Esau—for one morsel of meat sold his birthright--Heb. 12:16
It’s never right to do wrong, but the folly of wrong doing is even greater when you give up something of great value to get something of no value. That was Esau’s error. Of course you could argue that food is of great value and there is some truth to that, but here we’re talking about one meal—and it’s not even a rib-eye steak or a pizza! How much can one meal be worth? Even if we’re talking about five-star fine dining this was a bad deal for Esau. He traded his birthright for a mess of pottage. He sold out cheap!
The birthright was a very valuable privilege. It was given to the oldest son in a family and granted him a double portion of the inheritance. Of even greater importance, it afforded him the honor of becoming head of the family, the spiritual leader, when the father died. But Esau treated it as something worthless. To momentarily satisfy his appetite he bartered away that which was of great value. That’s selling out cheap! But Esau isn’t the only fool who ever lived. This same story is re-enacted everyday. You know someone, or you are someone who sold out cheap.
Someone with a fine family, a sweet spouse, a good job, a healthy body, a bulging bank account, and/or a good reputation throws it all away for one moment of sinful pleasure. Just to satisfy a sinful urge he does something he can never undo. Fueled by lust nothing else seems to matter at the moment–so, he sells out cheap! The truth is that those who sell out cheap pay a high price. Looking at the big picture, nothing is ever gained by sin. It never pays. Indeed, there are “pleasures of sin”, but only “for a season” (Heb. 11:25). When it is finished it “bringeth forth death”(Ja. 1:15). Faithfulness, on the other hand, brings a “crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4). So, it’s your call— grief or glory. What shall it be?
