Day 13: Esau Sells His Birthright

Genesis 25:1-34 The genealogy of Ishmael shows that God’s promise to make of him a great nation was fulfilled. Two great nations would descend from the twin sons of Isaac: from the line of Jacob (later named Israel) would come the Israelites and from Esau would descend the Edomites Although Esau (also called Edom), the elder of the twins was to receive the birthright-a primacy in inheritance and family leadership-he gave his birthright to Jacob in exchange for satisfying his hunger with a hot meal after a hunting expedition. As history would play out, the Edomites were already in Canaan when the Israelites arrived at the Promised Land, took control of the region, and eventually supplanted the Edomites from the land, exerting dominance over them. Jacob’s reception of the birthright over Esau foreshadowed the historical episode of the relationship between Israel and Edom. Both of these stories reveal how God bestows his gifts on WHOMEVER HE PLEASES without the consideration of custom or precedence, as in his gifts to Jacob and the Israelites. Esau’s bartering of his birthright for food serves as an example of the danger of allowing the gratification of OUR APPETITES to take precedence OVER OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES. The VIRTUE OF TEMPERANCE places our appetites and passions at the service of living a moral life and development of a spiritual life. (CCC 37, 1809, 2341)


Genesis 26:1-35 Certain events in the life of Isaac bear resemblance of that of his father, Abraham: he passed his wife off as his sister; he fought over a well; he made treaties with his neighbors; and he was promised a multitude of descendants by God. Isaac, who was the bearer of God’s covenant, was a man of FAITH AND TRUST who followed the example of his father, Abraham. (CCC 1814-1816, 2489, 2510)


Job 15:1-35 In his second discourse, Eliphaz used CIRCULAR LOGIC: How dare Job question God about his suffering when the suffering itself was a sure sign that he had seriously sinned? Why did Job, who thought himself wise, not defer to the authority of his visitors, who repeated the traditional wisdom of the times with compelling arguments? Eliphaz also rebutted one of Job’s statements by repeating that those who do evil and seem to prosper in this life will eventually suffer pain and loss on account of their sins.


Ch 16:1-22 Job felt abandoned by God and bemoaned what he perceived as God’s rejection of him. My witness is in heaven: In his prayer Job expressed hope that God would eventually recognize his innocence and judge him correctly; he also articulated trust that he would be vindicated by the same God who allowed him to be tormented for a time.

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)




Prayer by Fr. Mike: "Father in Heaven, we give you praise and glory. We thank you again for your Word. We thank you for bringing us into this two complete weeks that we have been listening to your Word, that we have been allowing it to shape our minds and our hearts so that we can have a worldview that is shaped by you, that we can look at this world in a way that is formed by you, not formed by the brokenness around us, but is formed by brokenness that has been touched by your Grace. Father, we ask that you please touch us in our brokenness with your Grace. Make us whole. Make us new. Make us yours. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen."