Hebrews 12:9-17 NKJV
9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
Today’s reading tells us once again to strengthen our hands and make smooth paths for our feet. This means pursuing peace with all people, “as much as depends on you” (Rom 12:18). This also means pursuing holiness, “without which no will see the Lord” (14). We are counted righteous and holy in God’s sight by faith in Christ, and as such, we are to pursue holiness in our thoughts, words, and behaviors. If we do not pursue holiness but let the root of bitterness—the sinful flesh—grow in us instead, we defile ourselves and abandon the birthright given us to us in the new birth of baptism.
Esau is an Old Testament example of this. The birthright—which included one as an ancestor of the Messiah—belonged to him as the firstborn son of Isaac. However, in Genesis 25:34-39 he sold his birthright to his younger brother, Jacob, for a bowl of stew. He despised his birthright, which means he thought little of it. Later, when he repented and wanted to inherit the blessing of Abraham and Isaac, he was rejected because he “found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears” (17). This does not mean that Esau was truly sorry for offending God. He was only sorry he had harmed himself. This is false repentance.
Esau’s example teaches us two things. First, it warns against purposely sinning, choosing sin’s pleasures over holiness. If we do this, we despise our birthright as Esau did. Second, if we purposely sin, we must not, as Esau did, approach God with a false repentance that is only sorry we were caught, or only mourns the fact that we’ve harmed ourselves. We must, instead, approach God, acknowledging our sin and that that we have offended God. Then, trusting God’s promise in the gospel, receive the forgiveness of our sin, the restoration as sons of God, and the Holy Spirit so that, with His aid, we might go and sin that sin no more.
Let us pray: Increase in us Your Holy Spirit, O Lord, that we do not despise the heavenly birthright You give us in holy baptism but cherish it and use it each day in our fight against sin, and as motivation to pursue peace with all people and holiness of living. Amen.