"Gut" Decisions

 December 17, 2024

Tuesday

Genesis 25:29-34 (ESV) ²⁹  Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. ³⁰  And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) ³¹  Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” ³²  Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” ³³  Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴  Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

There is something to be said for "gut" reactions:

The "science of gut reactions," often referred to as the "gut-brain connection," explains how signals from the gastrointestinal tract, via the vagus nerve, can directly influence our brain function, impacting emotions, mood, and even decision-making, essentially allowing us to experience "gut feelings" when processing information or facing situations; this connection is facilitated by a complex network of neurons in the gut, sometimes called the "second brain," which communicates with the central nervous system through neurotransmitters produced by gut bacteria.  (from an AI on the internet)

It appears that Esau had a gut reaction. He was hungry, possibly extremely hungry. He was willing to sell something that was his for his lifetime for something that would only satisfy him until the next meal. He let his "feeling" overrule any rational thought. Thus, he lost something much more valuable than a meal.

Isn't that true for a lot of things? People will trade their health for drugs. They will trade their future education for a new car. They will trade their children for a nice house (they work too long and never see their children). They will decide against salvation to continue a hedonistic lifestyle. 

Life is always about trades. You are always deciding to do one thing over another. You are always asking whether something is worth it. "Gut" reactions can lead you to emptiness. All things need to be evaluated at the moment of decision and good decisions involve the future.

If Esau had truly considered what he was giving up, he would have gone hungry a little longer. Was there no place he could get something to eat? Weren't Isaac's servants likely to give him something if he asked? It seems that he overreacted to his starving to death.

Jacob took advantage of the situation. He asked for something great that he could not get any other way. He asked for the older son's birthright. And he got it for a single meal. Later, Esau will say that Jacob cheated him out of his birthright. It appears that Jacob knew his brother all to well. He knew when to ask and what to ask for.

How many people will fill their lives with regrets because they traded off something valuable for something so temporary that it won't hardly be remembered later?