Carelessly Esau sold his birthright away for a bowl of soup. Notwithstanding Jacob’s deception or Rachel’s complicity, Esau did not live a sober life. He was so confident in himself that he considered his own ability greater than his priceless birthright. Unfortunately at the end he found himself empty and without the final blessing of his father. The Root was pride. Arrogance made him numb to the value of the birthright. A haughty spirit possessed him as it does in so many people who think that they can recover, regardless of their flippant approach to the most sacred things in life. Esau worked on the outward, disregarding the inward and it cost him everything.
Consider Samson. He disrespected his parents and their years of commitment regarding his life. He dishonored the Lord’s anointing as he played the game of power and retribution against the Philistines. In the end, Samson lost his anointing; his eyesight, and his life. The root was much the same as Esau. Both ignored a root issue that metastasized into a perilous moment. Paul said 1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
The Lord’s Prayer considered this point when Jesus said, “Pray, …give us this day our daily bread…” It was meant as a reliance upon God.
Jesus knew that not all needed food. He knew that not all were hungry, but this was meant as a confession that even our most basic needs come from God. It was a statement of humility that declared without Him we have nothing. The Root was the acknowledgement of God! All things came from Him. He is the source of all things. Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” If we can get the Root right; the one where God is the center and we acknowledge that He provides all anointing and blessing, then we will thrive and flourish.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole