Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Sold His Birthright


See to it … that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.  For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. Heb.12:16

It’s amazing how a man, in any phase of his life, could risk everything he has ever worked and hoped for, his wife and family, his job, his respect in the community, his respect for himself, his relationship with God, his very health and life, for the sake of one brief sexual encounter. Yet it does not seem so unusual to hear of politicians or pastors suddenly brought to the end of a promising career in just this way, not to mention the countless painful personal disasters that never make the news. While the story of Esau trading his birthright for a bowl of stew might make us self-righteously shake our heads in disbelief, this comment from Hebrews uses it as a warning against sexual immorality rather than eating stew, although the two issues are not unrelated.
How should we respond to this? It must evoke humility in men in particular. When we see others fall in this area, we can only assume that we have the same potential. It also gives reason for great care as we work alongside others in leadership, to be aware that they too are susceptible. Since it is so risky to get oneself into that crucial moment of temptation, we can be circumspect about being aware of the risks, and avoid even contemplating getting ourselves into a situation where men stronger than we have failed. Women as well can have a vital role, not growing in contempt for men, as self-contempt is part of the dynamic that gets men into risk behaviour, but rather increasing in respect for themselves, for their relationship with men, and for this powerful aspect of our human experience.
-philw- july 2012

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