Genesis 25:23, commentary and pictures

Before his birth God answered Rebekah's troubled prayer about her pregnancy by revealing the future history of her unborn sons. She would bear two sons who would become two separated mighty nations and two manner of peoples, with a striking contrast in character and life between them, the one people greater and stronger than the other and the elder subordinate to the younger. Before their birth He knew from beginning to end what characters they would develop, including that Esau would have no heart to obey Him. The promised pre-eminence was the spiritual birthright to commune with God, to offer the atoning sacrifice for the family, to be priest of the family and progenitor of the chosen people and of the promised Messiah, and to inherit the immortal possessions of the covenant. Jacob was best fitted and fit for that spiritual pre-eminence and channel of the Redeemer, while Esau had no love for devotion and regarded its obedience and service of God as a hateful yoke of bondage, so the blessing and prosperity depended on conduct toward God and the foretold outcome was already his by promise and should have been trusted to God in His own way and time rather than secured by studying to obtain Esau's renunciation or by deceiving Isaac.

Answer to Rebekah's Prayer

In answer to Rebekah's troubled prayer about her pregnancy, the word was spoken to her before the twins were born, by the angel, opening the future history of her unborn sons.
Before their birth God knew from beginning to end what characters Jacob and Esau would develop, including that Esau would not have a heart to obey Him.
She would bear two sons who would become two nations and two separated peoples, each becoming the head of a mighty nation, with one people greater and stronger than the other and the younger having the pre-eminence.
The prophecy foretold a striking contrast in character and life between Jacob and Esau, with the elder, Esau, serving and being subordinate to the younger, Jacob.

Meaning of the Birthright

God made known His will that the birthright blessing belonged to Jacob, calling the younger son to that place rather than Esau the elder. This divine intimation was given to Rebekah and was taught by her to Jacob, so that he learned from his mother that the birthright should fall to him. He treasured what his father told and his mother taught about it until it became the absorbing interest of his life day and night, kindling in him an unspeakable desire for its privileges and honors above all temporal blessings.

The birthright so promised was spiritual, not the possession of his father's wealth. It meant communing with God as Abraham had done, offering the sacrifice of atonement for his family, becoming progenitor of the chosen people and of the promised Messiah and Redeemer, and inheriting the immortal possessions embraced in the blessings of the covenant. Jacob was best fitted to accomplish God's purposes, being fit for this spiritual pre-eminence as priest of the family and channel of the Redeemer. Esau, by contrast, had no love for devotion and regarded the obedience, service of God, and law of God required by the spiritual birthright as a hateful yoke of bondage.

Rebekah saw the character of her sons with clearer insight than Isaac, and she repeated the words spoken to her to Isaac to show that Jacob should receive the birthright. Isaac had been made acquainted with the purpose of God, yet he favored Esau and held a secret and determined purpose to bestow the firstborn blessing on the elder son. That purpose was contrary to the promise, risking God's displeasure and shutting Jacob out from what God had assigned him. Remembering the message afterward convinced Isaac that God had defeated his determined purpose to bless Esau in order to bring about what he had tried to prevent. The benediction he had unwittingly pronounced upon Jacob had been spoken under the Spirit of inspiration, and knowing all the circumstances he ratified it despite Jacob's sin.

Waiting for God's Fulfillment

Jacob learned from his mother the divine intimation that the birthright should fall to him and that the elder would serve the younger, and he reasoned that the promise could not be fulfilled while Esau retained the rights and privileges of the firstborn. That conviction became the absorbing interest of his life day and night, kindling unspeakable desire for its privileges above temporal blessings, so that he constantly studied to devise some way to secure what his brother held so lightly. When Esau came hungry he used that hunger to obtain Esau's renunciation of the birthright for pottage. Rebekah likewise remembered the promise that the elder would serve the younger and knew Esau had sold his birthright to Jacob, yet when Isaac planned to bless Esau she tried to secure the promised outcome by persuading Jacob to deceive Isaac and obtain the blessing by fraud.

The foretold outcome was not to be brought about through deception, and the fraud was unnecessary because the birthright was already his by God's promise. Rebekah and Jacob should have trusted God to fulfill His purposes in His own way and in His own time instead of trying to bring about the foretold events by an unrighteous course. The father's blessing and the firstborn's privileges could not guarantee prosperity, for blessing and prosperity depended on each son's conduct toward God and came from God alone. If Esau had received the blessing his prosperity could have come only as God accepted and blessed one who loved, feared and reverenced Him like righteous Abel, and rejected one who had no respect for God and His commandments and followed a corrupt course like wicked Cain, so Jacob would have had God's prospering hand with him if his course was righteous even without the privileges generally bestowed on the firstborn.

Their unrighteous course produced only distrust, jealousy, revenge and separation. Jacob reaped what he sowed in Esau's hatred, twenty years of exile, hard service, being wronged and defrauded, fraud practiced against him, and the later appearance of evils in his sons. Yet God's anger is not forever, for He sees the sinner's ways, heals, leads, restores comfort and gives peace. On his return to Canaan Jacob remembered the prophecy given before birth that the older would be subordinate to the younger and feared its memory would make Esau bitter. He therefore deliberately called Esau lord and called himself servant and listed his oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants and womenservants to show he was not returning poor to claim his father's inheritance but already had wealth and only sought favor.