In that moment, there was a decision created, and that decision was this: there was a bowl, and there was a birthright.
Jacob says: sell me your birthright first. Then Esau makes the stupidest statement in the whole Bible, saying: “what good is my birthright to me, if I'll die without what's in the bowl”? What good is my birthright to me?
It says that he despised his birthright, meaning to profane it. It's the word profane, where we get the word profanity. It means to take something that was sacred, and treat it as common.
He treated his birthright as profanity, taking something as sacred as: God's call on his life; and he traded it for a bowl.
They make fun of him, and throw in a slam. Moses said: so that's why, from this day forward, they called him “Edom, Edom”, which means “the red man”.
The Edomites came from the red region - they were descendants from the “red man”.
From this day forward, everybody reminded him of this one decision he made, to trade everything he could be for a bowl of 'edom, 'edom.
Birthright, first of all, was: the carrying of the family name for survival. Birthright was everything. They were nomadic people - all related. Everybody picked up tents and just went; and their aunts and uncles lived next to them. Your carrying of your family name was huge for the survival of the surname - symbolic of everything your family stood for; it reflected on the whole family.
Birthright entitled you to twice the inheritance - a double portion - compensation for all the responsibility you had as a first born.
He said: what good is my birthright to me?
A birthright was a summary statement of everything a person could be, a destiny, a family tree, everything they could be; and he traded everything he could be, for one momentary urge - the 'edom, 'edom.
Have you ever traded God's best for your life, for one momentary urge? Has your eye ever hooked to something, and even though it wasn't of God, it wasn't a part of God's plan for your life, you convinced yourself: 'edom, 'edom - I'll die without what's in that bowl?
Satan always says: yep, trade me your birthright first; then I'll give it to you. He never lets you taste what's in the bowl first. Trade everything you could be; then I'll give you, what you think you'll die without.
How many can attest, that once you trade everything you could be, for one urge - once you have the urge, it wasn't worth it? It just wasn't worth it. Some of us have made decisions so poor in this that every day we're reminded: I traded what I could be, for one bowl. I traded everything I could be for one bowl. The Bible is full of stuff like this.
Exodus 3:10-11 , God is talking to Moses saying: now go. I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God: who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? So God says: Moses, I have this huge plan for you, this huge birthright, this huge destiny. I want you to be responsible for getting 3-5 million people out of slavery into freedom. That's huge - and I've called you to do it; and Moses says: why me?
Exodus 4:10-12 the conversation goes on for the whole chapter. Moses said to the Lord: O Lord, I have never been eloquent - neither in the past, or since You have spoken to Your servants; I am slow of speech and tongue. And the Lord said to him: who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight, or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go. I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say.