“Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ” – Hebrews 12:16
Esau was the firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the twin brother of Jacob. Even before the twins were born, the Lord spoke to Rebekah and told her, “Two nations are in your womb… and the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). When Esau was born, he came out red and hairy, so he was given the names Esau, which means “red” (Genesis 25:25, 30). As Esau grew up, he became a strong and skillful hunter who spent much of his time in the open fields. Jacob, on the other hand, was quiet and stayed among the tents (Genesis 25:27). Isaac favored Esau because he enjoyed the food Esau brought home (Genesis 25:28).
One day, Esau returned from the field extremely tired and hungry. He saw that Jacob had cooked a stew, and he asked for some. Jacob told him, “Sell me your birthright today” (Genesis 25:31). In his hunger and impatience, Esau replied, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” (Genesis 25:32). So Jacob gave him the bowl of stew in exchange for his birthright. The Scripture says, “And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:34). In the end, Esau sold his birthright because he despised it.
Now we can understand what the Word of God means when it says, “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau.” The Greek word for fornicator is pornos, from which we get the word pornography. It refers to a man who prostitutes his body to another’s lust for hire, a male prostitute, or anyone who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse. A prostitute sells his body in exchange for money. He gives away his dignity, treating himself as something cheap rather than valuing honor and worth. Likewise, a person who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse shows that he does not value marriage, which is sacred in the sight of God. In the same way, Esau treated his own birthright with no value. He exchanged something sacred for a simple meal, selling what was precious for something that satisfied only a moment.
The Greek word for profane is bebelos, which means common, unhallowed, or ungodly. It describes a person who treats holy things as ordinary and has no regard for the spiritual. This is how Esau lived, he was a man who cared only for the physical and immediate, and he placed no worth on the things of God.
Then the Word of God says that Esau, “for one morsel of food sold his birthright”. Food has always been one of the enemy’s tactics to deceive humanity. The serpent tempted Eve with the fruit that God had forbidden, and through that disobedience, sin entered the world (Genesis 3:1–6). When the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, food was the first thing the devil used and he began by urging the LORD Jesus to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:1–4). In the same way, Esau allowed his physical hunger to rule over him, and he exchanged his birthright for a simple meal (Genesis 25:29–34). Just as Eve traded the blessing of eternal life for something that offered only temporary pleasure and resulted in death, Esau also surrendered something eternal for something that satisfied only a moment.
Now let us understand the value of the birthright and why it was so sacred. God had made a covenant with Abraham, saying, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). This promise pointed to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Seed (Galatians 3:16). The LORD Jesus is the one who will brought salvation to the world. The birthright carried the honor of being in the covenant line through which the Messiah would come. It was so sacred because it was connected to God’s promise of salvation. By giving it away, Esau exchanged the blessing of the coming Christ for a mere bowl of food.
Esau despised this blessing (Genesis 25:34). He treated the birthright, the very promise of God as if it were nothing special. The birthright was not simply an inheritance of land or possessions. It was tied to the covenant God made with Abraham, where God said, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”. This promise pointed forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Seed through whom salvation would come to the whole world. To hold the birthright meant to stand in the line of God’s redemptive plan and to be part of this was an honor far greater than riches, position, or earthly blessing.
Esau’s life stands as a solemn warning to us all, the danger of trading God’s great plan of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, for the fleeting pleasures of this world. Many ask why God said that He hated Esau, and the answer is neither hidden nor complex. Esau rejected the holy promise of God and turned his heart away from the gift of salvation. He loved what was temporary more than what was eternal, choosing the passing comforts of this life over the blessing of God.
Why would God set His favor upon one who refuses His salvation? The Word of God speaks plainly: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (John 3:16). He has already provided the way of salvation for all of us and that way is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and in nothing else. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to receive life. But to refuse Him, to turn away from God’s provision, is to remain under judgment. Those who reject the Son do not escape judgement, they bear the wrath of God, not because salvation was withheld, but because it was refused.
Esau’s heart was filled with unbelief toward the promise God made to Abraham and later confirmed to his father Isaac. Isaac himself was proof of God’s faithfulness, for Abraham and Sarah waited many years in faith until the child of promise was born. That long wait taught Abraham that God’s promise may seem delayed, but it will surely come at the appointed time.
Through this promise, God revealed the coming Seed through whom the whole world would be blessed and we now know that this promise was fulfilled. Yet Esau did not hold on to it. The blessing was not withheld from him; he refused it. Even when he later sought it with tears, he could not reclaim what he had willingly given up.
What Esau failed to see stands as a warning for all of us. Salvation is offered to everyone and is never withheld from anyone. Jesus Himself commanded that the gospel be preached to the whole world. This is a testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness He offers salvation freely to everyone who believes and receives His Son. Yet each person must choose whether to receive it.
And for those who do receive it, they must hold fast to it and never turn away from it.
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