The first lesson: (Eve) Perfectionism.
The second lesson: (Noah) Futility.
The third lesson: (Abraham) Idolatry.
The fourth lesson: (Lot) Worldliness.
The fifth lesson: (Jacob) Guilt.
The second lesson: (Noah) Futility.
The third lesson: (Abraham) Idolatry.
The fourth lesson: (Lot) Worldliness.
The fifth lesson: (Jacob) Guilt.
The sixth lesson: (Rachel) Longing
The seventh lesson: (Joseph) Victimization.
*Note: The order of the 6th and 7th lessons were switched from their order of blog publication
Did you ever possess something that you didn't know was valuable until after you had gotten rid of it? I remember in the Audrey Hepburn-Cary Grant movie Charade there was a postage stamp that no one knew was rare until a small child traded it to a collector.
Sad as a situation like this might be, it is not the kind of regret that I mean. That type of regret is caused by accident. Today's study is about the kind of regret that comes from making a willful choice.
Esau was one of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. As firstborn he legally inherited double blessings and other perks of a birthright. Unfortunately, Esau wasn't very impressed by this because in a moment of hunger he traded his birthright to his brother for a bowl of soup. His comments prove that he had little regard for his honored position.
He later changed his mind, but no matter how sorry he was there was no way to return the situation to its prior settings. The damage was done. Hebrews 12:17 tells us that he repented and cried bitterly about his decision but that his birthright wasn't restored to him even though he grieved over it.
There are just some situations that saying "I'm sorry!" won't fix. For example, some broken homes can never be mended. Aborted babies can not be returned to their mother's wombs. Murder victims do not miraculously return to their families.
Let me quickly point out that repentance and any possible restitution should be made. A spouse that breaks up the home but cannot return to it because someone has established a new life still needs to seek the forgiveness of the innocent party (or parties if there are children or other individuals involved) and support any offspring that resulted from the union. A woman who grieves over the decision to end her pregnancy can find forgiveness from the Creator of life. The murderer who is truly remorseful should confess the same to the victim's family.
No, Esau was not able to turn back time or to make everything right again with his tears, but what he did do was to live with the consequences of his actions. After twenty years of separation following an angry parting he and Jacob met again. His brother sent many presents ahead by his servants before encountering Esau face-to-face. Jacob, the man who had taken Esau's blessing away with a bowl of soup, said "Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it." (Genesis 33:11, emphasis mine.)
By refusing to live with regret for all those years Esau did not miss the opportunity of reestablishing a relationship with his brother. After all, giving up the birthright was Esau's own decision. Jacob would not have been able to take it if Esau had placed the proper value on it in the first place.
In closing, remember that before the Apostle Paul became an apostle he was nothing less than Saul the Murderer of Christians. If ever there was a man who should have regrets it was he! This "chiefest of sinners" understood all too well what a "wretched man" he was and yet despite the regrets - or perhaps because of them - he was able to be mightily used of God.
Sad as a situation like this might be, it is not the kind of regret that I mean. That type of regret is caused by accident. Today's study is about the kind of regret that comes from making a willful choice.
Esau was one of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. As firstborn he legally inherited double blessings and other perks of a birthright. Unfortunately, Esau wasn't very impressed by this because in a moment of hunger he traded his birthright to his brother for a bowl of soup. His comments prove that he had little regard for his honored position.
He later changed his mind, but no matter how sorry he was there was no way to return the situation to its prior settings. The damage was done. Hebrews 12:17 tells us that he repented and cried bitterly about his decision but that his birthright wasn't restored to him even though he grieved over it.
There are just some situations that saying "I'm sorry!" won't fix. For example, some broken homes can never be mended. Aborted babies can not be returned to their mother's wombs. Murder victims do not miraculously return to their families.
Let me quickly point out that repentance and any possible restitution should be made. A spouse that breaks up the home but cannot return to it because someone has established a new life still needs to seek the forgiveness of the innocent party (or parties if there are children or other individuals involved) and support any offspring that resulted from the union. A woman who grieves over the decision to end her pregnancy can find forgiveness from the Creator of life. The murderer who is truly remorseful should confess the same to the victim's family.
No, Esau was not able to turn back time or to make everything right again with his tears, but what he did do was to live with the consequences of his actions. After twenty years of separation following an angry parting he and Jacob met again. His brother sent many presents ahead by his servants before encountering Esau face-to-face. Jacob, the man who had taken Esau's blessing away with a bowl of soup, said "Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it." (Genesis 33:11, emphasis mine.)
By refusing to live with regret for all those years Esau did not miss the opportunity of reestablishing a relationship with his brother. After all, giving up the birthright was Esau's own decision. Jacob would not have been able to take it if Esau had placed the proper value on it in the first place.
In closing, remember that before the Apostle Paul became an apostle he was nothing less than Saul the Murderer of Christians. If ever there was a man who should have regrets it was he! This "chiefest of sinners" understood all too well what a "wretched man" he was and yet despite the regrets - or perhaps because of them - he was able to be mightily used of God.
Excellent! Keep up the the wonderful devotions.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn T.