M-G: 3.20.13 // The Esau Syndrome

When Jacob stole the blessing of the firstborn from his brother Esau, they were 77 years of age. It is difficult for us to understand living in a culture of “we can change our mind at any time about anything,” barring a written contract, why Isaac could not simply rectify the matter by inserting his fatherly jurisdiction into the situation due to subterfuge and deceit on the younger son’s part. 

Investigating further we might even assess the situation of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for some lentil stew as no big deal; he was starved! We might even question how in the world you sell a birthright anyway, and how is Jacob going to collect on that trade with the father’s approval? Did Jacob really believe Esau was going to honor their deal once Isaac passed away, probably not, which gives rise to the trickery to steal the blessing of the firstborn blessing and a mother’s concern about her favorite son and the future?

Esau was merely being frivolous after returning famished from a hunt in selling his birthright for a single meal to Jacob. In his melodrama he was probably reasoning, “What good is a birthright if I’m dead” (cf. Gen 25:32)! But to God, it was a very big deal what he was thinking and doing (cf. Heb 12:15, 16, 17)! Esau didn’t realize that he was trashing the grace and blessings of God to quell a bellyache! 

In fact, Esau never intended to honor the selling of his birthright to Jacob in the first place. This became evident years later when Isaac made it known to Esau that he wanted him to hunt for some venison and after the meal, he would bless him (Gen 27:1-4). For we do not read of Esau being an honorable man and saying to his father, “Father, I can go and find you a deer and prepare it just the way you like it, but to receive the firstborn rite belongs to Jacob now since I sold it to him one day for some soup years ago.”  No, he did just what Isaac asked of him and expected the blessing afterward to be his, reneging on his oath (cf. Gen 25:33, “swear to me”). 

However, Jacob pulled off the switch to gain the firstborn blessing in Mission Impossible-like style (Gen 27:30). Read Esau’s response in discovering the truth.

Gen 27:34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me—me also, O my father!"

Gen 27:35 But he said, "Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing."

The rite of the firstborn blessing once conferred was irrevocable. This is analogous to a skydiver jumping out of the fuselage of an aircraft. Upon jumping out of the plane, there was no going back. Indeed, the older (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob) – Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” (Gen 27:37).

It is improbable that Isaac would have been ignorant of the prophecy that the older would serve the younger given to Rebekah some 77 years earlier (Gen 25:23). Rebekah had difficulty during her pregnancy to the point that she thought something was terribly wrong, and so out of concern she inquired of the LORD (Gen 25:22). Every mother knows the feeling when a child kicks in the womb. Imagine two that “struggled together” (Gen 25:22). She must have been miserable during the term of her pregnancy.

Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to the twins. So Isaac was fully cognizant of all of this. Now blind and 137 years of age, he attempted to circumvent the prophecy because he, not the LORD, favored Esau. And by the way, when Isaac told Esau he wanted to bless him before he died (Gen 27:4), Isaac probably thought this because his half-brother Ishmael died at 137 (Gen 25:17). Isaac live for another 43 years, dying at the ripe old age of 180 (Gn 35:28); his dad, Abraham, had died at 175 (Gen 25:7).

Esau was a man of worldly appetites and spiritual things were inconsequential to him (e.g. selling his birthright (Gn 25:32, 33), marrying pagan women (Gn 26:34), and thoughts of murdering his brother (Gen 27:41). Actually, Jacob’s character wasn’t much better; he tricked his brother into selling his birthright (Gn 25:31) and deceived his blind father into thinking he was Esau during the rite of blessing (Gen 27:24). His character would change in time unlike his brother Esau. These two brothers had been going at each other not only in the womb but out of the womb, during their formative years, and ever since, both always jockeying for advantage in everything. 

Esau may have thought that selling his birthright was no big deal before (Gn 25:31); what really mattered to him was the inheritance. Little did he realize until it was too late, one preceded the other, and he foolishly disqualified himself by relinquishing a lifelong blessing of God for a moment of worldly appetite. He was like so many in the world who wants the blessings of God, but not God Himself. Esau had regret, “He cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry” (Gen 27:34; Heb 12:17), but he never repented as far as we can tell.

Whenever we are more concerned with the physical over the spiritual, we will rob ourselves of untold blessings from God; it is a natural law of reaping what is sown. It is called the Esau syndrome, giving up the eternal values (spiritual) for the temporal ones (physical). This is not limited to unbelievers, unfortunately, but the contagion spills over into the realm of believers. I wished this was a rare outbreak of disobedience among only a few who claim the name of Christ, but sadly it’s more widespread than that. 

What are you buying into that is robbing you of God’s blessings in your life? Whenever you find out, it may be too late. Pursue peace and holiness. Seek those things which are above (Col 3:1); for it is far better than being caught up in the Esau syndrome with those things which are below (1 Jn 2:17). <><