The evening world., 1920-09-08
The Business Men
of the Bible
BY Rev. Thomas B. Gregory
No. S-EsGu, The Seller of
Biythrigtts.
0'"+S x. w. I =: 5 Sl FV ss.sS. O

TSan wps born unto q BplendiA
patrtmony. Jehovah's Covenant with
the 'Father Of the Faithful and his
descendants threw around the family
a dignity and glory such as has fallen
70 no other family in history. THIS
mighty pre-eminence was 70 be
handed down Ia direct hne from son
70 son. They were 10 posbseas the
land, and from them was to spring
the Desire of All Nations" the
Saviour OF Mankind.
OF this illustrious line Dsan was
the hrsbborn. His was the iNherit-
ance, the birthrdEht To the birth
right belonged a double portion Of the
paternal Inheritance. To the birth :
right was given the promise OF being
the ancestor of the Messiah. To ths
oirthTight was added the honor OF
receiving, hrst, from the mouth Of the
father, . peculiar benediotaon or
blessing" Such were the prospects
Of ESau-the highest honor that ever
belonged 10 a man.
Honori The word sugEeGts the
speedy OF Falstaff at the Battle on
Shrewsbury: Honor pricks me on
Yea, but how II honor prick me of
when come on2 How then7
| What Ia honor7 A word. What is
that word. honoT7 Air TIL
have none OF II. Honor Is q mere
scutcheon, and 90 ends my cate
chism."
The fat knight was anticipated by
thousands of years by the human
was q ''mere scutcheon," Just a
word" Just 80 much 'air." Isaacs
eldest son was never troubled by any
such thing as an elevated thought.
by any form of the ideal. He stood
Squarely on the ground with both of
his big, hairy feet and through his
shaggy eyebrows he never looked IlD
at the stars.
Esau was Just the kind of man To
tumble to the proposition that was
soon to be made TO him by the willy
Jacob, his younger brother.
Coming in one day from the hunt
as hungry as bear, Esau's eye fell
on a big pot of red lentil soup that
Jacob had prepared, and he asked for
some of, II. ''Sell me first of all thy
birthright," demanded Jacob, ana
without a quaver or a moments hest
tation Esau answered. 40, am
going to die some time, and what
profit shall the birthright be to me-
Give me some of that soup and take
the old birthright If you want it!"
And Jacob said, First of all, swear
TO me-" So he swore to him, and he
sold his birthright to Jacob. And
Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil
pottage, and he ate and drank and
went his way.
We can see Esau, swinging along.
smaol<ing his lips and patting his
abdomen, tickled to death over the
fine deal he had just made with his
brother. And we can see Jacob
chucklinG to himself on the soft pedal
to think of what a bonanza he had
found in Esau's stupidity.
It was the funniest business deal
on record, and vet II was Just such
deal as a man like Esau would nat
urally make. ESau was a sense
bound man. He Lived only in the
present, and in the passing day cav
only the material advantages.
After a while Esau repented OF the
transaction, grew wrathy, and Jacob
had to run for his life; but he was
simply maddened to think OF the
temporal advantages he had lost In
the deal. To show how utterly mer-
cenary and material Esau was in his
makeup, years afterward, when
Jacob, returning to the homeland,
sent him the presents OF sheep, oxen
and camels, he made up with him at
once, and all was merry as a mar
n is generally understood that the
'TDdomites"-the tribe founded by
Esau-have long since utterly per
ished from the land; but It is a mis-
take, There are Edomites aplenty
vat-serise- bound fellows, interested
in nothing above the material, dead
as a door-nail to the sense OF honor
and blind as bats to the visions, of the
spirit