Genesis 25:31 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 Jacob said, swear to me this day; and he swore unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus, Esau despised his birthright.
To understand the nature of the study we must first observe a fundamental format that is used by devils to entice and tempt us do sell our birthright. Many people may not have fully grasped what took place in the third temptation of Christ, and thus, we must study it very closely to discover the protocols satan uses for wheeling and dealing in birthrights. Let’s read:
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
[The Desire of Ages pp 129] Satan manifests himself in his true character. But he does not appear as a hideous monster, with cloven feet and bat’s wings. He is a mighty angel, though fallen.
Placing Jesus upon a high mountain, Satan caused the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory, to pass in panoramic view before Him. The sunlight lay on templed cities, marbled palaces, fertile fields, and fruit-laden vineyards.
[Panoramic refers to an unbroken or wide-ranging view. One of the reasons people climb to the tops of mountains or tall buildings is for the panoramic view, because you can see everything without obstruction.]
The traces of evil were hidden. The eyes of Jesus, so lately greeted by gloom and desolation, now gazed upon a scene of unsurpassed loveliness and prosperity.
Then the tempter’s voice was heard: “All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.”
[LTMS LT 15, 1908] The strength of this temptation to the Savior was greater than the human mind could understand. Christ’s mission could be fulfilled only through suffering. Before Him was a life of sorrow, hardship and conflict, and an ignominious death.
He must bear the sins of the world. He must endure separation from the Father’s love. Now the tempter offered to yield up the power he had usurped. Christ might deliver Himself from the dreadful future by acknowledging the supremacy of Satan.
Therefore, the protocol employed by the prince of darkness can be condensed into a simple sentence: You can have just about anything this world has to offer in exchange for your birthright, by bowing down.
Previously, we might not have fully explained what the term “Bow down” really means, so let us explain it so that it can be clearly understood. Bowing down to the prince of darkness doesn’t only mean bowing in the most literal sense.
It means adopting the ways and means, the modes of thought and action, the methods, the principles, the falsehoods, the half-truths, and the philosophies that are engineered by the devil. Whenever persons reach into his vault, and adopt any of his protocols, and productions they are bowing down.
And bowing down could take place deliberately or it can occur inadvertently or ignorantly. For instance, a person who believes in evolution is bowing down to a philosophy that was concocted in the laboratories of the devil, even though many people may not be aware of this.
When politicians tell blatant lies to get elected, they are bowing down, because they have utilized ways, and means that satan recognizes as his very own. If some preachers, and televangelists water down the truths of God’s word, to satisfy the itching ears of a congregation, they are bowing down, because they are in many instances, distorting truth for monetary gain.
When David pretended to be a mad man, in order to save his life, after he was exposed as the person who had killed Goliath, he bowed down, because pretension is a methodology coming from satan’s playbook.
And if politicians come out in support of what they know is wrong, because they are afraid of the dear leader, such as Kim, they too are bowing down, for they are sacrificing principle to remain in Kim’s good favors, lest they be excommunicated from office.
Thus, it is important for us to understand that most of the temporal blessings God gives to the earth’s inhabitants, if they obey Him with the willing heart and mind, are also offered by the prince of darkness in exchange for them bowing down, in some form or another. For instance, God gives us promotions, but satan offers promotions too. Let’s read:
Psalms 75: 6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
7 But God is the judge: he puts down one, and sets up another.
Daniel 3: 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said, blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Their promotion was based on their obedience to the laws of God which stated that bowing down to graven images is a sin. And thus, The Lord saw fit to promote them to higher office, because he that is faithful in that which is least will be faithful in that which is much.
But according to the Bible, this is not the only way a person can be promoted. The prince of darkness will also give folks a promotion, in exchange for bowing down. That is what’s so dangerous about the times in which we now live, for we are facing a pandemic of bowers, who will do just about anything to get a promotion.
It matters not if it is right or wrong, it matters not if citizens will get crushed, and hurt in the process and it does not matter if persons privately disagree with what is on the menu, in their heart of hearts. Once personal, and material benefit will accrue, the ends justify the means, as far as come are concerned.
This is how Balaam got his promotion, for the king of the Moabites asked him to curse God’s people in exchange for his promotion to a high position in the king’s government, even though Balaam personally had no experience whatsoever in running any public office.
In our day, there are persons who might have not a single qualification for a particular office and yet, he or she can get promoted to a position of trust, after bowing down in some form or another. Thus, great spiritual darkness has overspread the earth, and like Balaam, persons who have not a clue as to what they are doing, are given the reins of control.
If persons are bidden to lie, some will lie, if some are bidden to steal, some will steal, and like Balaam, if some are bidden to curse, they would also curse. It matters not what is the cost, once promotion will be secured, some folks will bow down, and sell their birthright in the process. Let’s read:
Numbers 22:9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, what men are these with thee?
10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt that covers the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
12 And God said unto Balaam, you shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they.
16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, let nothing, I pray thee hinder thee from coming unto me.
17 For I will promote thee unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
Again, The Lord tells us that wealth, and material blessings would be the result of obedience to His laws, but satan offers riches, and material blessings. The terms and conditions vary widely, but the offer is made, so that you have to choose which brand of blessing you prefer. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 8: 11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied;
14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
17 And thou say in thine heart, my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
2nd Chronicles 1: 11 And God said to Solomon, because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king.
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
Deuteronomy 15: 4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it.
5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
Malachi 3: 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
But again, the devil makes the offer of wealth, but on very different terms. Persons would have to bow down first by adopting his ways and means and sure enough, persons could get rich. In the process they may employ slaves and sex workers, and like El Chapo, they may sell drugs, and mass produce drug addicts all over the world, but at the end of the day they will get rich. Let’s read:
Acts 16: 16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.
Micah 3: 11 The heads thereof judge for reward and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.
And then there is the method of hush money, by which some persons have become very wealthy as they are paid huge sums to keep quiet and cover up some evil deed that the perpetrator in question will much prefer to stay out of public view. Hush money has occurred quite often in the history of our planet, and it continues to this day, to be a source of wealth for many persons. Thus, folks will sell their souls and also their birthright, if the price is right. Let’s read:
Matthew 28:12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers.
13 Saying, say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
And we can go on and on and on. God offers eternal life, and satan also offers eternal life. That’s what he did when he told Eve, thou shall not surely die, and that’s what he told Saul when he said, “Tomorrow, you and your sons will be with me.
If Saul and his sons would be with him, and now he is apparently alive, and well after dying, then he is practically offering eternal life. The doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul is satan’s personal offer of eternal life, but on his own terms.
The Lord offers preachers, and the devil also offers preachers. God offers the gospel, and the prince of darkness also offers his brand of gospel. This point is a must get, as we approach the final days of earth’s history, for there are still too many folks who do not know the difference.
While no preacher is perfect, those who teach the word of God have a sacred duty to present it in its purest form to the people, and therefore, if they are teaching that God’s law is nailed to the cross, and if they teach a blend of creationism and evolution and if they teach the natural immortality of the soul, it’s error that is being taught. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 11: 3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The Lord would often heal our diseases and sickness but the prince of darkness offers to heal your diseases, for a price. This is one of those features of the final conflict which is scheduled to play a major role in getting persons to part with their birthright.
With the cost of healthcare and medicine becoming more and more unaffordable, and with various cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and with insurance going through the roof, a freebee healing, in exchange for your soul may seem like a viable option. And there’s no doubt, that when a person’s back is against the wall, some would consider selling their birthright to be healed. Let’s read:
Revelation 13: 13 And he does great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
[The Great Controversy pp 553] Paul testifies that before the second advent of Christ there will be similar manifestations of Satanic power. No mere impostures are here foretold. Men are deceived by the miracles which Satan’s agents have power to do, not which they pretend to do.
In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Savior uttered; he heals the diseases of the people.
Christ offers peace and security, and the devil also offers his brand of peace and security. And thus, the basic format he used in the temptation in the wilderness, is what he regurgitates and he offers to all of earth’s inhabitants, on condition that they bow down, in some form or another.
This leads us to our study for today: What would you sell your birthright for. In Esau’s case, the Bible says that he sold his birthright for a simple pot of lentils. Esau bowed down to the pangs of hunger, and instead of controlling his appetite, he allowed his appetite to control him.
But when you dig a little deeper, you would observe that much more than mere food was involved. The service of God, the prayer meeting, and the Sabbath school class were viewed by Esau as an unwelcome restraint on his freedoms. Thus, when he got rid of the birthright, he felt relieved from the burden that was on his shoulders.
Serving God was more of a burden than a joy, and being lightly esteemed by him, food was the means whereby the devil got him to bow down, and by so doing, Esau exchanged his eternal life for a bowl of soup. The soup tasted really good, and he felt good as he ate, but he would later deeply regret the trade he had made, because it was irreversible.
The reason why the Bible says the deal was sealed and irreversible, is because Esau made a conscious adult decision, after thinking it through for a long while, and thus, when he sold his birthright, it was just the culmination of several decisions that were carefully thought through. Let’s read:
Hebrews 12: 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
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.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 178] Esau had no love for devotion, no inclination to a religious life. The requirements that accompanied the spiritual birthright were an unwelcome and even hateful restraint to him.
The law of God, which was the condition of the divine covenant with Abraham, was regarded by Esau as a yoke of bondage. Bent on self-indulgence, he desired nothing so much as liberty to do as he pleased.
To him power and riches, feasting and reveling, were happiness. He gloried in the unrestrained freedom of his wild, roving life. His whole interest was in the present. He was ready to sacrifice the heavenly to the earthly, to exchange a future good for a momentary indulgence.
In disposing of it he felt a sense of relief. Now his way was unobstructed; he could do as he liked. For this wild pleasure, miscalled freedom, how many are still selling their birthright to an inheritance pure and undefiled, eternal in the heavens!
We tell you the truth, we are mighty glad Jesus did not sell His birthright for a loaf of bread in the hour of temptation, for like Esau, He too was very hungry except that Jesus was forty days more-hungry, than Esau was, and yet Jesus refused to bow down, by selling His birthright.
A birthright is something that you do not earn nor purchase, and in the context of our salvation, Jesus died on Calvary so that all who so desire may have a birthright through Him. This includes restoring God’s image in us through willing obedience to His perfect law, granting us the abundant life, and if we do not sell it, eternal life forever.
It raises the grim question: Can hunger cause you to bow down and sell your birthright in the process? It raises other questions too as we ponder the issue of what persons might be willing to sell their birthright for.
Some sell theirs for a feel-good moment, others, for temporary gain, and others for praise and adoration from mortal men. There are some who would sell their birthright for the pinnacle of success, as far as mere earthly greatness goes.
As we consider the issue carefully, we should bear in mind that everything this current world has to offer is temporal in nature and thus, the choices we make concerning our birthright will determine our destiny just as it did with both Esau and Jacob.
Esau went on to be the head of an army, and he did procure many temporal blessings and achievements but on resurrection morning, when all who chose to serve and love Christ with a willing mind, begin to ascend to heaven, Jacob will be looking for his twin brother, and he will be nowhere to be found.
Thus, the question posed in the title of the study is one that is most personal, and calls for an introspect examination of the deepest thoughts and intents of the heart. Is there anything so valuable to you, that you may consider selling your birthright for?
The wheeling and dealing that goes on from day to day, as many persons trade their birthrights, is one of the issues that will converge during crunch time. The prince of darkness will love to purchase yours for any price you may ask. But, the word of God to us sheds great light on the correct course of action to pursue. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11: 24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Daniel and his companions refused to sell theirs, if it meant dying in the process. Joseph also refused to sell his, choosing rather to suffer affliction instead. Jesus refused to sell His, even though hunger pangs gnawed at His stomach, and Peter refused to sell his when he was offered some money, in exchange for the Holy Ghost.
Let it never be said of you and me, that we would consider selling our birthright for any reason, for the sacrifice made for our redemption is of infinite value and should never ever be up for sale. We will have our struggles, the lusts of the flesh may beckon us in various ways, and the bling and things of earth may be passed in panoramic view before our eyes.
But like Jacob, Moses, Abraham, and all the heroes of faith, let it be a steadfast purpose, and decision that we make, that, nothing and no one will mean more to us, than Jesus, and the sacrifice He made to set us free.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that should keep these issues on the front burner of our minds, so that in the mad rush to acquire temporal gain, we will not lose sight of that which matters the most in life. Let’s read:
Matthew 16: 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
God Bless!