What did God see in Esau that He disapproved?

In short, why did God love Jacob but hate Esau?

Let me briefly sketch their characters for you, as unfolded in Scripture, starting with Esau. Esau was a “good guy,” a “nice chap.” He was strong, active, manly, a hunter. He did no one any harm. He was the favorite of his father.

What about Jacob? He was crafty, determined, unscrupulous. He never got the worst of a bargain. That is a quality that nobody really likes. He obtained the birthright from Esau for a bowl of soup. When his brother was hungry, he persuaded him to sell that priceless birthright for nothing more than a bowl of soup. If ever there was a bargain, that was it! He deceived his father to obtain the blessing, and he gained a fortune at the expense of Laban, who was both his uncle and his father‑in‑law. By no means would anyone con-sider Jacob a “good guy” or a “nice chap.” By contemporary standards, most people would prefer Esau. But God did not.

Why did God prefer Jacob? I am going to offer you one basic reason, which I believe is the key to it all: Jacob appreciated what God had to give, but Esau was indifferent.

In Hebrews 12:15–17, we get a scriptural estimate of what God thinks of indifference. His views of indifference are very different from those of most Christians. Commenting on Esau’s behavior, the writer of Hebrews says,

“See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” (Hebrews 12:15–17)

Take notice of how Esau is described. He is described as “godless,” and he is put on the same level with the sexually immoral. He is also de-scribed as godless because for a single meal, a bowl of soup, he sold his inheritance rights. As we are told in Genesis 25:34, “Esau despised his birthright.” You must understand that by God’s standards, indifference concerning what God has to offer is “godless,” and God hates it. If you want God’s best, don’t be indifferent!

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Yesterday we read in Genesis that God's purpose in our lives is to bear fruit. In the new creation, through Jesus Christ, the original purposes of God are restored.

This is made very clear in many places in the New Testament. In particular, there is a prayer of the apostle Paul for the Christians with whom he was dealing. This beautiful prayer is recorded in Colossians 1:9–12 and has an entirely positive emphasis. Every word in this prayer is positive; there is not one negative word in the whole of this prayer.

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in or-der that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great end

If You Want God’s Best

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