He had the best chances. But for a quick advantage he squandered everything. Here is what the example of Esau teaches us today: warning signals from a divine service.
This birthright was quite something. After the death of his father Isaac, Esau was to receive the largest share of his estate, take over as head of the family, and inherit his promise, namely, to become the father of a great nation and thus a blessing for all of humankind.
And then Esau made a decision: “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” (Genesis 25: 32). This was the subject of a divine service in Kinzau, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 22 July 2025.
Brief gratification, eternal regrets
“As children of God, reborn out of water and the Spirit, we have received a birthright,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider explained. “God has chosen us to receive the inheritance of Jesus Christ. God wants to give us the same glory that He gave to Jesus Christ.” And: “This is what we have all been called for: to become a source of blessing for all of humankind in the thousand-year kingdom of peace.”
“Now God tells us through the Holy Spirit: ‘Be careful, do not lose this right, do not lose this grace, do not sell it.’” Esau did not value his birthright and, in a moment when he was famished, gave it up in exchange for a meal.
Learning to appreciate what is valuable
Those who may lose out on this promise are those who have not understood what a treasure it is that they possess, the Chief Apostle explained.
- These are children of God, for example, who are blinded by earthly things. They completely forget that all these things are transitory and only last for a certain amount of time.
- There are also those who do not have enough faith and trust in God. They do not integrate the Lord’s return into their personal lives.
- There are those who believe in all of this. But they want to be blessed on this earth and are not preparing for the return of the Lord.
When times are tough
Esau was tired and hungry when Jacob, his brother, snatched the birthright from him. When we are tired and suffer hardship, there is a great risk of losing our birthright, the Chief Apostle said.
For example: “Because there is an emergency, because there is something that we lack in our earthly lives, we suddenly neglect our soul.” Or: “To get out of a difficult situation, we commit one or more sins.” However: “It is precisely in moments such as these that God measures our faith, our trust, and our love.”
More than helping ourselves
Esau only thought of himself. He was completely indifferent to the promise of being a blessing to others. “In order to receive and keep the birthright, we must not only learn to love God, but also our neighbour,” the Chief Apostle said. “God has chosen us so that we may do good to others.”
“Let us not just prepare ourselves for the return of the Lord so that we are safe. Rather, our motivation is to help all human beings of all times so that they too can be saved,” the Chief Apostle explained.
And the best way to prepare ourselves to do good in the kingdom of peace is to do it today, Chief Apostle Schneider said in conclusion. “Let us do good to others today so that they may discover Christ and come to Him.”
