A.In Romans 9:13, God is quoted as saying, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
1.This quotation is taken from Malachi 1:1-5.In this passage, God proves His love for Israel by comparing the desolate condition of Esau’s descendants (the Edomites) to the relatively blessed condition of Jacob’s descendants (the Jews).
2.In Romans, this quotation is used to demonstrate God’s right to choose as He pleases.
B.Let us consider Esau’s story as a demonstration of God’s sovereignty, foreknowledge, and providence and of man’s free will, folly, and consequential fate.
II.A SUMMARY OF ESAU’S STORY
A.Esau was the firstborn son of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob.
1.When Isaac’s wife Rebekah was barren, Isaac prayed to God, and she conceived (Gen. 25:21).
2.Rebekah was told that she carried two nations in her womb and that “the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:22-23).
3.When the twins were born, the first was covered with hair, so he was named Esau, which means “hairy.”The second was born holding on to his brother’s heel, so he was named Jacob, which means “one who supplants” (Gen. 25:24-26).
4.Esau grew to be a skillful hunter and the favorite of his father, whereas Jacob was a peaceful man and the favorite of his mother (Gen. 25:27-28).
B.Esau was a godless man.
1.The term “godless” (NASB) or “profane” (ASV, KJV) is used to describe Esau in Hebrews 12:16.It means he was ungodly himself and that he had no regard for that which is holy or important.
2.Esau’s godlessness or profanity was demonstrated when he sold his birthright to Jacob.
a.The birthright gave the firstborn son the majority of his father’s property and made him the head of the family.To a godly man, the birthright was of tremendous value.
b.Esau has so little esteem for his birthright that he sold it to Jacob for a bowl of red stew (Gen. 25:16-34).The Scripture says that he “despised his birthright.”
c.Because of this event, Esau was also called Edom, which meant “red,” on account of the red stew.
3.Esau also displayed his godlessness by marrying foreign women.
a.The two wives he chose were Hittites rather than daughters of his people (Gen. 26:34).
b.The Scripture says that “they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah” (Gen. 26:35).
C.When Isaac was old and nearly blind, Jacob and Rebekah conspired to deceive Isaac into giving Esau’s blessing to Jacob.
1.Rebekah disguised Jacob as Esau, and Isaac gave him the blessing of prosperity that is usually passed from the father to the oldest son (Gen. 27:1-29).
2.Esau did not care for his birthright, but this blessing was his remaining hope of prosperity, so he grieved over losing it (Gen. 27:30-46).
a.Verse 38 says Esau lifted his voice and wept for his lost blessing.
b.As it was, Isaac had no blessing for Esau, but instead there was a dreadful prophecy for Esau and his descendents (vv. 39-40).
c.Because of this, Esau sought to kill Jacob, and Jacob left Canaan for twenty years.
D.Esau’s descendants became the nation of Edom.
1.After Jacob fled from Esau to the land of Haran, Esau moved southeast of the Dead Sea to the land of Seir (Gen. 32:3).
a.Esau’s new home was a dry, mountainous place, which fulfilled the prophecy of Isaac.
b.This land would become the dwelling place for the nation of Edom.
2.Esau’s descendents in the nation of Edom took on the character of Esau by opposing Jacob’s descendents in Israel (Num. 20:18-20; 1Sam. 14:47; 2Chron. 20:10; Ezek. 35:5-6) and being evil.
3.At last, Edom was cursed by God and destroyed (Isa. 34:5-17; Jer. 49:7-22; Joel 3:19; Obadiah).
III.LESSONS
A.Lesson 1: God chooses whom He will save, but we also choose whether to be saved.
1.Let us understand the message of Romans 9:9-13.
a.The point of this passage is to demonstrate how the children of God were established by God’s promise and not by Jewish fleshly lineage.This was His sovereign choice.
b.God’s choice of Isaac and Jacob exemplify God’s right to choose how to fulfill His own promise.
i.Isaac was not the only son born to Abraham, but he was the child that God had promised through Sarah.This was by God’s choice and not man’s choice.
ii.Likewise, Jacob was chosen by God above Esau.This was in order to serve God’s purpose and bring about the promise.
2.Regarding Esau, let us understand two separate points of truth.
a.Point 1: God chose Jacob over Esau when neither had done anything good or bad.God simply chose to fulfill His promise through Jacob, which He had the right to do.
b.Point 2: God hated Esau because Esau chose to be a godless, sinful man.Psalm 5:5 says of God, “You hate all who do iniquity.”
c.Do not confuse these two points.God’s choice of Jacob did not require His hated for Esau.It was Esau’s choice to sin that provoked God’s hatred.
3.Most importantly, let us understand the application for us.
a.God has chosen to extend His mercy to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1).If we desire mercy, then we must act according to God’s will to be in Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).
b.If we choose to reject God’s offer of mercy through Christ, then we cannot find fault with God for allowing us to be lost.It is our own sinful choices that result in our lost condition.
B.Lesson 2: Do not be a godless person like Esau.
1.Consider Hebrews 12:15-17.
a.Christians are directed not to be like the godless Esau, who sold his birthright.
b.Verse 17 indicates that Esau’s godlessness regarding his birthright was also the reason he lost Isaac’s blessing.
i.Isaac imparted the blessing, but it was God who fulfilled it.
ii.Because Esau never understood his godless condition and never achieved repentance after he sold the birthright, God providentially rejected him from receiving the blessing.
2.To avoid Esau’s fate, Christians must avoid Esau’s godless attitude.
a.Esau was called godless or profane because he regarded his birthright as a common, unholy thing, and he traded it for a measly bowl of stew.
b.Therefore, we must be careful lest we undervalue holy things as common.
i.We must not compromise that which is holy, such as our faith, our godly conduct, the word of God, the church, and its assemblies.
ii.To trade any holy thing for any worldly thing is to be a godless, profane person like Esau, which is to be a person who “comes short of the grace of God” (Heb. 12:15).
C.Lesson 3: Your choices can change your family for generations.
1.Esau’s poor choices affected the entire nation that descended from him.
a.Instead of receiving Isaac’s blessing, Esau was told that he would live away from the fertile earth and away from the dew of heaven and that he would live by the sword and serve his brother (Gen. 27:39-40).
b.The nation of Edom fulfilled this prophecy by dwelling in the mountainous wilderness of Seir, living in a state of constant war, and being dominated by the nation of Israel.
2.Likewise, your choices can have affects that you cannot foresee.
a.How many families have served the Lord because of a single family member who introduced them to Christ?On the other hand, how many families have been led away from God because of a single family member who decided to abandon the Lord in favor of worldly pursuits?
b.How will the choices that you are making right now affect those around you and those who follow you?Think about it – if your own salvation is not enough to motivate you to obey the gospel, then perhaps the salvation of others, including your own family (present and future), will convince you to do the right thing.
