Good Morning ya'll! Eric here. Let's dig in.
Two stories here catch my eye... and both have to deal with settling for immediate satisfaction instead of waiting for God's better solution.
Check out v.12-18 - Ishmael's Sons. If you recall from previous chapters, Ishmael is the son of Abraham that was born to the handmaiden of Sarah, and Isaac is the heir born of his WIFE. Abraham and Sarah came up with their own solution to the "childless" thing and Ishmael was one of the results. Here's the kicker, Ishmael's descendants where a problem: v18b"And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them." Why is this significant? Isaac is the linage that the modern Nation of Israel is descended from, Ishmael is where we find all of he Arabic countries coming from... Jews vs. Muslims. See the conflict now?
Take a step down to the next generation: Jacob and Esau, Isaac's Sons. v.19-34 Esau was the favored child, but Jacob was a schemer... troublemaker. Esau, being a hunter and a man of the woods, came in from a long excursion hungry... nay, he was famished. Since Jacob preferred to hang around the camp, Jacob had some dinner cooking. Esau wanted it. Esau "needed" the food or he would die! (Like any of us have been dramatic about food before, right?) I can guess that Esau was probably hungry... but I can't imagine he was "THAT" hungry. Jacob took advantage... "sell me your birthright"... for a bowl of stew??? Is my entire inheritance and all the blessings that come with it worth a meal? Esau make a poor call at that point. He sold his better future for an immediate solution. This choice causes him much grief later on.
Jesus is teaching in parables here... stories. Here are a couple that deal with this same topic in one form or another. God is good in that His word lines up.
v.1-13 - Parable of the ten virgins - a story about being prepared. I'll let you dig into the details here. Long story short... think ahead and be prepared. Extra supplies, provisions laid aside, savings... these are good things.
v.14-30 - Parable of the bags of gold - use what you are given. Here is another story about today vs. tomorrow. Each person in the story is given some gold to work with. Each is given an amount according to their ability. They are expected to do something with it. You are a unique creation of GOD with a unique set of talents, a unique personality and a particular role to fill. Use what you got!
We all are given 24 hours each day, that's 1,440 minutes. Let's see how we can use those for a awesome tomorrow! At the same time, let's have fun today without sacrificing tomorrow. ;)
I'm pulling for you, Eric.