eternal issues and concerns, for God respects their choices, and we should too. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this very point, and let's hope and pray that the decisions of our children will come down on the side of righteousness, and not evil. Let's read:
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth" ... 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve" ... "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!