A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Harvest scene on a Lancaster County Amish farm
"A
Lesson From Lentil Stew"
Listen to our
message on your audio player.
"So Esau despised his birthright" (Genesis 25:34).
We had a special time Saturday evening on the Old Windmill Farm. Our friends Jesse and Anna Ruth give farm tours of their authentic Amish farm and are meeting many, many people from all over the world. A family from India (now living in Maryland) took a farm tour months ago and have been back several times, befriending the Lapp family. They have a strong Christian witness, becoming believers, while living in India prior to coming to the USA.
They brought an Indian meal to share with the Lapp family and we were also invited. It was a wonderful evening and we sure enjoyed the food and fellowship. The meal included several types of seasoned lentil stews. My previous experience with lentils is the sample tables at Costco and I normally refrained from that sample since there are usually many other samples available I tend to enjoy more! But the seasoning and broths (probably lots of cumin seasoning) really added a lot of tasty flavor to the lentils.
When studying the Bible and the stories from history there are at least two types of value:
Today's
story is found in Genesis 25:27-34. Esau
and Jacob, the twin boys of Isaac and
Rebekah, had grown up and each demonstrated
different interests. Jacob who had a pattern
of deception cunningly used his own
brother's weakness to his own advantage, in
stealing his birthright.
Here's the context: "When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, 'Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.' Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, 'First sell me your birthright.' Esau said, 'Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?' And Jacob said, 'First swear to me'; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright" (Genesis 25: 29-34).
There's so much to learn in this story.
Daily
prayer: Father,
it's a fact that others judge us by our
actions, but You judge us by our motives.
You know the very intent of our heart so we
cannot deceive You by our words or actions.
Purify our hearts, let us be as gold and
precious silver, so that we are of great
worth in the kingdom of God. When impurities
are removed our motives are pure and guide
our actions which brings about a powerful
witness for the sake of the gospel. It also
keeps us out of the kind of trouble that is
of our own doing so that we more steadily
build a firm foundation based upon the Word
of God. Keep us on the righteous path all
our days, we pray. Amen.
Indian families on the Old Windmill Farm. Interestingly, in light of today's text, these children are also twins!
Last night we
attended an outdoor concert in Lebanon, PA to
hear Guy Penrod who sang for many years with
the Gaither Vocal Band.
"Revelation Song" Video Guy Penrod
In 2010 John and Bonita Watts from Tulsa, OK stopped by to meet us. Tulsa is a large city but as we got acquainted we learned that they both worked for a number of years at Bama with Brooksyne's Aunt Ramona. Bonita served as director of development for many years, creating some of their recipes. You may never have heard of Bama but you've probably eaten their delicious food. They make the biscuits and fruit pies sold at McDonalds and pizza crust at Pizza Hut - makes me hungry just to write about it. We've stayed in touch with this couple via Daily Encouragement. We were so saddened to learn that they were killed in an automobile accident near their home early this month. We had just corresponded via email only days earlier.
Message
summary: May today's
story reinforce in our lives the much
greater value of long-term rewards over
short-term gain.
Listen to our
message on your audio player."So Esau despised his birthright" (Genesis 25:34).
We had a special time Saturday evening on the Old Windmill Farm. Our friends Jesse and Anna Ruth give farm tours of their authentic Amish farm and are meeting many, many people from all over the world. A family from India (now living in Maryland) took a farm tour months ago and have been back several times, befriending the Lapp family. They have a strong Christian witness, becoming believers, while living in India prior to coming to the USA.
They brought an Indian meal to share with the Lapp family and we were also invited. It was a wonderful evening and we sure enjoyed the food and fellowship. The meal included several types of seasoned lentil stews. My previous experience with lentils is the sample tables at Costco and I normally refrained from that sample since there are usually many other samples available I tend to enjoy more! But the seasoning and broths (probably lots of cumin seasoning) really added a lot of tasty flavor to the lentils.
While
we were commenting on the tasty food Jesse
asked where in the Bible lentils are
mentioned and Brooksyne correctly recalled
today's text. Lentils are an edible legume
and a dietary staple throughout regions of
India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and
Nepal. But interestingly the majority of
world production comes from Canada.
When studying the Bible and the stories from history there are at least two types of value:
- These stories provide the historical background for later events as part of the one story of the Bible.
- These stories contain
lessons that are applicable to any age and
culture. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10,
in regard to events recorded in the Old
Testament, "Now these things happened
to them as an example, and they were
written for our instruction" (v.11).
Today's
story is found in Genesis 25:27-34. Esau
and Jacob, the twin boys of Isaac and
Rebekah, had grown up and each demonstrated
different interests. Jacob who had a pattern
of deception cunningly used his own
brother's weakness to his own advantage, in
stealing his birthright.Here's the context: "When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, 'Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.' Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, 'First sell me your birthright.' Esau said, 'Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?' And Jacob said, 'First swear to me'; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright" (Genesis 25: 29-34).
There's so much to learn in this story.
- Jacob's cunning plan to
get his own way is an example of people
manipulating, showing warts and all.
Exposing the real motives behind one's
actions reveals a person's true character.
It's easier to read about another's
manipulative ways, such as Jacob, than to
examine our own motives and strategy when
seeking to have our own way.
- The parents demonstrable
favoritism. "Now Isaac loved Esau, but
Rebekah loved Jacob" (v. 28). It
seems they missed one of the "Focus On The
Family" programs!
- Esau's overstatement of
being "famished" and "about to
die". Now I am sure he was very
hungry after being out in the field but
was he really "about to die"? I
don't think so! Yet how often do we tend
to overstate a matter to advance our
agenda?
But
today let us just consider the phrase this
account ends with: "So
Esau despised his birthright"
The birthright had to do with both inheritance of goods and position. Esau acted impulsively. He did not value his birthright over a bowl of lentil stew. By his actions, Esau demonstrated that he did not deserve to be the one who continues Abraham's responsibilities and rewards under God's covenant, since he did not have the steady, thoughtful qualities which were required.
Like Esau, in many ways we all face many tests in life between the short-term gain and the long-term reward.
A great example of one who passed this test was Moses who, "By faith, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward" (Hebrews 11:24-26).
On the other hand the Scriptures demonstrate their integrity by showing not only the positive qualities of great characters but also the negative. It records the story of David and his dalliance with Bathsheba. What a costly sin David experienced for the passing pleasures of sin. So many were adversely affected.
The birthright had to do with both inheritance of goods and position. Esau acted impulsively. He did not value his birthright over a bowl of lentil stew. By his actions, Esau demonstrated that he did not deserve to be the one who continues Abraham's responsibilities and rewards under God's covenant, since he did not have the steady, thoughtful qualities which were required.
Like Esau, in many ways we all face many tests in life between the short-term gain and the long-term reward.
A great example of one who passed this test was Moses who, "By faith, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward" (Hebrews 11:24-26).
On the other hand the Scriptures demonstrate their integrity by showing not only the positive qualities of great characters but also the negative. It records the story of David and his dalliance with Bathsheba. What a costly sin David experienced for the passing pleasures of sin. So many were adversely affected.
How
often in our own lives do we foolishly rob
ourselves of a future blessing in favor of
instant gratification? May today's story
reinforce in our lives the much greater
value of long-term rewards over short-term
gain.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
it's a fact that others judge us by our
actions, but You judge us by our motives.
You know the very intent of our heart so we
cannot deceive You by our words or actions.
Purify our hearts, let us be as gold and
precious silver, so that we are of great
worth in the kingdom of God. When impurities
are removed our motives are pure and guide
our actions which brings about a powerful
witness for the sake of the gospel. It also
keeps us out of the kind of trouble that is
of our own doing so that we more steadily
build a firm foundation based upon the Word
of God. Keep us on the righteous path all
our days, we pray. Amen.Today's
account describes one of two sets of twins
in the Bible (the others are Perez and Zerah
found in Genesis 38.) Yesterday afternoon we
attended a "remake" of the "Old-Fashioned
Revival Hour" broadcast (we'll share more
about that tomorrow). We met these two sets
of twins who have been longtime friends.
Richard and Robert Mellinger were born one
week after Brooksyne in 1955. Verna and
Viola Mueller we born in 1933. Each year
they travel out with a third set of twins to
the Twinsburg
Ohio Twin Days Festival recorded as
the largest annual gathering of twins in the
world by the Guinness Book of World Records.
(I know Richard and Robert as they run a
business where I buy coal.)
Indian families on the Old Windmill Farm. Interestingly, in light of today's text, these children are also twins!
Tasty
Indian meal on the Old Windmill Farm and
great fellowship!
Jesse
and Anna Ruth had an outstanding day of
agri-tourism on Saturday, their best ever.
When we arrived the last tour came, a family
from New Jersey. A highlight for each tour
is watching the pig slide but Jesse had to
remind them that these pigs had been going
down the slide all day and were tired!
The
Strasburg scooters bring additional color to
the already colorful Old Windmill Farm! Many
tourists rent them while exploring Strasburg
and the surrounding rural area.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Last night we
attended an outdoor concert in Lebanon, PA to
hear Guy Penrod who sang for many years with
the Gaither Vocal Band.It
was a beautiful evening with a huge crowd and
we were blessed by the music and his preaching
between songs.
Here
are several songs we enjoyed last night:
"Revelation Song" Video Guy Penrod
"You
Reign" Video Guy Penrod
"Victory
In Jesus" Video Guy Penrod
"If You Knew Him"
Video
The Perrys
We met two Indian men Saturday night, Raj and
his wife's uncle, Samson. Both shared their
testimony as Christians for several
generations. Samson shared of a method he used
In India to present the truth claims of Christ by focusing on the empty tomb.
That brought to mind this song, "If You Knew
Him"!
Finally today:
Finally today:
In 2010 John and Bonita Watts from Tulsa, OK stopped by to meet us. Tulsa is a large city but as we got acquainted we learned that they both worked for a number of years at Bama with Brooksyne's Aunt Ramona. Bonita served as director of development for many years, creating some of their recipes. You may never have heard of Bama but you've probably eaten their delicious food. They make the biscuits and fruit pies sold at McDonalds and pizza crust at Pizza Hut - makes me hungry just to write about it. We've stayed in touch with this couple via Daily Encouragement. We were so saddened to learn that they were killed in an automobile accident near their home early this month. We had just corresponded via email only days earlier.
We see a lot
of interesting scenes driving through rural
Lancaster County such as the harvest we have
at the top today. One of the great benefits of
digital photography is just snapping away not
worrying about film and development costs. So
we often take them on the fly. After getting
home I noticed that that this photo gives the
appearance that the silo is being moved on the
hay wagon! (Sorry about the blurriness of this
photo but as I said we take many on the fly.)
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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