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Esau Sells His Birthright
v. 29. And Jacob sod pottage, he cooked a dish of lentils; and Esau came from the field, where he had evidently been engaged in his favorite occupation, and he was faint, ravenously hungry after his strenuous exertions.
v. 30. And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint. Therefore was his name called Edom (red). So great was his craving for food that he was ready to swallow the entire mess of pottage at one gulp, that he could not even think of the name of the vegetables whose sight made him so hungry, but merely referred to that red mess.
v. 31. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. This was not a low form of cunning which took advantage of the opponent's weakness, but the believing Jacob made use of the opportunity to acquire legally what belonged to him by the promise of the Lord.
v. 32. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall this birthright do to me? The character of Esau was evidently such as to make him think lightly of the great privilege of being the first-born, since his question conveys the idea: I'm dying of hunger; and why should I worry about my birthright, anyway? Thus he yielded the entire higher import of his birthright, the specific blessing of Abraham, the inheritance of his posterity, the right and land of the covenant: all for the satisfaction of a moment.
v. 33. And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him; and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Thus Jacob pursued the advantage which he had gained to the point where he was sure of his gain, for the oath of Esau ratified his promise.
v. 34. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. So it was not a mere momentary whim of Esau, for his contempt of his birthright continued even after he had eaten and drunk his fill and was restored to his normal frame of mind. Thus Jacob was filled with a holy seriousness concerning the privileges of the birthright, realizing how much depended upon it in the family of Abraham, while Esau considered the entire matter a joke and acted accordingly. Jacob is a type and example of those that seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, while Esau represents such as renounce the eternal blessings for the sake of temporal gain and enjoyment.