Birthright, Inheritance; Genesis 25:27-32, and Hebrews
12:15-17
After the birth of the twins the
boys grow up and develop certain traits and they are clearly distinct from one
another. Genesis 25:27, “And the boys grew: and Esau was a skillful hunter, a
man of the field.” His name, Esau, is an interesting study. It says that when
he was born he was “red, all over like an hairy garment.” There is a play on
words here; this is a pun. The word “red” or “ruddy” is the Hebrew word adom or adam. The word for Edom, which describes the descendants of Esau,
is a slightly different word. The consonants are the same and there is a play
on words here that Esau is red or ruddy, and this begins to give the
explanation of the origin of the term for Edomites. He is also said to be
hairy. The word for hairy is sair,
and the consonants in that word are the same consonants that are found in the
name of Mount Seir, and seir becomes
a synonym for the Edomites. Mount Seir is located in the territory of the
Edmomites. So there is a foreshadowing that goes on here with regard to his
name and the description of him at birth that plays on the meanings of these
similar words. This also has an indication of certain negative traits. There is
some debate as to whether the redness attaches to the hair or his complexion.
Was he a redheaded baby with red hair all over, or did he have a ruddy
complexion? We can’t really decide, but in the ancient world there was a
prejudice against a redheaded person. This, in fact, extended up to and through
the middle ages. In the middle ages they frequently depicted Judas Iscariot as
a redhead. There is a hint here that Esau, being a redhead, is the villain. On
the other hand, someone with a ruddy complexion, like David, is thought to be a
hero.
Esau is presented as a skillful
hunter. Literally in the Hebrew it says that he is a “knowing hunter.” That
means that he has learned all the skills related to hunting. It is the idea of
knowledge and experience that has made him a productive hunter. He is further
described as a man of the field. This is a use of the field that means that he
is an outdoor man, is rugged, a man’s man who focuses on the outdoors. But:
“and Jacob was a mild man, dwelling
in tents.” That translation of “mild” is somewhat questionable. No one can be
sure what the emphasis on this particular word is. The word in the Hebrew is tam, and this word is predominantly
translated with the idea of moral perfection. But that doesn’t make sense in
this passage. There is no contrast of morality here. So the meaning of tam also has the sense of complete. What
does that mean? Many Hebrew scholars think that what this means is that he was
complete in himself; he was a retiring sort of individual, quiet. It may be
that he kept to himself; he kept his own counsel, especially in relationship to
what we are going to see here in the underlying current, that he is the
conniver, the heel-grabber, the supplanted. He is biding his time and keeping
his own counsel about his plans to usurp the birthright and the inheritance
right from his brother. What we see in these next few chapters is that rather
than Isaac and Rebekah teaching the boys that they just need to relax and trust
God for His provision, and that He will being about the results of that prophecy,
they seem to get the boys involved in competition with one another. So Jacob is
the one who is pictured here as waiting back and biding his time, making his
plans and laying a trap. He is the one who is manipulating, the one who ids the
conniver, and we see this element of his character all the way through the next
few chapters. It is not until he is older and he wrestles with God at Penuel
that his character is transformed and you don’t see this element any more.
Genesis 25:28, we learn that there
is parental favoritism. “And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his
venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.” What we learn here is a little insight into
Isaac’s character. He loves good food, especially food that is made with wild
game. We also learn that Esau was a good cook and Isaac loved to eat what Esau
cooked for him. That forms the background for what we are going to see in the
27th chapter. When it says that Rebekah loved Jacob, it doesn’t mean
she hates Esau, or that because Isaac loved Esau he therefore hated Jacob. This
is just a point of their choice, their favorites. So She dotes on Jacob and she
remembers that prophecy that God made, that Jacob is the one that would receive
the inheritance and the blessing, and that the older would serve the younger.
That sets the stage for building
into the lives of these two boys this sense of competition and who is really
going top come out on top. None of what we see in the next chapters is positive
towards anybody. Rebekah is clearly out of line, Isaac is out of line, Jacob is
out of line, and we see this picture of everybody manipulating to see who is
going to get God’s blessing rather than trusting God. What we learn in this is
that despite the carnality, the manipulations and the machinations of believers
God still overrides human history and works out His plan. The issue for us is,
are we going to be in line with God and His plan, and therefore participate in
the process, and enjoy being used by God in blessing the world, or are we just
going to be out there operating on carnality where God uses us despite
ourselves and there is no eventual reward or inheritance?
Genesis 25:29, “And Jacob had cooked
stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.” We are not told any
background to this. Why was he cooking a stew? It is not really a stew.
Literally it is the idea that he boiled a boiled meal. So he is boiling
something. The text doesn’t make it clear but it seems like this is a set-up.
The picture we get as we go through the rest of Jacob’s life is that he is
certainly not beyond planning, conniving, setting a trap, and trying to get his
brother into a situation where he can take advantage of him and make a deal
with him over his birthright. Esau returns from his hunting and is physically
exhausted. He finds that Jacob is there cooking, waiting for him, just like a
bait in a trap. The word for “cook” here is the hiphil imperfect, with a waw consecutive indicating continuing
narrative, of the Hebrew word zud,
which means to boil. What is interesting is that this is the only place on the
Old Testament where it has the meaning of boil. When it is applied to people it
emphasizes arrogance. So if we are reading this in the original and come across
this word you wouldn’t help but also associate with this concept arrogance. And
here we have Jacob as the heel-grabber acting presumptuously towards God’s
plan, and he is trying to manipulate the situation in order to get the blessing
for himself. He is clearly acting arrogantly in his actions. Later on we learn
that all he is boiling is lentil soup, but the picture that is presented at the
beginning is that this is something that is quite attractive.
Genesis 25:30, “And Esau said to
Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am weary:
therefore was his name called Edom.” Esau comes in tired and weary. This is a
great opportunity for the sin nature to take advantage, and when we can easily
give in to temptation to all kinds of sins. When we are tired and hungry we
know that it is really easy to give in to whatever that our favorite sin
pattern is because our defenses are down. We just don’t have the physical end
mental energy to necessarily apply doctrine. Here is where the test comes.
Often the Lord allows us to be tested at those times when we are weak. Esau,
however, just doesn’t care about spiritual things, and that is the overriding
point in this episode and which we come to in the last verse of the chapter,
that Esau despised his birthright. That is the theological point of this
episode because we just get this little snapshot of this competition between
Esau and Jacob, and immediately after this our attention is shifted to Isaac
moving up to Gerar in Philistia and we have a 35-verse interlude between this episode
and the episode that relates to the deception in Jacob going after the second
aspect of this, the blessing.
Literally in the Hebrew Esau does
say please. There is a formal, polite request here. He is worn out and yet he
is respectful. “Please let me gulp down that red stuff.” It reads very abrupt
in the Hebrew. The picture of this red stuff is a picture that we get at this
point of a rich, hearty stew, something that looks really good. We have another
paronomasia here on his name, on Edom and red. This becomes a nickname for him
because he makes such a fool of himself at this point.
In contrast to his polite request
Jacob just dispenses with all the niceties and cuts to the quick. Genesis
25:31, “And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.” The word that is
translated “birthright” is the Hebrew word bekorah,
and the Hebrew word for “blessing,” berakah,
is a similar make-up, meaning blessing. The words may even be etymologically
related. The birthright is that which belongs by right of birth to the eldest
son. So the picture here is that he baited the trap, Esau has walked right into
it, and now he begins to develop that reputation as the chiseler, the conniver,
and driving a hard bargain. The way he structures this sentence is to put the
“me” up front: “To me, sell.”
1)
The firstborn
is stated to be given by God and to be consecrated to God. Exodus 22:29, “You
shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe fruits, and of your liquors:
the firstborn of your sons shall thou give unto me.”
2)
They stood in
honor next to their parents. In other words, all the other children had to
respect that firstborn almost as much as they respected their parents. Genesis
49:3, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my
strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power.” So the
firstborn had a special place of privilege and respect over all the other
offspring.
3)
The firstborn
had a double portion in the paternal inheritance. They received twice as much
simply because they were the firstborn. Deuteronomy 21:17, “But he shall
acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double
portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right
of the firstborn is his.” So the firstborn had a double inheritance. This is
important to understand what goes on when we get into the New Testament and
start talking about the two different kinds of inheritance that goes to the
believer. We are heirs of God under one category, and joint heirs with Christ
under another category. All believers are heirs of God, but not all believers
are joint heirs of Christ.
4)
The firstborn
succeeded in the government of the family or the kingdom. They follow the
father’s footsteps. 2 Chronicles 21:3, “And their father gave them great gifts
of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah:
but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram; because he was the firstborn.”
5)
The firstborn
were honored with the office of priesthood and the administration of the public
worship of God. So that the priesthood passed also to the firstborn.
So the firstborn has a special
position within the family, and with that special position goes certain
privileges and certain responsibilities. And the firstborn should live as if
they are the firstborn, recognizing that is their birthright. This plays the
backdrop to how the New Testament is going to deal with this particular
episode.
Genesis 25:32, Esau starts to
bargain a little but with the conniver. “And Esau said, Behold, I am at the
point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” He is being very
dramatic. He is not close to death but is thinking he is close to death. At
this point he just doesn’t care, he is focusing more on satisfying his
immediate needs, taking care of his immediate physical needs, rather than that
which has a long-range, long-term benefit to him. One of the keys to any kind
of maturity is that a person is able to postpone gratification. So even if Esau
is passed his teenage years he is not able to postpone gratification. There is
a lack of maturity here, he can’t focus on that which has a long-range benefit
because he is more concerned about satisfying the immediate need of his flesh.
He thinks that this bowl of lentil soup is more valuable than the double
portion of his inheritance.
Genesis 25:33, Jacob hasn’t given up
just yet. “And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him: and he
sold his birthright unto Jacob.” In their culture this was just like signing a
contract. If Esau swears he can’t go back on it. At this point he sells his
birthright to Jacob. Jacob has swindled him into giving him the double portion
of the inheritance. This seems to be a private transaction at this point
because Isaac and Rebekah aren’t around; it is just the two boys. There has to
be a more formal passing of this inheritance and the blessing that goes with
it, and that is what occurs in chapter twenty-seven.
Genesis 25:34, the divine commentary.
“Then Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and
rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” Watch the verbs
here: he ate, he drank, he arose, he went his way. He doesn’t stop, he doesn’t
talk about it, he doesn’t get refreshed and just stay and talk to his brother;
he just gets up and leaves. After his talking about everything earlier, his
silence at this point stands out as a stark contrast. Does he care about the
birthright? Does he have any regrets now that his stomach is full? Or is
bitterness already starting to spring up? Is he already starting to resent what
just happened? The Hebrew word translated “despise” is the word bazah, which means to treat with
contempt or to despise. He treated it lightly, it had no value for him, and he
is going to reap the consequences for that, both in terms of his relationship
with his brother and in terms of his relationship with his father.
As God had prophesied back in verse
23, these two represented two nations, and we see the outworking of this
conflict between Jacob and Esau as we go down through history. Edom’s
traditional home is southeast of the Dead Sea. When Israel was returning from
Egypt as they went through the wilderness for forty years, and then God began
to lead the conquest generation to Canaan, they had to go around the land of
Edom because the Edomites refused to let Israel pass through their territory,
even though God told them that they were not to take any of that territory
because He had given that to Edom. Numbers 20:14-21. Later on in the period of
the monarchy, the period of Saul and David and subsequent rulers, there is
periodic conflict and war between Edom and Israel. It was later predicted that
Edom would be destroyed once and for all and incorporated into the kingdom of
Israel, and that is found in Obadiah and Malachi 1:4. But the lesson that we
get from Esau is found in Hebrews chapter twelve.
Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with
all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” This begins
with a present active imperative, which indicates a primary command emphasizing
a standard operating procedure or characteristic of the Christian life. The
verb there is DIOKO [diwkw], which means to pursue a course of action, to be earnest and diligent
in the pursuit of a goal or objective, to move rapidly and decisively towards
that objective. It is a strong word for aggressive pursuit of an objective. Wee
are to pursue the objective of peace with all men. We are not to seek to be involved
in an antagonistic relationship, we are not supposed to be viewed with enmity
with other men, but we are to pursue peace with all men. After that objective
it is linked by the conjunction KAI [kai] to the second objective which is to pursue sanctification,
“without which no man shall see the Lord.” So it is an emphasis here on the
believer advancing in sanctification so that they will have a more intimate
relationship with the Lord in the future.
Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently
lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up
trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” What is the relationship of looking
diligently [carefully] with the main verb, which appears in the previous verse.
This is an adverbial participle of means, and any participle that comes along
after an imperative verb is going to tell us something about how to achieve, to
implement the mandate in the imperative verb. One way we pursue peace with all
is by looking carefully at our own lives, to give close examination to what is
going on inside of our own soul. Because what happens when there are people
tests, when people don’t treat us the way we should be treated, we have a
tendency to react with anger, with resentment, with bitterness, with hostility.
When we react, we fall short of grace orientation; we fall short of applying
the grace of God in that situation. The “root of bitterness” is a root that
sinks down in the soil of mental attitude sins that then bears fruit in many
other mental attitude sins. The word “defiled” is the Greek word MIAINO [miainw]. The primary
sense of this word is to stain. It had the idea of staining a garment a
particular color. It is used in the Scripture the same way it is used in
extra-biblical religious literature where it has to do with being involved in
any activity that separates a person from their god. The word is used in the
Septuagint in Leviticus to refer to anything that makes a person ceremonially
unclean. Unclean is the opposite of clean or being cleansed and, of course, 1
John 1:9 talks abut the fact that if we confess our sins God is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse or purify us from all
unrighteousness. That word is the word KATHARIZO [kaqarizw], and that word group is used in the Septuagint in
Leviticus to talk about a person being ceremoniously cleansed so that they can
in turn go into the tabernacle or the temple and worship God. You had to be
cleansed before you could go and worship God. In Leviticus this terminology was
used especially in relation to the priesthood and the function of the ceremony
and ritual in the tabernacle and the temple. And what is going on in Hebrews?
Who is the writer of Hebrews addressing? It is a community of former priests
that had become believers and are now being tested under adversity, and many of
them are wanting to go back into the Levitical system. That is why the major
theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ’s priesthood to the Aaronic
priesthood, and the sacrifice of Christ is superior to the sacrifices of the
Old Testament. So when the writer of Hebrews uses this word MIAINO to a group of former Levitical priests, what they are hearing is that
bitterness and anger and mental attitude sins that spring from bitterness
destroy the relationship of the believer with God. So it is a very clear
warning that the way you pursue peace with others is not by going to them, and
not by compromising and not by working out certain things that may be involved,
but it is by looking at our own soul and not letting ourselves give in to
anger, resentment and bitterness, and focus on the hurt, but deal with people
on the basis of grace.
The illustration of the person who
responds in bitterness is Esau. Hebrews 12:16, “Lest there be any fornicator,
or godless person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”
There is nothing in the Scripture that indicates Esau’s justification status.
It is just not there. So the word “fornicator” is the Greek word PORNOS [pornoj], generally
translated “immoral” but it is a word that relates to a male or female that has
prostituted themselves for personal gain, and this is exactly what Esau does by
selling his birthright. He is more concerned about his own immediately pleasure
and selling his birthright for personal gain than he is for the long-range
value of his birthright. The second word “godless” is the Greek word BEBELOS [bebhloj], a word that
is used in contrast to HAGIOS [a(gioj] or holy, which means to be set apart for the service of God and thus
is holy. Something that is not set apart for the purpose of God but was for
everyday use; that people used in any situation, is something that would be
called profane of common. Thus the word BIBELOS means
something that is used in a common or profane manner. That is, either pointless
or worthless, in other case that which is worldly, that lacks eternal values or
lacks God’s values.
So what Hebrews 12:16 is saying is,
Lest there be anyone among you who is prostituting or selling their birthright
for personal gain and the immediate present, or a person who has values
inconsistent with their position in God’s royal family, like Esau who for a
morsel of food sold his birthright. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we
are members of the royal family of God and we have a royal identity, and God
has given us a destiny to rule and reign with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we
get involved in mental attitude sin and sins of the tongue, in any kind of
carnality, what we are doing is we are prostituting our future position with
Christ for satisfying present fleshly [i.e. sin nature] satisfaction. That is
the picture of Esau.
Hebrews 12:17, “For ye know how that
afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he
found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” He has
entered into a contract by swearing to Jacob that he would give him the
birthright, and that is what it means that he found no place for repentance
[change]. There could not be a reversal of the deal. Afterward he understood
what he had done, what he had lost, but he couldn’t reverse it. And this is a
picture of what is going to happen with a vast number of believers who,
according to 1 John 2:28, are going to have shame and embarrassment at the
judgment seat of Christ, they are going to have all of their works burned up,
and they are going to enter heaven “yet as through fire,” and it is because they
were more concerned with satisfying the immediate trends of their sin nature,
the lust patterns of their sin nature, rather than focusing on eternal
priorities and postponing gratification for the Millennial kingdom.