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Our apostle proceeds in these verses to warn them against such sins as would occasion their apostasy and falling from the grace of God, and they are fornication and profaneness; together, because they usually go together; fornicators, such especially as are habitually so, do always grow profane, and profane persons do set light by fornication, and they are sins very seldom forsaken; few fornicators and profane persons, do ever come to repentance.
By fornication understand all conjunction with women out of wedlock, be it with single or married persons.
By profane persons, understand such as mock religion, who lightly regard its promises and threatenings, who despise or neglect its worship, who speak irreverently of its concerns.
Note, 2. The instance which the apostle gives of a profane person, in the person of Esau: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau. The Scriptures make no mention of his fornication; but the way whereby he manifested his profaneness is declared, namely, that for one morsel of meat he sold his birthright. Which birthright had many privileges belonging to him, but especially the honour of priesthood, all which did belong to the first-born. Add to these the blessing which run from Abraham in the patriarchal line, and was communicated from father to son, containing an inclosure of all church privileges, and preservation of the promised seed. Now Esau, by selling his birthright, did virtually renounce his right unto this blessing, wherein the promised seed and the church-state were contained, and doing all this upon a slight consideration, for a mess of pottage, or morsel of meat; and in a regardless manner, utterly unconcerned at what he had done. This was his profaneness; and accordingly the Scripture says, Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Learn from hence, How much it concerns all persons not to glory in their outward privileges. Esau here was the first-born of Isaac, circumcised according to the law of God, and partaker in all the worship of God, yet he proved an outcast from the covenant, and promises thereof.
Profane Esau! The 17th verse acquaints us with the fruitlessness of Esau's sorrow for parting with his birthright, and the unprofitableness of his endeavours in order to the recovery of it: when he would have inherited the blessing afterwards. This afterwards, say some, was not less than forth tears, for he sold his birhtright when he was young, and when he designed the recovery of the blessing, Isaac was old: Thus long did he live in sin, without any sense of it, or repentance for it: but falling into distress, it fills him with perplexity, and he seeks the recovery of the blessing: And herein he was a type of all unbelievers, and obstinate refusers of the grace of Christ.
Learn from his example, That there is a time coming when the profanest sinners upon earth will be found upon their knees at God's door, seeking, and that earnestly, with strong cries and tears, for the obtaining of that blessing which they now sinfully undervalue, and scornfully despise. Afterwards Esau would have inherited the blessing, and sought it carefully with tears.
It follows, he was rejected; that is, by his father Isaac; and found no place with him for repentance. Isaac would not change his mind, nor recall the blessing, which as a prophet of God he had conferred on Jacob.
Learn hence then, That such sinners as neglect the seeking of the blessing in God's time, have great reason to fear that they shall not find it in their own time, though they seek it with tears saltier than those of Esau. Profane contemners of the grace of God, ought to fear being excluded from the mercy of God; and as Isaac did not, God will not repent or alter his righteous sentence upon them. This sad event had the profaneness of Esau, nad the like will they meet with who despise the grace of God.