Tag Archives: fraud

What did Esau despise on the day he gave up his birthright?

Second of two parts on Esau’s disregard for the birthright

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:31-34

Although etymologically the word “firstborn” refers to the first of the generation to be born, in the Bible it is not necessarily reserved for the first son, according to the order of his birth. We know of cases where the first son was not necessarily the recipient of the birthright. The case of Ishmael and Isaac, the case of Reuben among the twelve sons of Jacob, and the case of our study, the case of Jacob and Esau.

These “exceptional” cases lead us to understand that more than a genetic trait, the birthright is a spiritual attribute to preserve through the firstborn the mysteries of Revelation that are given by God to man, hence the importance in the Bible of not mixing the holy lineage with the pagan nations of the earth,[1] in the book of Ezra, and the care not to join in yoke with the infidels, in the epistles of the apostle Paul.[2]

More than inheritance benefit, the birthright consists of succession of God’s purpose for a generation, including all the spiritual benefits of what it means to be the firstborn of a caste.

In the light of the latter, it is important to note that in the account of the formation of Adam and Eve, the writer highlights as a conclusion that God formed “male” and “female”, and uses for this purpose the terms (זָכָ֥ר zā-ḵār) and (נְקֵבָ֖ה ne-qê-ḇāh),[3] respectively, in substitution of the known ones (אִ֖ישׁ ish), for “male”, and (אִשָּׁ֔ה ishá),[4] for “female”; the purpose of this change of terms for the same two persons is not only with the exclusive interest of separating the sexes, but more, to highlight the value of “generation” that is established by them; this emphasis is highlighted in a reference by the apostle Paul in the book of Acts of the Apostles,

and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; Acts 17:26

Thus, to be firstborn means to be the heir of a covenant;[5] to be firstborn means to be the person who carries the “right” of succession;[6] to be firstborn means to have God’s authority to operate God’s purposes on earth.[7]

From this vision, the birthright acquires in the Bible a primordial value within the relationship of man with God, and in that sense every firstborn son is considered as the opportunity of the parents to initiate in their generation a covenant of fidelity to God,[8] the first fruits of the crops (production), and of the animals, are the best way to honor God.[9]

God for his part establishes through the value of the birthright, the vision that His work on earth has the purpose of initiating processes of Revelation, so the Levites are considered firstborn of God,[10] and thus establishes the emergence of generations of Revelation, as stated in the words of Jesus to Peter: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.[11] In that same sense, Israel is the firstborn nation of God in terms of restoration,[12] Jesus is the firstborn of God from whom we take the image and likeness of the Father,[13] Jesus is also the firstborn from the dead,[14] thus implying that all who believe in Him will be raised from the dead in the same way as He was.

Returning to the case of Esau, what did Esau lose by giving up his birthright?

Esau lost the right to give birth to God’s people on earth

This is the part of the birthright that possibly stands out the most in biblical writings, mostly because of the fact that from Esau’s renunciation of the birthright, Jacob is presented as the line of succession from which God’s people eventually emerge.

and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: Genesis 12:2

17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? Genesis 18:17-18

And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: Exodus 4:22

Based on this fact, the apostle John warns in his epistle not to neglect the benefit of vocation in Jesus, because the same thing could happen to others as happened to Esau,

Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 2nd. John 8

Esau lost the right to rule over the earth

God’s rule over the earth comes through Isaac’s firstborn;

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed: 28 therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. Genesis 27:27-29

Isaac gives prophetic fulfillment to God’s words in the Garden of Eden, where He stipulates and declares about the authority of the woman’s “son” on earth,

and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15

Abraham received the promise that from his generation there would arise a nation that would regulate the blessing upon the earth, in remembrance of the mission given to Adam in Eden,

7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. Genesis 17:7-8

and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Genesis 22:18

Rebecca, the mother of Jacob and Esau, had received the Revelation that one people would be stronger than the other: וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ (u-le-om mil-om ye-e-matz) Jacob is presented in the biblical account as being the least advantaged and the least suitable, but it is emphasized in the account that the strength of the strongest people consists in the value of the birthright in him.

that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; Genesis 22:17

Thus, by presenting him as the least suitable for this purpose, Jacob emerges as the proponent of a spiritual law, that the work of God is carried out not by human qualities, but by the willingness to put God before every personal interest,

So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. Romans 9:16

Esau lost the right to raise a priesthood according to the heart of God and to bring revelation on earth

The priesthood is not only a cultural element resulting from the religious development of the people, the priesthood means Revelation.

and the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: Deuteronomy 21:5

Levi is Jacob’s third son.[15] The Levites were chosen to be permanent occupants of the priesthood, and they were constituted as such by virtue of their action in obeying the voice of God,

26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. Exodus 32:26-29

The priesthood is not only an occupation, or a profession of a religious nature, it is the manifestation on earth of the mysteries of heaven,

35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. 1 Samuel 2:35

Hence, because of this vision, the Apostle Peter discovers that those born of water and the Spirit are considered as the priests of the Most High God,

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1st. Peter 2:9

Esau Lost the Right to Be Jesus’ Parent

At the head of Matthew’s gospel, we read: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. If Jesus is the son of Abraham, Jesus is the son of the firstborn of His generation. The genealogy of Jesus is the genealogy of the firstborn. Esau lost the opportunity to be the initiator of a generation of redemption.

When the prophet Malachi establishes in his confrontation with the people that Esau was Jacob’s brother: Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,[16] He does it by emphasizing that Esau had the right to have formed a people according to the will of God, he was entitled to have given life to a people according to the promise to Abraham, but he renounced to it; hence the expression: I have loved you, saith the Lord, emphasizes that God overcame the decision of Esau and kept His promise by giving life to the people through Jacob, who in comparison to his brother had no chance to be an heir.

Thus, by virtue of such a decision of God, the prophet Obadiah establishes judgment on both generations, and says:

17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it. Obadiah 17-18

Esau chose to serve rather than to rule,

And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. Genesis 25:23

Esau chose to live by his sword, that is, to live by his own efforts, and to serve his brother,

and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother;… Genesis 27:40a

Esau could only have respite when he was strong enough to throw off the yoke that his brother would impose on him,

… and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. Genesis 27:40b

How short-sighted Esau is! It all started on a whim, and because he despised his brother.

Is all this relevant to us? Yes, of course it does. The Apostle Paul established by the Spirit of God that the facts of the past are for our admonition,[17] therefore, the experience of Esau establishes a chair of correction. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews points out from this action of Esau the profaneness of his act, which on a whim scorned his birthright,

lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews exhorts us to take care of what we have received for the work of the cross,

how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; Hebrews 2:3

The apostle Paul also exhorts us to guard salvation with fear and trembling,

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

Many times, not having prophetic vision prevents us from seeing the greatness to which God wants to take us, and we fail the work that God has given us.

Would you like to collaborate with this ministry by helping us translate it into other languages?

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Pastor Pedro Montoya

Twitter: @pastormontoya

WhatsApp 1 407 764 2699

https://earthenwarevessels.com

[1] Ezra 9:2

[2] 2nd. Corinthians 6:14—15

[3] Genesis 1:27; 5:2

[4] Ídem 2:22—23

[5] Genesis 17:21

[6] Ídem 21:12

[7] Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:41

[8] Exodus 13:2

[9] Ídem 22:29

[10] Numbers 3:12

[11] Matthew 16:17

[12] Exodus 4:22

[13] Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15; 1st. Corinthian 15:20—23

[14] Colossians 1:18

[15] Genesis 29:34

[16] Malachi 1:1—3

[17] 1st. Corinthians 10:11

How do I discover my function within the kingdom of God?

 

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1st. timothy 4:14

There are people to whom God discovers what their ministry is, and what their function in life is. They didn’t have to do much more to find out.

Most of the men and women of God who stand out in the Bible were chosen, and the ministry and service they would perform while they existed were revealed directly to them.

This is not the case for many of us who today try to develop the service that we understand God has entrusted to us. Some, even, do not know that they have a call from God to the ministry. What are we, or what can we become? Pastors, evangelists, teachers, apostles, prophets, or some other ministry? How can we discover it?

In times past, when a person understood that he or she had a call from God to ministry, he or she was immediately sent to a biblical institute, seminary, theological faculty, as he or she saw fit, and according to the projection of ministerial work that he or she had, and thus began his or her service to God, training himself or herself according to the biblical-theological disciplines of the institution in which he or she had enrolled.

However, almost everyone came to occupy a pulpit of a church, and the idea was generated that God’s call to ministry is equal to the pastorate. For those who did not occupy a church pulpit, this idea became a sense of ministerial failure.
Is having a call from God to ministry becoming a pastor? Are there other ministry options? How can one who has a call from God to ministry know clearly what his real ministry is?

The other days I experienced for the second time in a matter of five years a situation of fraud that led me to understand the means that God uses to reveal to us what our function is within the kingdom.

Recently I was looking for a part-time job to supplement some of the income I needed to cover my budget; looking at job offers I came across an ad requesting a driver to drive an older woman’s car on her personal outings, it was her son who requested this service, and who would pay week after week for the services rendered. He offered to pay well. I wrote by e-mail, as required in the ad, and a couple of days later I received the response.

It was one George Buchanan, who never called me personally, but through e-mail he assured me that he was an engineer at a Texas refinery, that his mother lived in Florida, and he needed a reliable person to take her on her medical visits and so on; He explained that his mother had no vehicle of her own, that he would send me by certified mail a check with the advance salary of my first week of service, and a surplus that I had to send by Money Gram to a person in Las Vegas, for delivery of the car I would use to transport his mother, and for my personal use, while working for him.

It was a fraud scheme, a certified check apparently in order, but with no funds; since it was a check from another state, it took longer than usual to release the funds, allowing time for the swindled person to send the surplus of his own money to the site indicated in the instructions. As it is a fraud scheme, the bank never releases the funds and the person has sent his own money to a fake person of whom nobody knows anything.

I didn’t fall into the deception, thank God, because a couple of years ago I had also gone through a very similar experience which I realized just in time. I was selling a video camera for classified ads from a local newspaper, and it turned out to be a person interested in buying it, but under the same concept of fraud. He sent a check with a larger amount, mistakenly according to him, and required me to send the rest via Western Union to a person in England. I went to the police station to report the scheme and thought I was helping to uncover this type of scam, but whoever attended me at the police station explained to me that they could do nothing because since I had not sent money, and had not been scammed, there was no crime.

However, having been exposed to a situation of fraud and almost being cheated, led me to think about the reason for certain experiences one goes through and the spiritual value of its teaching. Why I was again exposed to a scheme of fraud? Why again are they trying to deceive me, and swindle me? The questions I asked led me to understand how God discovers the function we perform within the Kingdom of God, but for lack of discernment, we do not understand God’s messages.

God explained to me that we are each trained in the area where we will develop our ministry. For example, the prophet needs to exercise discernment in order to be able to differentiate when it is God who speaks, and when the voice does not come from God, so his training consists in eating butter and honey so that he knows how to discard evil and choose good.[1]

The teacher of the word needs to entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others as well,[2] so it is necessary that he himself go through a process of personal purification so that his teaching may be according to the spirit of the word and not according to his personal appreciations. Paul assured, in his case, that in his cleansing process to find the eminent knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to find the best way to commission faithful men, he had to make the decision to consider the things that for him were gain for manure.[3]

Thus, one’s own experiences are the basis of learning to understand and develop the vision of the ministry to which God leads us. Esther, in order to face a mighty Haman and bring liberation to her people, first had to go through the painful experience of losing her parents due to the invasion of Chaldean armies into Jerusalem, and face bitterness and exile, so that under that situation she would learn to value the suffering of persecution and abandonment, an experience without which she would not have been able to face Haman. A life of personal comfort cannot see needs in others nor can it be moved to mercy in favor of others.

The fraud attempts of which I was a victim taught me the didactic value in God of experiences, and I came to understand my function in the kingdom of God. I was exposed on two consecutive occasions to a scheme of fraud because I am called to face the deception of darkness and to denounce its stratagems.

We have the basis in Jonas’ experience of God’s demand for Nineveh,

Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 11And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Jonas 4:10-11

God exposed me to two situations of fraud scheme so that I would understand the risk of spiritual fraud to which many people are exposed because of something that seems good, and is not, and because they do not have enough discernment to warn of it, they fall prey to the fraud that is the product of apostasy.

Now I understand God’s call for me. God leads me to fight against apostasy, against seemingly biblical Christian doctrines, which many follow because they believe them to be good and from God, but which in reality are satanic bondage that leads to eventual spiritual death.

I decided to write to the people who contacted me and tried to deceive me; I denounced their fraud scheme and condemned them because they had risen up in arrogance to deceive and take advantage of the need of innocent people who seek to supply their own needs.

Likewise, I condemn apostasy and all those by whom it is introduced, for bringing death to the regions of the earth, for deceiving whole congregations, and for establishing defilement and death upon the earth.

To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1st. Corinthians 5:5

Of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1st. timothy 1:20

Well, you have discovered by reading that the circumstances of daily life have a prophetic value for one who is being directly trained by the Lord. Perhaps this is the first time you have heard of this, perhaps not, but the important thing about the lesson is that you understand that the Lord is going to use your whole environment, including people, as the “school” of unconventional ministry training to train you in that for which you have been reached by the Lord.

 

All biblical quotations are taken from the King James Version.

 

 

Pastor Pedro Montoya

WhatsApp 1 (407) 764-2699

Twitter: @pastormontoya

https://earthenwarevessels.com

[1] Isaiah 7:15

[2] 2nd. Timothy 2:2

[3] Philippians 3:8