Hunger Pains

I want you to open your Bibles this morning to Genesis chapter 25.

Genesis 25 · chapter mention

And when you find Genesis chapter 25, hold uh mark Genesis 25 in some way, and then turn over to Hosea chapter 1.

Genesis 25 · chapter mention Hosea 1 · chapter mention

Now I want to tell you it's okay if you have to look in the table of contents.

I just did myself.

Couldn't find Hosea.

It's 12 from the end of the Old Testament.

So if that helps you, we are in a series called Defining Moments.

And I was thinking the other day about defining moments.

Defining moments do not happen in our lives every day, they happen from time to time.

And usually, what is true of a defining moment is that we don't realize we're even in one until later.

And we look back because of some consequence that we're living in, and we say about that decision, you know, if I could do that decision over, I believe I'd use more wisdom this time.

Well, you need to know that to God, that represents a victory in your life.

Because if you grow in wisdom from your life experience, God counts that successful.

But what happens inside of a defining moment is the work of God.

That's what makes it defining.

And inside of our defining moments, God is orchestrating our circumstances and he's moving the pieces around in order to bring us to a point of decision.

And God watches the way we make those decisions.

Proverbs 16, verse 26 says, the laborer's appetite works for him.

Proverbs 16:26

His hunger drives him on.

I want to tell you that every decision that you and I make is fueled by a hunger of some sort.

There are days that I get up in the morning and I'd rather go play golf than come to work.

There are days that I'm on my way to work and somebody passes me in a brand new car and I get hungry to go get a new car.

Mr.

Budget always says it's not time for that yet.

But what drives every decision that we make is a hunger for some sort.

And God wants wisdom to temper our desires.

Inside of those decisions, what God is trying to do is take our attention off of temporary business only and put them on to eternal things.

He's trying to get our attention off of physical things so that we can see spiritual things as well.

And so this morning I want to visit with you about three people from God's Word who struggled with various hungers for things.

And God dealt with them in very specific ways.

And I think we're going to learn a lot of things about ourselves and about the Lord this morning.

That brings us to the very first point, and that's this hungering for the right thing the right way.

And I want to take you to the book of Hosea for us to look at this.

Now, there are 66 books in the Bible.

65 of those books talk to us about who God is, what God is like, how we relate to God, and what God expects of us.

But Hosea is the only book in the Bible that teaches us what it feels like to be God.

What God is trying to teach Hosea is to want the things of God from the inside out.

Now, this is why the book of Hosea is so important for us today, because most of us were taught the way to desire the ways of God from the outside in.

In other words, well, God is for this and against that, so I'm going to try real hard to be for this and against that too.

Well, I want to tell you that that's not a bad thing.

I don't want to totally discount that.

In fact, aren't there things that all of us do?

We do because God wants us to do, but it's not really in our heart to do.

I don't want to totally discount that.

In fact, that's better than disobedience.

But what if you and I could actually come to the place where we want what God wants from the inside out.

That's what God is teaching Hosea.

And if you've never read through the book of Hosea, you may be surprised at how God goes about this.

Look with me at Hosea chapter 1, beginning in verse 2.

Hosea 1 · chapter mention

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, Go take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.

And so he married Gomer, the daughter of Diblayim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Now here's what happens.

God looks and sees that his people have become adulterous with other gods.

And so God calls Hosea, and Hosea goes out, and he marries a prostitute.

And if that's not bad enough, her name is Gomer.

I hope she had a good personality.

Because there's a lot stacked against her at this point.

And then they begin to name their children horrible names.

And I want you to pick up the story with me in chapter 3, because sadly enough, Gomer does not change her ways after she gets married.

Look with me in Hosea chapter 3, beginning in verse 1.

Hosea 3 · chapter mention

The Lord said to me, Go show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress.

Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.

So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver, and about a Homer and a Lathec of barley.

And then I told her, You are to live with me many days.

You must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you.

Now it's one thing for God to use the imagery of adultery with Hosea.

This is not original with Hosea.

Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel use the very same imagery in relationship to Israel.

But what is peculiar about Hosea is that God doesn't just call him to speak a message of adultery, but to go and live these things out in the midst of his people.

Scholars call this sympathy with the divine pathos.

Feeling what God feels.

How hard would it be to have a spouse like that and to say, I still want you.

My hunch is that when Hosea brings this message, he's not just thinking what God is thinking, he is feeling what God is feeling.

Now I went into this just a moment ago, but I want to, I really want to challenge this just for a moment.

The reason Hosea is so important to us today is because most of us have been taught to approach Christianity opposite than Hosea.

In other words, most of us have been taught to obey God from the outside in, not from the inside out.

A lot of times we obey God either because we want the blessings that come with obedience, or because we don't want horrible things to happen to us.

In other words, we learn to obey God not so much because we love God, but because we don't like the consequences of disobedience.

Friends, it is entirely possible to obey God for completely selfish purposes.

And I want to tell you that what God offers to every single one of us as children of God is that we can live so closely with Him that we begin to desire the things of God from the inside out.

Psalm 37, 4 says, Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

When we live intimately with God, he begins to put things inside of us.

And in the context of that relationship, as a good father, he rejoices to bring those things to pass in our lives.

Well, turn it, go ahead and turn over to Genesis chapter 25.

Genesis 25 · chapter mention

And I want to transition now to a couple of other guys that really struggled with the things of God in their own personal hunger.

This is the story of Jacob and Esau.

It's a very familiar passage with all of us.

It's got a pretty big lead in, and we're going to get to a couple of those things in just a moment, but I want you to pick the story up with me in verse 29.

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country famished.

He said to Jacob, Quick, let me have some of that red stew.

I'm famished.

That is why he was also called Edom.

Jacob replied, First, sell me your birthright.

Look, I'm about to die, Esau said, What good is the birthright to me?

But Jacob said, Swear to me first.

And so he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.

He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Now most of us have heard a preacher say in the past that Jacob stole the birthright from Esau.

Friends, look for yourselves.

He didn't steal that birthright.

Now, Jacob is no prince in this story, but he stole nothing.

The truth is, Esau gave it away.

And one of the reasons that it's difficult for us to understand this story is because of the way it lays out in Genesis chapter 25.

Genesis 25 · chapter mention

I mean, we would think to ourselves, you know what, he's a kid.

I mean, look down in your Bibles.

Genesis 25, look at verse 25.

In verse 25, Esau is born.

Verse 26, Jacob is born.

Verse 27 says, and the boys grew up.

Verse 29, the negotiation begins.

Here's what you need to know.

In that culture, a Jewish man was not considered to be full grown and in control of his own estate until he was 30 years old.

Joseph was 30 years old when he rose to serve the king of Egypt.

David was 30 years old when he became king of Judah.

Jesus was 30 years old when he began his public ministry.

The truth is, Esau did not have the authority to sell his birthright until he was 30 years old.

And we look at this and we think, you know what?

He's just a kid here.

Come on.

All kids make mistakes.

We would even expect this of a 14, 15, 16, even a 17-year-old boy.

Friends, he is a grown man.

And the truth is, he may have been closer to 40 years of age by this time.

Now, I want to talk just for a moment about the birthright.

We don't have time to go into the birthright in depth today.

But it's important to know what was so important about the birthright to Jacob.

The definition of birthright is this: what is given to you by God by virtue of your birth.

And if you read through the Old Testament, you'd have to read with specific eyes.

There are 12 to 15 very specific things that went along with the birthright.

Four are very important for our understanding today.

One is spiritual authority in the family.

Two, judicial authority in the family.

Priests and kings.

Are you tracking with me?

I've read that in the New Testament as it pertains to you.

Spiritual authority in the family, judicial authority in the family.

Third is the double portion of the inheritance.

Now that's the one we've all heard about, right?

We think about the birthright.

Yeah, we know what the birthright is.

That's the double portion of the inheritance.

Not so fast, friends.

It was important, but the financial piece was the smallest piece of what's happening here.

And fourth, this is the big one.

Fourth is the promise of the seed through which every nation of the earth would be blessed.

It had been promised to Abraham, it had been passed on to Isaac, and it was inherent in this birthright.

And even though Jacob and Esau could not have understood everything that you and I understand today about Messiah, they knew this is huge.

This is big.

And there are eternal things that are at stake here.

Friends, the birthright was not all about money.

It was way more spiritual than it was financial.

The difference between Jacob and Esau came down to values.

Esau hungered for the wrong thing.

But did you know that it's possible for us to hunger for the right thing the wrong way?

That brings us to our second point today in your outline is hungering for the right thing the wrong way.

Let me tell you what I mean by that.

James 4, verse 1 says this.

James 4:1

Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

You want something but don't get it.

You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.

You quarrel and fight.

You do not have because you do not ask God.

Now listen, when you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your own pleasures.

Proverbs 16 and verse 2 puts it this way.

But the Lord weighs the motives.

Did you know that your motives are important to God?

It is not just important that you go after the right thing.

God wants to know why you're interested in that.

You see, we see Jacob as the hero of this story.

I mean, the birthright's a good thing to have.

One could use the birthright and do a lot of good with that, couldn't he?

Besides all that, before he was born, it was prophesied to be his.

So why, in this moment, should Jacob not go after it?

Seize the moment.

I'll tell you why.

Yeah, he went after the right thing.

But friends, do not forget that he had to manipulate Esau to get it.

Friends, anything that you have to send to get, God is not in.

This is like cheating on your taxes and promising to give half of it to God.

This is like falsifying a resume because you know what?

I could really do a lot for the kingdom with that job.

This is like going on a missions trip, calling in sick the morning you leave so you won't have to burn vacation days at work.

This is like doctoring up an expense report because, well, you know, I'm sending my kids to Christian college.

Friends, anything you have to send to get, God is not in.

And Jacob will have to deal with his manipulation in the future.

In fact, for years after this, Jacob lived in fear of Esau.

For good reason.

This blessing brought a lot of trouble to Jacob.

But look what Proverbs 10, 22 says.

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth.

And he adds no trouble to it.

You know, the only reason you and I sin is because we think that sin will give us something better than whatever God is offering us at the time.

And it's just not true.

Jesus put it this way, in John 14, 6, he says, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

Friends, it is impossible to lay hold of the truth and the life of Jesus separate from the way of Jesus.

Anytime we compromise the way of God, whatever we get as a result is itself compromised.

Because our heart has been compromised.

I've got to be honest with you this morning to tell you that there are times that I really wonder, if I'm a Jacob kind of a Christian, I really have to keep a tight rein on my heart.

As far as my motivations go.

Let me tell you what I mean by a Jacob kind of a Christian.

A Jacob kind of a Christian wants to go to heaven because he hates hell, not because he loves Jesus.

Selah.

A Jacob kind of a Christian hungers for prosperity because he loves money, not because he wants to build the kingdom.

A Jacob kind of a Christian hungers for healing because he hates being sick.

Not because it really makes God look good.

A Jacob kind of a Christian hungers for freedom because he hates bondage.

Not because that freedom will let him get closer to Jesus.

Friends, our motivations are important.

God watches the motivations of our hearts.

And he longs to bring us to a place where we want what he wants the right way.

That brings us to the third thing, and that is hungering for the wrong thing the wrong way.

And I want to use Esau to illustrate that.

Here was Esau's logic.

Look, I'm about to die.

What good is the birthright to me?

In other words, if I don't eat right now, I'm gonna die.

Give me a break, people.

I've heard this before.

I've got five little children at home.

They go out to play in the summertime, they come in dripping with sweat.

They're not just hot, they're burning.

They go out to play in the wintertime, they come in, they're not just cold, they're they're not just hungry, they're Esau is a grown man.

I still struggle to get hold of this text.

A grown man who was so loose with with the control of his own soul that all he could think about was his hunger pains.

You know, let me tell you something.

I don't believe Esau really thought this.

And I'll tell you why in just a moment.

But I'll tell you something else.

Jacob sure didn't believe it.

Jacob sure did not believe that Esau would die if he didn't eat.

Because if he did, wouldn't it have been a lot more simple just to let him kill over?

Then he gets the birthright without a struggle.

Doesn't that make a lot more?

Sense.

You see, the birthright emphasizes eternal things over temporary things.

Poor Esau fell for the biggest lie in history.

That eternity really doesn't matter today.

Esau despised the birthright.

Esau was nothing more than a consumer.

You know, I spent four months trying to figure out what would cause Esau to do something so foolish.

I was looking for some deep theological truth buried in the Hebrew language there.

Let me tell you something.

It's not complicated.

Esau is not a deep guy.

This is not complicated.

The answer for why he did it is very, very simple.

You know why Esau did it?

To make his hunger pains go away.

Listen, friends, people who deaden their pain never discover their hunger for God.

And if we live for pain relief, we become addicted to whatever provides that relief.

Jesus said in Matthew 24, verse 12, because of the increase of wickedness, talking about the last days, because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.

Matthew 24:12

But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Now that little word most is a very disconcerting word to me.

The love of most will grow cold.

Why?

Because of the increase of wickedness.

That word for wickedness actually means lawlessness.

And some of your Bibles say because of the increase of lawlessness.

Let me tell you why Jesus said this.

Because people violate laws by violating other people.

And anytime you and I are violated by another person, it causes us pain.

And if we don't find God in our pain, Jesus said, our love for God will grow cold.

It's interesting to me that the writer of Hebrews reflected on this little story, and he does something very interesting that I want to point out to you.

Hebrews 12, verse 16 says, See that no one is sexually immoral or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

Hebrews 12:16

Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected.

He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.

Now here's what the writer of Hebrews says.

Esau hungered for the blessings of the birthright without the responsibility of the birthright.

Let me reword that for you.

Esau desired intimacy without covenant.

And that's why the writer of Hebrews links sexual immorality with godlessness.

The definition of sexual immorality is a desire for intimacy without covenant.

It's when a person wants the blessings of the covenant without the responsibility of the covenant.

And in sexual immorality, a person seeks another person not because of the other person's value, but for personal gratification.

Godlessness is when we seek the things of God for our own personal interest and gratification with no regard whatsoever for the things of God.

Friends, our decisions really do matter.

Our choices make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of those we love.

And if that's not enough, one day you and I will stand before God.

And we will give an account of our lives, and that day is every bit as real as today.

And when we stand before God, God will say, What did you do with what I gave you?

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 12, he said, For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 12, 36, but I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Friends, don't ever mortgage your future on the desires of the present.

Because there will come a day in all of our lives when we say to God, Would that I had given you more than I gave you.

Esau gave away a freight load of spiritual blessing on the earth for a moment of satisfaction.

And that single moment would define his entire life.

We're still talking about it today.

I want to close in James chapter 4 with you.

James 4 · chapter mention

He says something that captures the essence of this Jacob and Esau story, James chapter 4, beginning in verse 13.

James 4 · chapter mention

He says, Now listen, you who say today or tomorrow we'll go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make money?

Why you don't even know what will happen tomorrow.

And here's what I'm after.

What is your life?

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

What if God came right now and said, okay, here's the deal.

The way you spend the next 24 hours is going to determine how you spend all the rest of eternity.

How do you suppose you and I would live between now and this time tomorrow?

You think you'd pray through some things?

Watch your steps, watch your words?

Listen, when we get to eternity, all of our days on the earth will seem to us like a vapor.

And it's gone.

Don't ever mortgage your eternity for today.

Let's bow our heads and close our eyes.