It goes without saying from experience that when a person is hungry, he or she is usually irritated and subject to make irrational decisions. While we can draw from several of our own life experiences to substantiate this fact, we have a classic example of this recorded in the Holy Bible. Esau, the first born son of Isaac and Rebekah, made a foolish and irrational decision to sell his birthright to his younger twin brother for a bowl of lentil soup, because he was famished and hungry (Genesis 25:29-34).
From this we can learn that we ought to avoid making decisions when we are hungry. This does not necessarily apply just to physical hunger – but hunger for power, position, prosperity, pleasure or popularity.
Points to ponder:
What are hungry for? Unless you hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness – avoid hungry decisions.
Genesis 25:29-34 (KJV)
29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
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 lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
