Despise בָּזָה

Our word for today summarizes what Esau just did in his transaction with Isaac of selling his birthright. It is also used for the first time in the Bible here in our chapter 25 of Genesis. Genesis 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau בָּזָה despised his birthright. בָּזָה despise, despised, despicable, to make despicable, to look down on with contempt. It is used 42 times in the Old Testament. A good picture of our word is when it is used to describe Goliath’s reaction to seeing David. 1 Samuel 17:42-44 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he בָּזָה despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”It is used in the sense of rejection. Numbers 15:31 Because they have בָּזָה despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them. This is what Esau does with his birthright, he rejected it in a highly negative distasteful way. He despised God’s gift of being the firstborn with the rights of the firstborn. Instead of embracing what God had given him he rejected it. Esau is a good example of someone who instead of trusting God with his emotions and heart he stops this by being demanding. Demand seeks to fulfill needs through our power over others. Demand leaves no room for choice by the other person; therefore, the love we receive is forced and can’t be given from the heart of the other person. Love is always a gift given freely without merit. Demanding people expose a distrustful, wounded heart. They believe that no one could truly love them for themselves. We saw this yesterday when we looked at our word for firstborn or birthright. He demanded the stew from his brother Isaac. The contrast to demand which stops this process of feeling your emotions and trusting God with them is expectation. Expectation is a desire to live in hope and yet a willingness to hear, “No.” Expectant people tell the truth, make choices, and trust others and themselves. People of expectation understand that God is not demanding but is highly expectant. They understand that God does not wish for their subordination, but that he desires the surrender of their hearts. David understood this as we see in Psalm 25:16-17 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. God can be trusted with our heart and emotions that we may have with the gifts and opportunities he gives us in this life. So instead of despising we can trust. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.