Now we must consider God's sovereignty in fulfilling the purpose of His selection. Firstly, we need to see that Esau despised and sold the birthright (25:30-34). The birthright, which God intends to give to His chosen people, includes three things: expressing God, representing God, and participating in the kingdom of God. We all have been chosen to express God in His image, represent Him with His dominion, and participate in His kingdom. The practical kingdom of God today is in the church life. By our second birth we all have obtained the birthright that we might express God in His image, represent Him in His dominion, and participate in His kingdom, both in the church today and in the kingdom in the future. Every regenerated person has this birthright.
Due to his love of physical enjoyments, that is, his love for the world and the worldly enjoyments, Esau despised his birthright (Heb. 12:16-17). The seller of the birthright should not blame the buyer. Although Jacob was subtle in buying it, Esau was willing to sell it. The deal could not have been consummated by one party alone. Like Esau, many regenerated Christians have despised their birthright, loving the worldly enjoyments and not caring for the preciousness of God's birthright. Most of today's Christians are like this. They do not care to express God, to represent Him, nor to be in God's kingdom in the church life. Thus, when the kingdom comes, they will have no share in it. In their life today they have sold their birthright. Due to the enjoyment of the physical things, they have neglected and despised their birthright. If they cared for God's expression, representation, and kingdom, they would stay in the proper church life, which is God's kingdom today.
How we thank the Lord that in the midst of today's degradation He has brought us into the church life, where we are practically in God's kingdom and where we are practicing how to express God and to represent Him. Here in the practical kingdom of God we are enjoying our birthright. We are unhappy with anything which frustrates us from expressing God or hinders us from representing Him, and we feel badly about anything that keeps us from the proper church life. If you are a Christian who is not practicing the expression of God and the representation of God in the practical kingdom of God today, then you are probably one who is despising your birthright. Be careful! None of us should despise our birthright, giving it up for a little enjoyment of the physical things. Rather, we must despise all the things of today's world. Nothing is as precious as our birthright. Nothing is more valuable than expressing God, representing God, and participating in the kingdom of God. If we remain in the church life enjoying our birthright, we shall share in the coming kingdom where we shall express God and represent Him for His purpose. This is our birthright. May we all be today's Jacobs, not today's Esaus. We should praise the Lord for His selection and thank Him for His transformation. Yet, we must be warned to honor and respect our birthright.
God was sovereign in Esau's despising and selling of the birthright, in Rebekah's ingeniousness in her partial love, and in Isaac's blindness in blessing. All that Esau, Rebekah, and Isaac were and did worked together for Jacob's good, that God might sovereignly fulfill the purpose of His selection. Praise God for His sovereignty! And thank the Lord for His dealing with us in every situation.