The Sin Nazi

“He [Esau] said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stuff, because I’m exhausted.’ Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright’…So Esau despised his birthright.” Ge 25:30-34

There are a few episodes of Seinfeld that I just love! All I have to say is ‘soup Nazi’ and an image is more than likely conjured up in your mind. The characters wait in line for a long time discussing what kind of soup to buy, how to order the soup, and what not to say when ordering the soup. As they wait their appetites grow and their plans are formed. If any word or action offends the soup Nazi, he yells ‘No soup for you!’ and motions them away. By the time they had the soup in their sites their actions or words resulted in favor or failure.

Jacob was the soup Nazi on this fateful day, when his brother came in famished from the field. Jacob no doubt had spent his life in the shadows of the brother who would be favored by their father upon his death. Only one son would receive the birthright and blessing, and law mandated that it was the first born. Jacob, with a life spent comparing himself to his brother, planned a way to provide something Esau wanted at his most vulnerable time. He was hungry, and only Jacob stood between his appetite and his satisfaction.

Aren’t we just like this sometimes? God is wanting to bless us and show favor upon us, but we are standing in line to receive something that satisfies the flesh. And the ‘sin Nazi’ is right there for the offering. He determines what he will dish out to each of us depending on our appetite. We must compromise on this…turn our backs on that…and before we know it we despise our blessing. When we allow ourselves to become vulnerable in any part of our lives, we subject our future favor from God to possible faith failures in the moment. The consequences can reach far beyond our comprehension. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that we come to Him just as we are whenever we need satisfaction. There is no waiting line to see Jesus, and He will serve our hearts with whatever lack we have. We will walk in favor and freedom instead of failure and fear.