Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Showing love and respect for the Lord, others, and the word of God helps you prepare to learn through the Holy Ghost.
Begin your study with prayer.
It can be easy to overlook how important the decisions we make in this life really are. Sometimes we may not realize how much the decisions we make now will affect our future.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles used an example from the Olympic Games to encourage us to be diligent during our time in mortality. You can read the text for this video here: “Your Four Minutes,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 84.
The Things That Matter Most
How might choosing to satisfy a temporary pleasure lead someone to lose something of great value? Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided the following counsel:
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Richard G. Scott
“Don’t give up what you most want in life for something you think you want now” (Richard G. Scott, “Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer,” Ensign, May 1997, 54).
You may want to copy this statement and put it in a place where you will see it often.
As you study Genesis 25–27, look for principles that can help you choose things that have eternal value over things that you might want now.
In Genesis 25:1–18 we read about Abraham’s final years on the earth, his death, and the death of Abraham and Hagar’s son, Ishmael. Before Abraham died, he married a woman named Keturah, who bore Abraham six sons. Keturah is referred to in the scriptures as a concubine (see 1 Chronicles 1:32). In the Old Testament the word concubine is used to describe women who, in the time and culture in which they lived, were legally married to a man but had a lower social status than a wife.
Read Genesis 25:5–6, looking for what Abraham gave his sons before he died.
What did Abraham give Isaac? What did Abraham give his other sons?
Isaac received more than Abraham’s other children because of Isaac’s birthright. A son who held the birthright not only inherited his father’s lands and possessions, but he also took his father’s position as the spiritual leader of the family and received the “authority to preside” (see Bible Dictionary, “Birthright”). The birthright son was then responsible to provide for the family’s needs. The birthright was often passed from a father to his eldest son. However, righteousness was more important than being the firstborn son. The birthright Isaac received from Abraham also included all the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic covenant.
Read Genesis 25:20–21, looking for how the Lord blessed Isaac and his wife, Rebekah. It may be helpful to know that entreat means to plead, such as in prayer, and barren means unable to become pregnant.
As the oldest son, Esau was the birthright son. However, we learn in Genesis 25:34 that “Esau despised his birthright.” In other words, he treated his birthright as though it had very little meaning or value.
Read Genesis 25:29–34, looking for what Esau did that showed that the birthright was not valuable to him. It may be helpful to know that the phrase “sod pottage” (verse 29) means that Jacob made soup.
We see in Genesis 26 that, in contrast to Isaac, Esau continued to choose worldly pleasures over his commitment to the Lord. In addition to choosing to sell his birthright, he also chose to marry women who did not worship the Lord (see Genesis 26:34–35). His choice saddened his parents because they knew it could have eternal consequences for Esau, his wives, and his children. Esau and his wives did not enter into the covenant of eternal marriage, which is required to receive eternal life.
How would you state a principle we can learn from Esau’s choices and their consequences?
One way to state what we can learn from Esau’s choices is that if we value temporary or worldly pleasures more than we value eternal blessings, then we may lose those eternal blessings. When we make covenants as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we become heirs of all the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant—just as Esau was before he sold his birthright.
1. Please do the following:
List some temporary or worldly pleasures that young people today might be tempted to value more than eternal blessings.
Choose one item from your list and explain how seeking after that thing could cause a person to lose eternal blessings.
Although Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob, their father, Isaac, still had the responsibility to bestow the birthright blessing on one of his sons. In Genesis 27:1–33 we read that Isaac intended to give the birthright blessing to Esau. However, Rebekah had previously learned by revelation that Jacob was to receive the birthright (see Genesis 25:23). She also knew that Esau did not value the birthright as he should and that he had chosen a worldly marriage instead of an eternal one. Because of this knowledge, Rebekah instructed Jacob to present himself to Isaac as though he were Esau so that Jacob could receive the birthright blessing. Isaac was physically blind and did not recognize that it was Jacob before he gave him the blessing.
The Lord intended from the beginning that the birthright blessing be given to Jacob. After Isaac realized that he had unknowingly bestowed the birthright blessing on Jacob, he reaffirmed Jacob’s blessing (see Genesis 27:33). (For more information on this subject, see Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis–2 Samuel, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 85–86.)
Read Genesis 27:34–38, looking for words or phrases that indicate how Esau felt after he learned the birthright blessing had been confirmed on Jacob instead of on himself.
From Esau’s response, what principle can we learn about what happens when we place worldly or immediate desires above eternal priorities?
One principle we can learn from Esau’s response recorded in Genesis 27:34–38 is that placing worldly or immediate desires above eternal priorities will eventually lead to sorrow and regret. It appears that Esau did not immediately experience sorrow and regret when he sold his birthright to Jacob. However, Esau was bitter and sorrowful when he later recognized the consequences of his poor choices.
2. Why do you think it is important to realize that we may not immediately experience sorrow and regret for our poor choices?
In Genesis 27:39–46 we read that Esau did receive a blessing from Isaac. However, Esau was still angry and decided to kill Jacob. Rebekah directed Jacob to travel to Haran and stay with his extended family so he could be safe.
Identified Truths and Prioritizing Eternal Blessings
The following principles were identified in this lesson:
If we value temporary or worldly pleasures more than we value eternal blessings, then we may lose those eternal blessings.
Placing worldly or immediate desires above eternal priorities will eventually lead to sorrow and regret.
3. Please do one of the following:
Share an example that illustrates the truthfulness of one of these principles. The example could be from the scriptures, your own life, or someone else’s life. Make sure to not share anything that is too personal or private.
Share your testimony of how faith in Jesus Christ and repentance can help us to prioritize eternal blessings over worldly pleasures and desires.
