The Tragic Life of Esau
Sunday October 22, 2006
Genesis: The Tragic Life of Esau
Lesson # 225
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 17:1.
This morning we will study the tragic life of Esau who was an unbeliever even though he was born into a family that had a great spiritual heritage and he was personally greatly blessed by God.
On Thursday evening we completed a study of Genesis 36, which presents to us the genealogy or family history of Esau and his descendants who became the nation of Edom.
Esau was the older twin brother of Jacob whose grandfather was Abraham and whose father was Isaac and whose mother was Rebekah and who was the father of Edomite nation.
In Scripture, Esau is also called “Edom,” which means, “red,” and was the name given to Esau to mark the occasion in which he exchanged his birthright to Jacob for some red lintel soup (See Genesis 25:29-34).
Esau’s personal name is transformed into the national name Edom just as Jacob’s personal name was transformed to the national name Israel.
Just as Jacob’s descendants became the nation of Israel so Esau’s descendants became the nation of Edom and so we can see that just as God blessed Jacob in that He made him the father of a great nation so He also blessed Esau in that he made him the father of a great nation.
Like Israel, the existence of the nation of Edom was a fulfillment of a promise that God made to Abraham (See Genesis 17:1-6; Genesis 25:23).
Genesis 17:1, “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.’”
Genesis 17:2, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Genesis 17:3-4, “Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.’”
Genesis 17:5, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.”
The promise “I will make you the father of a multitude of nations” was fulfilled in a “biological” or “racial” sense through Hagar and the Ishmaelites (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12-18) and through Keturah, the Midianites and others (Gen. 25:1-4) and through Isaac and Rebekah, the Edomites (Gen. 25:23; 36:1-43).
This interpretation is substantiated by the genealogies of Keturah (Gen. 25:1-4), Ishmael (Gen. 25:12-18) and Edom (Gen. 36).
Genesis 17:6, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.”
The Lord’s promise to Abraham that “kings will come forth from you” is a reference to not only the kings of Israel (Gen. 35:11; 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:8-16) and the Lord Jesus Christ but also to the kings of Edom who descended from Esau (See Genesis 36:31-43).
Not only was the existence of the nation of Edom a fulfillment of a promise to Abraham but it was also a fulfillment of a prophecy that the Lord gave to Esau’s mother, Rebekah, prior to the birth of he and his twin brother Jacob.
Genesis 25:19-20, “Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham became the father of Isaac; and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.”
Genesis 25:21, “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.”
Genesis 25:22, “But the children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If it is so, why then am I this way?’ So she went to inquire of the LORD.”
Genesis 25:23, “The LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.’”
The Lord’s statement to Rebekah that “two nations are in your womb” implies that she is pregnant with twins and refers to the fact that these twins are twin progenitors of two nations.
The oldest son “Esau” would be the progenitor of the Edomites (See Genesis 36:1-43) whereas the younger son “Jacob” would be the progenitor of the Israelites.
The Lord’s prediction that “two peoples will be separated from your (Rebekah’s) body” indicates that Jacob and Esau would be separated, divided and hostile towards one another and would have nothing in common.
The Lord’s prediction that “one people shall be stronger than the other” refers to the fact that the Israelites would prevail over the Edomites in history.
Also this prophecy indicates that Jacob and not Esau would be in the Messianic line and would inherit the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
In Genesis 25:23, the Lord declares that the “older shall serve the younger” indicating that the younger son, Jacob would receive the inheritance and not Esau who was older.
Esau, the older, did not actually serve Jacob, his younger twin but rather Esau’s descendants did (see 1 Samuel 14:47; 2 Samuel 8:14; 1 Kings 11:15-16; 22:47; 2 Kings 14:7).
This prophecy that “one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger” indicates that the sovereign will of God has ordained the following: (1) Jacob to be in the Messianic line and not Esau. (2) Jacob would be the beneficiary of the divine promises enumerated in the Abrahamic Covenant and not Esau. (3) Jacob would receive his father’s estate and not Esau.
Therefore, Esau was born into a family with a great spiritual heritage since his grandfather was Abraham and his father was Isaac, both of whom were in the line of Christ and covenant partners with God.
Remember, Abraham lived to see his grandchildren Esau and Jacob grow up to be fifteen years of age.
This is indicated in that Genesis 25:7 records that Abraham died at 175 years of age and Genesis 21:5 records that Abraham was 100 years of age when Isaac was born and so Isaac was 75 when his father died and was 60 years of age when Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob according to Genesis 25:26.
Therefore, if we do the math and subtract Isaac’s age when Isaac had Jacob and Esau from his age when his father died, we can see that Abraham had 15 years to spend with his grandchildren at Hebron.
For fifteen years both Jacob and Esau sat at the feet of their grandfather as they listened to him describe the Lord calling him from Ur of the Chaldeans, and the personal, national and universal promises that the Lord made to him.
Their grandfather would have described the covenant relationship that the Lord established with him, and how the Lord remained faithful to him whether he was faithful or unfaithful.
Abraham would have told the boys about the miraculous birth of their father Isaac and of the Lord testing his faith by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac.
He would have told the boys of God providentially guiding his servant Eliezer to their mother Rebekah in Paddan Aram.
Their parents, Isaac and Rebekah undoubtedly taught the boys about their own covenant relationship with the Lord as well and the Lord’s power and faithfulness and providential care of them throughout the years of their marriage.
Isaac would also have spoke to the boys about his lying down on the altar in obedience to his father Abraham and how the Lord intervened and had Abraham sacrifice a ram in his place.
Isaac and Rebekah would have spoke to both boys of their amazing births and the prophecies concerning them.
Yet, even though both Esau and Jacob heard their grandfather Abraham and their father Isaac teach both of them about the Lord and that their family had been chosen by Him to be His covenant people and had the same opportunity to believe in the Lord, only one, Jacob expressed faith in the Lord.
Thus, we see that Esau’s life was a great tragedy since even though he was born into a home of great privilege and with a great spiritual heritage and was exposed to the teaching of his grandfather Abraham and his parents, Isaac and Rebekah, he never came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Esau’s negative attitude towards his spiritual heritage was best expressed when he agreed to exchange his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red lentil stew.
Genesis 25:29-30, “When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.’ Therefore his name was called Edom.”
Genesis 25:31, “But Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’”
Genesis 25:32, “Esau said, ‘Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?’”
Genesis 25:33, “And Jacob said, ‘First swear to me’; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.”
“Sold” is the verb makhar (rk^m*) (maw-kar), which in context means, “to exchange” since Jacob did not give money to Esau but rather offered him the red lintel soup in “exchange” for the birthright.
Genesis 25:34, “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
“Birthright” is the noun bekhorah (hr*k)B+) (bek-o-raw), which refers to the rights of the first-born in a family (See Exodus 4:22).
In the family of Abraham and Isaac, the birthright included the privilege of carrying on the line of Christ that would bring salvation and therefore blessing to the entire world.
The birthright also involved inheriting by faith the blessings, promises, responsibilities and privileges of the Abrahamic Covenant.
“Despised” is the verb bazah (hzB) (baw-zaw), which means, “to the act of according little worth to something, to undervalue something implying contempt.”
Therefore, by exchanging his birthright for a bowl of red lintel soup, Esau was demonstrating that he valued little his firstborn status in the family of Isaac, which involved inheriting the blessings, promises, privileges and responsibilities of the Abrahamic Covenant and thereby expressed his contempt for the plan of God.
The exchanging of the birthright for a bowl of red lintel soup demonstrated that Esau was a psuchikos, “soulish” man and not a pneumatikos, “spiritual” man since he was expressing his dislike of the plan of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
Since the birthright concerns the future, its value is appropriated by faith and so by exchanging his birthright for a bowl of red lintel soup, Esau was demonstrating his unbelief in the promises contained in the Abrahamic Covenant and thereby forfeited the blessings of this covenant (Hebrews 12:16-17).
Esau’s lack of faith in the Lord and His promises manifested the fact that he was an unbeliever.
Therefore, he is thus described in Scripture as a “godless person.”
Hebrews 12:15-16, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.”
Hebrews 12:17, “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”
Due to his rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon his death, Esau entered a compartment of Sheol/Hades, which is called “Torments,” which is the temporary fire for the souls of unbelievers from all dispensations (Lk. 16:19-31).
At the conclusion of human history, all unbelievers will be transferred to the Great White Throne Judgment and from there will be cast in the Lake of Fire forever (Rev. 20:11-15).
Hebrews 9:27, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”
We must remember that it was “not” God’s will that Esau’s eternal destiny would be the Lake of Fire, but rather it was God’s will that Esau be saved and live with God forever, which is God’s desire for all men.
1 Timothy 2:4, “(God) desires all men to be saved.”
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to a change of mind (about Christ).”
In Romans 9:13, the apostle Paul quotes Malachi 1:3, which contains the statement from God, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated,” which does “not” refer to the fact that Esau was elected to the eternal Lake of Fire and Jacob was elected to be saved.
But rather it refers to the fact that Esau’s descendants were not elected as God’s covenant people but rather Jacob’s.
In Romans 9-11, the apostle Paul discusses the future of the nation of Israel and teaches that God has temporarily set aside the nation at this time in history and will restore her in the future because she was elected by Him to be His covenant people.
Therefore, when we see the statement “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” we must understand that Paul is not referring to individuals but rather to the nations which descended from Jacob (Israelites) and Esau (Edomites).
Therefore, the statement “Jacob I loved but Esau I hated” does “not” refer to the fact that Esau was not saved and Jacob was since that would imply that God hates sinners and elects some people to be saved and others to eternal condemnation.
Such an interpretation would contradict the teaching of Scripture that God’s will is for all men to be saved (See 1 Timothy 2:4, 4:10, 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16-18, 1 John 2:2).
So how can one avoid living a tragic life, like Esau?
The answer is simple, “believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved” (See Acts 16:31; John 3:16-17).
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
John 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”