Manna Moments

⏱️3-4 min read

The Quiet Danger of Contempt

“Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and got up and went on his way. So Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:34

“Despise.”
It’s a jarring word, isn’t it? Why would Esau look with such disdain on the extraordinary privilege he held as the firstborn? He stood to receive a double portion of the inheritance and step into the honored role of family leader. What could make someone treat such a gift with contempt?

To understand this, we have to look at the Hebrew meaning of the word used in this verse. Scripture uses several terms for “despise,” but in this passage the word is bazah—a word that describes an inner posture of the heart. According to the BDB dictionary, it means to consider something worthless.

Esau didn’t hate his birthright. He simply didn’t value it. He treated a God‑given treasure as if it were nothing—and traded it away for a bowl of lentils and bread.

We see this same word again in another familiar story:

“When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.” —1 Samuel 17:42

Goliath looked at David and saw only a child. He completely underestimated what stood before him. He didn’t realize that God had been shaping David for this very moment.

So how does this speak to us today?

What gifts—what sacred treasures—has God placed in our lives that we may have overlooked? Have we grown so accustomed to His goodness that we’ve begun to treat it as ordinary? Life’s routines can dull our awareness, and over time, what once filled us with gratitude can start to feel common or even burdensome.

Zechariah 4:10 gives us another warning: “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.”

Here, the Hebrew word is buz, closely related in meaning. Again, the caution is the same—don’t treat as insignificant what God calls valuable.

Maybe you’re in a season that feels small, slow, or hidden. Maybe you’re working a job that seems beneath your qualifications. Maybe you’re in a quiet place that feels lonely or overlooked. But what if this season is God’s invitation—His gentle nudge—to draw closer, to listen, to grow?

Perspective changes everything. Gratitude reorients the heart.

Lord, help us see with renewed eyes the precious gifts You’ve placed in our lives. Teach us not to treat lightly what You call significant.

Shabbat Shalom!