“An Option or the Decisive Choice 一個選擇或那抉擇“（Genesis 創世記 25:27-34）
… He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ … Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ ‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’ But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. … So Esau despised his birthright.
… 以掃對雅各說：“求你把這紅豆湯給我喝吧，因為我疲乏得很。” … 雅各說：“你要先把你的長子名分賣給我。”以掃說：“我快要死了，這長子名分對我有甚麼益處呢？”雅各說：“你先向我起誓吧。”以掃就向他起了誓，把自己的長子名分賣給雅各。… 以掃就這樣輕看了他的長子名分。
We may not be able to understand fully God’s choice of Jacob over Esau (before they were born) according to His divine wisdom, love, and goodness with reasons He alone knows and answers to, but we could learn from their respective responses toward God’s given birthright which involved both a material and a spiritual realm especially here determining who would inherit the covenant of a land, a nation and the Messiah God made with Abraham. Jacob was guilty of scheming in the flesh to gain something God said was already his. Yet we should remember the far greater blame was placed on Esau who valued only material things and despised his birthright thinking little of the spiritual heritage connected to it when he was hungry.
我們不可以完全明白，神按著祂自己天上的智慧、仁愛和美善，有著只有祂曉得和回答的理由，去揀雅各而不揀以掃的選擇（在他們出生之前），卻可以從他們對神賜予長子名分的各自回應裡學習，這長子名分涉及既是物質又是屬靈的領域，尤其是在這裡決定誰會承繼，神與亞伯拉罕所立領土、國族和尼賽之約。雅各是有憑血氣用計謀，要得到神已說了屬他的東西之過錯。然而，我們理應記得遠超乎更大的過錯責任是在於以掃，當他飢餓時只重視物質的慾望，輕看了他的長子名分，少有顧及與之相連的屬靈遺産。
Prayer: Oh Sovereign God, it is sad to see that spiritually speaking, many Christians today despise their ‘birthright’ in Jesus Christ neglecting or trading away this for cheap entertainment, momentary popularity, or passing pleasures. Help us not to be caught in the trap of either questioning your wisdom and sovereign or being judgmental toward others being saved or not, but to treasure our own spiritual ‘birthright’ here and now experiencing every spiritual blessing in Christ through the work of our indwelling Holy Spirit. Amen.
禱告：至高無上的神啊！屬靈上來說，今天許多的基督徒，輕看了他們在耶穌基督裡的「長子名分」，忽略或用它來與廉價的娛樂、片刻的名聲或瞬間的樂趣交易，看起來是令人憂傷的。求你幫助我們，不陷於質疑你的智慧和主權，或主觀地判定別人得救與否那個圈套裡，卻要當下對自己屬靈的「長子名分」珍而重之，透過我們內住聖靈的工作，經歷體驗在基督裡每樣屬靈的福氣。阿們。
