One Plate of Red Stew

One pot dey boil for fire. Di smell of lentils and spices dey spread across di camp. One young man stagger come in from di open country, hunger dey kill am. And im brother, wey dey stir di pot, get one idea.

Isaac be forty years when e marry Rebekah. But, just like Isaac own papa and mama, dem no fit get pikin. So Isaac pray for im wife, and di Lord answer am. Rebekah get belle. Twins. And dis twins no wait make dem born dem before dem start to fight. Dem struggle so hard inside her dat Rebekah cry out, If na so e be, why dis one dey happen to me? And she go ask di Lord.

Two nations dey inside your womb. Two peoples go separate from inside you. One go strong pass di other, and di senior go serve di junior.

When time reach, di first baby come out red all over, and hair cover am like furry coat. Dem name am Esau. Then im brother come out, and im small hand hold Esau heel. So dem name am Jacob, wey sound like di Hebrew word for heel. Isaac be sixty years. E don wait twenty years for dis boys.

Di boys grow, and dem no fit different pass dat. Esau na hunter wey sabi hunt well well, man of di open country, e dey always go out with im bow. Jacob na quiet man wey dey stay among di tents. And di parents take side. Isaac love Esau, because e like to chop di bush meat wey Esau dey bring come house. Rebekah love Jacob. Genesis talk am straight, without comment. You fit already feel di trouble wey dey come.

One day Jacob dey cook stew. Esau come in from di open country, e don tire finish and hunger dey catch am. Quick, give me some of dat red food, dat red stew! Hunger dey kill me! Na so e take get im other name, Edom, wey mean red. Jacob no reach for plate. E talk, First, sell me your birthright. Esau raise im two hands. Look, I wan die. Wetin birthright go do for me? Swear for me first, Jacob talk. So Esau swear oath, and e sell im birthright give im younger brother.

Then Jacob give Esau bread and lentil stew. And notice how Genesis tell di next part, with verbs wey follow each other quick quick. E chop. E drink. E stand up. E go. No second thought. No looking back. And then di narrator add one sentence of judgement, di only one for di whole story. So Esau despise im birthright. Jacob, di wayo man, don dey grab and calculate. Esau don dey careless with something wey precious. None of di two brothers come out of dis scene well. And yet di words wey God talk before dem born dem don dey begin happen.

So wetin exactly Esau give away? For ancient Israel, di first son get special place. When di papa die, di law of Moses give di first son double share of di inheritance, two times wetin each of im brothers go get. E dey usually become di head of di family after im papa. For Abraham family, di birthright also tie with God promises, di land, di descendants, di blessing for all nations. Esau exchange all of dat one for one meal.

Esau and Jacob, and di plate of red stew. You go find am for Genesis chapter twenty-five, verse nineteen to thirty-four. Esau exchange something wey go last for something wey go finish for few minutes. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin dey precious for your life wey you fit dey tempted to exchange for something quick?