Dear friend in Christ, greetings to you in the matchless name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

It is very true that everything written in the Bible teaches us something very precious and essential to live a God-willing, God-pleasing life, obviously the best life on this earth and also to reach our eternal home.

The book of genesis records the life of patriarch Abraham. Abraham married (made a covenant with) Sarah and had a son (heir) Isaac at his very old age. Abraham also had another son Ishmael (not heir) through Hagar the slave woman (gentile). There was no way that Ishmael could become Abraham’s heir and so he never shared the inheritance. Later Isaac had two sons – Esau and Jacob the heirs, but Esau could not inherit the blessings. Though God had a plan to bless Jacob as we see in genesis 25:23, there is something we can learn from the life of Esau.

How did Esau loose his blessing even before Jacob cheated him?

Esau despised his birthright. Now what did this birthright mean. According to Hebrews 11:9, if  Isaac was still a sojourner yet to posses the promised land the birthright meant the precious promises from the Almighty God that passed on from father Abraham. In a way, Esau despised God’s promise by despising his birthright which has also become a reason why Esau could not inherit the blessings and promises even though he was an heir (unlike Ishmael).

Dear beloved in Christ, like Abraham married (made a covenant) Sarah, God made a covenant with Israel and just like Isaac was the heir to Abraham, the children of Israel were the heirs of God’s covenant as we read this in Romans 9:4. We were once children of the gentiles like Ishmael (not heirs). We were impossible to share the blessings and promises of the covenant. But God out of His mercy and grace made us the Children of the covenant and co-heirs with Christ at a great price - the painful death of His only Son Jesus Christ my Saviour and your Saviour.

Now having been made the children of the covenant, let us not be ignorant to despise the promise of God. According to Luke 24:29, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Acts 1:4,5 says, “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

We see that the Holy Spirit is the precious promise of God sent from above. Unlike Esau who despised the promise for a bowl of stew, let us not despise the promise of the Father for fulfilling the lust of the eyes, the lust of flesh and the pride of life. Therefore, let us welcome and honour His presence, His leading, His voice and His move that we will not lose but make it to the promised land.

Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who is the promise of God at all times, now and forevermore, amen.