Read Genesis 25:27-34.

Introduction⤒🔗

On January 29, 1994, the newspapers carried the report, “Mickey Mantle, whose major league baseball career was noted both for home runs and late nights, had checked into the Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcohol abuse.” At the time, the newspapers listed Mantle’s age as 62. The article went on to state that Mickey had been struggling with “a 43-year battle with alcohol abuse.” Mantle had been abusing his body and mind with alcohol since the age of 19. Stated another way, almost 70% of his life had been sacrificed to the influence of alcohol.

It seems that Mickey never thought he was going to live very long, so he thought little of taking care of his body. The newspapers reported that Mickey is the only male member of his family to live past the age of 41. His father died at the age of 41 from Hodgkin’s Disease. His grandfather died at 40 from the same disease. Mickey was quoted as saying, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”

When his former teammates heard that Mantle had checked into the alcohol treatment center, one of them remarked, “I hope this helps him. Anything that could help him is good, because we want him around for a long time.”

But it was not to be. A little more than 18 months later, on August 14, 1995, Mickey Mantle was dead. Here was a tremendous talent less than fully utilized, and much more than that, here was a life wasted, because it was undervalued.

What is tragic in the physical realm is all the more tragic in the spiritual realm. In the case of Esau, we find a man who undervalued and threw away his spiritual privileges. He did so because, as Hebrews 12:16 indicates, Esau was “a profane man.” That is to say, he was a secular man as opposed to being a spiritual man—he was a man whose perspective was focused on this present life as opposed to being focused on the transcendent kingdom of God.

The lesson for us to learn is this: We must value our spiritual inheritance, and not be like the profane man who is finally excluded from the kingdom of God. If you do not want to lose out on the blessing of God, be careful to avoid the marks of the profane man.

Do Not Discount Your Covenantal Privileges←⤒🔗

Esau comes in from the fields after a long day of hunting and he is faint (vs. 29), he is exhausted and famished. When he smells the hearty stew Jacob is cooking, quite naturally he asks for a bowl to satisfy his hunger (vs. 30).

Jacob sees here the opportunity to secure the precious covenantal birthright for himself, so he offers to give Esau some stew in exchange for the birthright. The “birthright” included the right to become the head of the family, to assume the position formerly occupied by the father; it was traditionally bestowed on the eldest son. In the case of the patriarchs, the birthright would also include the covenantal blessings of the LORD; note Abimelech’s words to Isaac in Genesis 26:29, “You are now the Blessed of the LORD.”

The son who possessed the birthright was the son designated by the LORD to carry on the covenantal line, he would be the son through whom the Messiah would eventually be born. This was the high spiritual privilege of the son who inherited the birthright. A son to whom the birthright was a thing to be cherished reveals himself to be a son who put the highest priority on the covenant and all that that means, above all, the LORD’s pledge: I am your God, and you are my people. But a son who discounts the birthright is one whose priority lies elsewhere, other than his relationship with the LORD. Esau reveals himself to be such a man.

Scripture not only records the transaction Esau made with Jacob, it also reveals to us Esau’s thinking: “Esau said, Look, I am about to die. What profit shall the birthright be to me?” (vs. 32) Esau does not consider the birthright to be something for which it is worth dying.

Following the transaction, Esau ate and drank, then got up and went his way (vs. 34a). He had no remorse, no sense of loss, no regard for what he had just given away. Indeed, as Genesis 25:34b states, “Esau despised his birthright.” Esau lost, indeed, gave away, the spiritual possession that was his, because he discounted its value. Esau fits the description of the natural man given by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:18-19,

¹⁸As I have often told you, and even now tell you with tears, many walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹Their destiny is perdition, their god is their own appetites, and they glory in their shameful conduct. They set their minds on earthly things.

This is in striking contrast to the perspective of the spiritual man as given in 2 Corinthians 4:18,

¹⁸...we do not look [the Greek term, σκπεω, means, “to focus on,” “to pay attention to”] at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal; but the things that are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:18

Do not discount your covenantal privileges; on the contrary, pay attention to the exhortations of the Word of God:

¹⁴...continue in the things you have learned and of which you have become assured, because you know from whom you learned them. ¹⁵From the time you were a young child you have known the sacred Scriptures that are able to make you wise concerning salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 3:14-15

¹...we ought to give more earnest attention to the things that were heard, so that we do not drift away from them; ^3ahow shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? Heb. 2:1; 3a

³⁵Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need to be steadfast, so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Heb. 10:35-36

Do Not Disrespect the Covenantal Boundaries←⤒🔗

Genesis 26:34-35 records the fact that Esau took two wives, both from among the Canaanites:

³⁴when Esau was forty years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵They were a source of grief to Isaac and to Rebekah.

Esau ignores the spiritual boundaries of the covenant—note Genesis 24:3, which records Abraham’s instructions to his servant with regard to the choosing of a wife for Isaac: “I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am living.”

Esau does not even respect the original creation ordinance of God, note Genesis 2:24, “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be bound to his wife [singular]; and they shall be one flesh.” It is stated that Esau entered into these marriages when he was forty years old; i.e. he was old enough to know better, if there had been any spiritual sensitivity in his life.

Genesis 28:6-9 gives an account of a third marriage Esau contracted at a later date:

⁶Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. ⁷Esau observed that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Paddan-aram. ⁸Esau realized that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. ⁹So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son—besides the wives that he had. Gen. 28:6-9

Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob, and charged him not to take a wife from among the Canaanites. Esau also saw that his brother Jacob obeyed their father’s command. As Genesis 28:8 states it, “Esau realized that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father, Isaac.” Therefore, Esau went to Ishmael, and took one of Ishmael’s daughters as his third wife. Apparently, Esau’s motivation was to win his father’s approval. But his action shows a total lack of spiritual perception. He does not comprehend that Ishmael is not a part of the covenant community; Ishmael is a natural born son of Abraham, but he does not possess the faith of Abraham, and, therefore, he is not a true “spiritual” son and participant in the covenant. Consequently, Esau’s gesture is only superficially religious, because he lacks any true spiritual sensitivity or vitality.

Do not disrespect the covenantal boundaries. The church of God is defined as those who are set apart for God and set apart to be holy like God, such is the dual meaning of the word "sanctify" as it is used in 1 Corinthians 1:2, a passage in which the Apostle Paul gives this definition of the church: “those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.”

Again, we find the same emphasis on holiness unto God and moral separation from the world in Leviticus 20:26, “you shall be holy for me; for I, the LORD, am holy. I have separated you from the nations, in order that you should belong to me.” In keeping with this demand for devotion unto the LORD our God, the Apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthian believers in the following terms:

¹⁷Come out from among them, and be separate, says the LORD. Do not touch anything that is unclean; and I will receive you. ¹⁸I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. ^7:1Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. 6:17; 7:1

We are warned that the persistent indulgence of sin against the pangs of conscience and a persistent willful transgression of the spiritual boundaries eventually creates a callousness of the soul: “exhort one another day by day, as long as it is called Today; so that none of you may become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13). Let us pray that the LORD would be gracious to work in us what He describes in Jeremiah 32:40b, “I will put my fear in their hearts, so that they may not depart from me.”

Do Not Depart from Your Covenantal Roots←⤒🔗

Esau and Jacob are together in the Promised Land at the time of Isaac’s death (Gen. 35:29). Sometime afterward, Esau packs up the whole family, departs from the land of Canaan, and resettles in the hill country of Seir (Gen. 36:6-8). Note that before the final departure recorded in Genesis 36, Esau already had previous connections with the area known as the hill country of Seir. When Jacob returns from Paddan Aram, he sent messengers to Esau in the land of Seir (Gen. 32:3). Following his reunion with Jacob, Esau returned to Seir, as Genesis 33:16 states, “So that day Esau started on his journey back to Seir.”

Speaking of Jacob and Esau, we are told in Genesis 36:7-8, “⁷Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their cattle. ⁸So Esau settled in mount Seir." However, this did not necessarily demand that Esau withdraw from the Promised Land of Canaan. Recall that on an earlier occasion, Abraham and Lot faced a similar predicament. On that occasion, Abraham suggested that the two of them separate from one another, but by no means did he intend for Lot to depart from the Promised Land (cp. Gen. 13L6-9). Indeed, verse nine reports that Abraham said to Lot, “Is not the whole land [of Canaan] before you?”

If anything, Esau’s departure from the land of Canaan shows that he prized earthly possessions and earthly prosperity far more than his relationship with the LORD and His covenant.

We are told that, as the time of Isaac’s death drew near, “Jacob came to his father Isaac in Mamre near Kiriath-arba, (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed” (Gen. 35:27). It may be that Esau did the same thing, temporarily re-locating in Mamre to be with his father in his final days on earth. Now, after the death of Isaac, Esau makes his full and final departure out of the land of Canaan, he packed up everything and settled in the hill country of Seir.

Apparently, it was only out of a sense of obligation to his father, Isaac, that Esau had any attachment to the Promised Land. Now, when Isaac was removed by death, Esau felt free to make his final departure from the land of Canaan—he had no personal connection to the Promised Land or to the covenant of the LORD.

Do not depart from your covenantal roots. Let us take to heart the warning issued by the writer to the Hebrews, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12).

On the contrary, let us see to it that we are spiritually rooted into Christ, and let us not uproot ourselves out of Christ,

²²...now Christ has reconciled you to God by his fleshly body through death, in order to present you holy and without blemish and free from accusation before God the Father; ²³if you continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope offered in the gospel that you have heard. Col. 1:22-23

Conclusion←⤒🔗

We can look at the example of Mickey Mantle, and say, “What a tragedy! The man ruined his health and threw it away, because he undervalued it.”

When all is said and done, will anyone have occasion to look at you and say, “What a tragedy! The man ruined his soul and threw it away, because he undervalued it.”

Let us value our spiritual heritage, and not be like the profane man who is finally excluded from the kingdom of God. Let us be careful not to lose out on the kingdom and blessing of God, let us be careful to avoid the marks of the profane man.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How is Esau described in Hebrews 12:16? What are the characteristics of a secular man or society? See Gen. 11:1-4; also, Dan. 4:30 Do you have a secular perspective, or is it God-centered? See Psl. 115:1; Rom. 11:36.

¹⁶...a profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Heb. 12:16

Note: “Profane” may mean “blasphemous,” but as used of Esau, it means “non-spiritual,” or, “secular.”

¹...as they journeyed from the east...they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they settled there... ⁴And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city...let us make a name for ourselves... Gen. 11:1; 4

³⁰The king said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? Dan. 4:30

¹Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto your name give glory; for your lovingkindness and your truth’s sake. Ps. 115:1

³⁶...from him and through him and unto him [are] all things, to whom [be] the glory forever. Amen. Rom. 11:36

2. How is Esau described in Genesis 25:29b? How does Esau describe his present condition? See Gen. 25:32a What is he willing to sacrifice to satisfy his hunger? See Gen. 25:32b What is of paramount importance to Esau? What does the Lord Jesus say must be of paramount importance to us? See Mk. 8:35-36; also, Psl. 63:1 ,3.

²⁹Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint. Gen. 25:29

³²And Esau said, “Behold, I [am] about to die; so what profit shall this birthright be to me?” Gen. 25:32

³⁵Whoever wants to save his life, will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the [sake of the] gospel shall save it. ³⁶What profit is it for a man to gain the whole world, but to forfeit his soul?Mk. 8:35-36

¹O God, you are my God; earnestly will I seek you; my soul thirst for you, my flesh longs for you...³Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you. Ps. 63:1; 3

3. What does Genesis 26:34-35 tell us about Esau’s choice of a wife? How old was Esau at the time he married? What does this tell us about Esau’s view of the covenantal demand God makes of His people? See Gen. 24:3; also, Gen. 2:24 Do you take seriously the LORD’s command to respect the spiritual distinction that exists between believers and unbelievers? See 2 Cor. 6:14 What danger does a Christian encounter when he, like Esau, disregards that distinction? See 1 Kgs. 11:1-4.

³⁴...when Esau was forty years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. ³⁵They were a source of grief to Isaac and to Rebekah. Gen. 26:34-35

Abraham gave the following instructions to his servant with regard to finding a suitable wife for Isaac:

³I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites... Gen. 24:3

²⁴...a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife [singular], and they shall become one flesh. Gen. 2:24

¹⁴Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship does righteousness have with lawlessness? And what communion does light have with darkness? 2 Cor. 6:14

²²Flee youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Tim. 2:22

¹...King Solomon loved many foreign women...⁴...his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God... 1 Kgs. 11:1; 4

4. Genesis 28:6-9 tell us about yet another marriage Esau contracted. What motivated Esau to enter into this marriage? What was this bride’s ancestry? But was her branch of the family part of the covenant line who were devoted to the LORD? See Gen. 17:18-19 What does this tell us about Esau’s “religious” life? How would you describe your own religious life? Is it like that described in Isa. 29:13? Is it it in compliances with the LORD’s demand? See Deut. 6:5.

⁶Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. ⁷Esau observed that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Paddan-aram. ⁸Esau realized that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. ⁹So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son—besides the wives that he had. Gen. 28:6-9

¹⁸Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before you.” [i.e. that Ismael might be the covenantal descendant] ¹⁹Then God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; I will establish my covenant with him...[and] with his descendants after him.” Gen. 17:18-19

¹³...the Lord said, “...these people [only] approach me with their mouth and [only] honor me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, and their reverence for me is [nothing more than] a tradition they have learned by rote...” Isa. 29:13

⁵You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deut. 6:5

5. According to Genesis 35:27-29, what occasion caused Esau to return to Canaan from his home in the land of Seir? What does Esau do after the death of his father, Isaac? See Gen. 36:6-8 What does his tell us about Esau’s connection, or dis-connection, to the LORD? What warning do we find in such passages as Heb. 3:12 and Col. 1:21-23?

²⁷Jacob came to his father Isaac in Mamre near Kiriath-arba, (that is, Hebron), the place where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ²⁸Isaac live a hundred and eighty years. ²⁹Then Isaac took his last breath and died and was gathered to his people, an old man who had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Gen. 35:27-29

⁶Then Esau took his wives...and all the persons of his household...a went to a country far from the presence of his brother Jacob...⁸So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir, Esau [is] Edom. Gen. 36:6; 8

¹²Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God... Heb. 3:12

²¹...he has reconciled [you]...²²...to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight—²³if, indeed, you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard... Col. 1:21-23