Neither of the twins was particularly praiseworthy. Jacob certainly wasn’t acting out of the purest of intentions when his brother came back to camp, hungry and frustrated from a fruitless hunt. Jacob doubtless knew his brother well, and he had probably been plotting to take advantage of Esau’s impulsive nature. And so Esau swapped a bowl of lentil stew for his birthright.

So, what was so important about a birthright? In those days, it meant the oldest son received a double portion, twice as much as all the other sons. But the birthright in this particular family was even more important. After all, God had made promises to Abraham, promises that he would have an abundance of children and that they would one day inherit the land where Abraham was living. And God repeated these same promises to Isaac, the son of Abraham and the father of the twins (Genesis 26:3-4, 24).

And so, by treating this amazing promise with carelessness (Genesis 25:34), Esau demonstrated that he didn’t deserve it. But Jacob didn’t deserve it either. No, as he manipulated his brother to get what he wanted, Jacob proved that he earned his name, for Jacob means “supplanter.” He had grabbed onto his brother’s heel at birth (25:26), and he had grabbed his brother’s birthright by using a pot of stew as bait.

No, neither of the brothers deserved this blessing. But God had nevertheless told their mother before they were even born that “the older shall serve the younger.” For whatever reason, God chose to bless Jacob in spite of his selfish nature and manipulative ways. And Jacob indeed became the father of Judah, the ancestor of David, the ancestor of Jesus, the One in Whom all God’s promises to Abraham were fulfilled, the One in Whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 26:4)

And just like God decided to bless Jacob in spite of his sinful nature, Jesus chose to bless us, laying down His life for a world full of undeserving sinners like us. In other words, this story really isn’t about which twin was most deserving. It’s really about God’s grace, grace which He pours out on us, even though none of us can earn it, and even though none of us deserve it. Isn’t that good news?

Genesis 25:21-34 (ESV)

21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.
23 And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”
24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau.
26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted.
30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.)
31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.”
32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?”
33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.