The story of Esau is closer to home than it sounds. What is Esau's "single meal" for me?

A plate of dessert when I have eaten too much? Another glass of alcohol too many? A favourite high-cholesterol menu item in the restaurant for those with cholesterol issue? Or pick whatever health dietary constraint that is relevant.

Or maybe one tempting web link to look at a risqué website? Or an opportunity to misuse someone else's money undetected? Or to blame another person for my own mistake?

Is it a deaf ear ignoring the call of the Spirit to do the right thing? Is it a hard heart to go the other way when the Spirit says the opposite direction? Is it an unwillingness to forgive someone who hurt me?

It is easy to dramatise or inflate the pleasure of doing things my way or getting my way over and above God's word. But that is blind. God sees everything and knows the domino effect if I do not do things his way.

A "single meal" does not have to be a meal - it is anything that I do instead of doing what the Spirit wants me to do.

"Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."

(Genesis 25.29-34 ESV)

“Let no one become immoral or unspiritual like Esau, who for a single meal sold his rights as the elder son.”

(Hebrews 12.16 GNB)