What Does "Esau Despised His Birthright" Signify?

• Esau Despised His Birthright - Esau [typifying all the unsaved] traded Eternal Inheritance for the Temporal Worldly Need. What was wrong with Esau? A simple meal? He despised his birthright over a simple meal? Yet, you know what? This is not so unusual. This is not out of the ordinary at all. All kinds of people, if not every single person left to themselves, all kinds of people would rather have the physical things of this world. They lust and they desire and they crave the least things of this world. They go contrary to the Bible by going after the least of things. God has blessed the world with many blessings, physical blessings, like life and food and clothing and things. There are just many wonderful things that God has provided for people in this world. But, really, when we come down to it, the ultimate blessing—and, finally, the only significant blessing—is Salvation. It is the gift of Eternal Life that God gives to His people.

Gen 25:29-34 "And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright."

Gen 27:34 "And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father."

Heb 12:14-17 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau [typifying non-elect], who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright [traded Eternal Inheritance for Worldly need]. 17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the [eternal] blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

Matt 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

• Why is Esau called fornicator and profane person? He is a spiritual fornicator, in the sense he is a friend of the World. If we are unsaved, we are still married to the Law, and any unfaithful act against the Law of God makes us an adulterer. When we are saved, we become dead to the law and married to our Lord Jesus Christ. Esau profaned by despising his Birthright. He exchanged his soul for one meal.

Heb 12:16 "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau [typifying non-elect], who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright [traded Eternal Inheritance for Worldly need]."

Matt 16:25-26 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Rom 7:1-4 "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him [Lord Jesus Christ] who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

Jam 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

Gen 25:32-34 "And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright."

Phil 3:18-19 "(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)"

• On the other hand Jacob [typifying all the Elect of God] coveted earnestly for the best gift of eternal life. He wrestled with God for the Eternal Blessing.

Gen 32:24 -29 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there."

• Left to Jacob himself, he would go the same path as Esau. Both were given the Gospel by Isaac. Only because of God's Sovereign Grace, Jacob was drawn to God and his eyes are set on the things above.

Gen 25:19-28 "And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac: And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac entreated JEHOVAH for his wife, because she was barren: and JEHOVAH was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of JEHOVAH. And JEHOVAH said unto her, Two nations [God's Elect and non-Elect] are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. "

Rom 9:10-15 "And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

Heb 11:20 "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."

Col 3:1-2 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Rom 8:1-8 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death [if we are saved, we are free from our husband "the Law of God" to be married to Christ]. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

Mal 1:2-3 "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, 3And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness."