Esau was a unique personality of the Old Testament, because he was one of those rare personalities whose outward physical features were an accurate reflection of his deformed inner man. We are introduced to this startling ancient patriarch in Gen. 25:26 in which the Bible says he was "red all over like a hairy garment."
A Shocking Birth
No doubt the attending midwife gasped and had to struggle in controlling her emotions as she delivered this grotesquely hirsute infant, who resembled a baby animal more than a child. If a modern health care provider had been present at this birth, they may have concluded the Mother had been taking a powerful pharmaceutical during her pregnancy, and this child's hideous appearance was the result of congenital abnormality from drug side effects. The shocking and dreadful appearance of Esau would have been made even more remarkable by the stark contrast of his fraternal twin brother Jacob, whose normal features made Esau's features even more appalling.
Not surprisingly, Esau became an accomplished outdoors man and skillful hunter (Gen. 25:27). It is possible he sought the solace of the outdoors to escape the curious stares of his neighbors and the frightened reactions of children, who would possibly peer at him from behind their Mothers' skirts.
A Priceless Treasure
Though possibly socially isolated by virtue of his bizarre appearance, Esau possessed an incalculable treasure: a Godly heritage. God in His beneficent mercy had revealed Himself to his grandfather Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), and then to his father Isaac (Gen. 26:1-5). God's general revelation to all men (Ps. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:20) should have driven them to seek Him, but we are not told of any other contemporary family, race or nation that possessed the spiritual light and understanding of Esau's family.
A Profane Mindset
Tragically, Esau becomes a type of many who will follow his example: being mercifully exposed to great light and spiritual privilege, but rejecting it all to live according to his lower nature and the ways of this world. Esau ignominiously exits the pages of Scripture in Heb. 12:16-17 ("Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."). Note how the Spirit of God characterizes this first-born son of Isaac (who is a type of Christ): first a fornicator, secondarily a profane person.
As a fornicator, Esau demonstrated his lack of self-control despite the fact his parents' marriage was a beautiful type and figure of the Holy Spirit seeking a bride (the church) for his son (the Lord Jesus). Isaac committed his marriage plans into the hand of the Lord and his parents, whereas Esau took matters into his own hands, taking to himself two Hittite women who were outside the covenants of promise, not of Abrahamic stock and who were so reprehensible and pagan they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
One can only speculate about the morals, character and turpitude of women who would marry a man who had the appearance and personality of a mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging Neanderthal.
Esau rejected the "one woman kind of man" philosophy portrayed and taught by his father, and instead gratified his sensual nature with heathen women in the same bestial way his physical appearance portrayed.
Foolish Choices - Spiritual Loss
As a profane man, Esau treated sacred things with abuse and indifference. His unique and glorious spiritual heritage was of no apparent value to him. When asked to trade his birthright (primo geniture) for a mess of pottage (Gen. 25:29-34), Esau did so with an amazing lack of consideration or thought, choosing to satisfy an immediate physical craving at the expense of incalculable future spiritual blessing.
Disdaining the spiritual riches he was mercifully given, Esau exits the sacred canon with God's diagnosis of his problem: he was profane (Heb. 12:16). He made deliberate choices of his will to minimize, scorn and neglect his spiritual heritage. He chose the immediate at the sacrifice of the future. He elected to satisfy his galloping libido and carnal lusts rather than seeking to control his lower nature to please almighty God. His tragic and unnecessary choices are the spiritual and moral equivalent of taking an inheritance that is an indescribable fortune and flushing it down the toilet! His profane character and foolish choices are an adumbration of a New Testament character: the Prodigal Son.
The Prodigal Son
Prodigality is a term used to describe a waster, a person given to excess and unnecessary expenditure of resources, whether it be money, strength, health, life or blood. The Scriptural characterization of this dissipating and intemperate personality is the "Prodigal Son" in Luke 15:11-32.
Whereas Esau was an eldest son, the unnamed prodigal is specifically described as the youngest son in his family. A lack of self-control can characterize any child in a family, whether eldest or youngest.
Like Esau, the Prodigal cared more for immediate gratification of his carnal desires rather than disciplined, orderly and temperate living. His self-centeredness was illustrated in his premature demand for his inheritance even before the decease of his father. We are only left to speculate as to the disruption and inconvenience this would have caused his family.
Yielding to Temptation
Profane and prodigal souls allow a spirit of discontent to rule their thoughts. Whereas this son should have: 1) kept his heart with all diligence (Prov. 4:23); 2) learned to be content (Heb. 13:5); 3)obeyed and honored his parents (Eph. 6:1-3); he instead indulged his carnal thought life until the "Far Country" was absolutely compelling in its attractiveness. Whether it was weeks, months or years he fantasized about the "Far Country," we are left to conjecture.
Rather than seeing the love and logic beneath rules, structure and accountability, prodigals consider them to be intolerable chains and unreasonably oppressive. The siren call of living a life of abandon, doing what one wants, when one wants and how one wants is very alluring to a lower nature that has been given the control of one's life.
Prodigals discover that illicit pleasure has a short life span (Heb. 11:25). A desultory life may appeal to flesh, but it destroys one's resources, testimony, character and potential. He lived to regret his insouciant manner of life as he gradually became impecunious and degraded, to the point of racing swine to their trough to secure his victuals. "The green grass on the other side of the fence" that had looked so lush and verdant in his imagination was all burned up.
Hunger, shame, humiliation and indigence were used as effective "preachers" by a loving and merciful God to bring the Prodigal to repentance (Luke 15:17-21).
Reaping the Crop that was Sown
Though happily forgiven, restored and accepted, the Prodigal carried certain results of his dissolute decisions to his grave: shame, scars, loss of inheritance and loss of potential - these could not be expunged.
It is joy beyond imagination that our sins and iniquities can be forgiven on the basis of Christ's sacrifice. However, facts and scars of our past are not eradicated. They are a painful and embarrassing reminder of our past self-will and rebellion. Prodigality causes one to lose God's best. Though left with "second best," we can live an inexpressibly joyful and blessed life. But it is painful and sobering to realize the consequences of profanity and prodigality.
Perils of the Second Generation
Profanity and prodigality are not usually the sins of first generation believers, but of second and third generation believers. Souls freshly saved are buoyed and encouraged by the contrast of guilt-ridden slavery to flesh as opposed to freedom from guilt, pardon for sin and the potential of victorious Christian living.
Their children, however, often become desensitized to the glories of the Gospel. Because they have no first-hand experience with the scars and slavery of flagrant sin, they do not fear its grip and consequences as do their parents. Lifted in pride and self-will, they believe they can flirt and dally with sin in its many forms and still maintain the facade of a believing walk despite the forceful warnings and pleadings of their parents.
Some of these children have never experienced regeneration, having only an intellectual comprehension of spiritual truth and a false facade of Christianity. Others are saved, but live in chronic defeat and carnality, on their deteriorating and destructive path to the "pig pen."
First generation believers cheerfully endure reproaches and afflictions as they purge their lives of pagan dross and stand as beacons of truth and purifying salt in Satan's territory. In their crucible of suffering, they enter into some of the Saviour's affliction as He similarly was hated and rejected by His contemporaries, neighbors and family members.
A Life of a Lie
Profane, profligate and prodigal professors in the second generation give lip service to their godly heritage, but it is perfunctory. They lightly esteem that which they ought to treasure. They refuse to stand for truth, choosing instead the pleasures of sin for a season. Their spiritual indifference and cowardice is rooted in their inordinate love for this world and the titillating pleasures of the flesh.
Esau and the Prodigal were not animated by God's truth, an enlightened conscience or a desire to honor God and their spiritual heritage. Rather, these noble factors became an encumbrance, an impossible burden and suffocating chains. Each of these two young men would, in contemporary terms, gladly leave their spiritual heritage in a moment, and would be quite comfortable in the distorted practice of Christianity known as New Evangelicalism and/or Pseudo-Fundamentalism.
Modern growth-oriented "churches" that pander to the lower nature of the community rather than confront them with their sin would be the choice for the profane and the Prodigal. They could assuage their stricken conscience by being religious and by participating in a church, and yet live as did Esau and the Prodigal with no fear of their sin and spiritual lethargy ever being rebuked.
The Lord is Not Pleased
To the profane and the Prodigal, the Lord has some stern and lucid warnings: "to whom much is given, much is required" (Luke 12:48), and "...if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a fearful looking fear of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26-27).
Serious Choices
Just as for the pagan, the remedy for sin is repentance, faith and obedience. Whether we are an Esau or prodigal with a rich spiritual heritage or a raw pagan, coming to the cross for application of the blood of Christ is essential.
If you are a child of a believer, is your parents' God your God? Do you rejoice in your spiritual heritage or secretly resent it because of your implied responsibility to live in light of its truth?
You can choose profanity and prodigality if you wish, but be prepared to emulate the scars, shame and loss portrayed by Esau and the Prodigal Son. Isaac, Joseph, Daniel and many others not only rejoiced in their rich spiritual heritage, but embraced it and improved upon it!
It takes no grit, maturity, character or self-control to be profane and prodigal. However, it takes fierce determination, temperance, character and gratitude to not only accept my spiritual heritage, but to improve upon it for my descendants.
