Esau loses his birthright and blessing 542 - 13 - 4

Esau was not justified in his anger towards Jacob!

The conflict between Jacob and Esau began in the womb of Rebecca. Esau was actually first in leaving the birth canal, however, Jacob was holding Esau’s heel. Interestingly enough, Jacob means heel catcher, i.e. supplanter, Strong’s H3290 .
Genesis 25:22-23, “And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.”

Years later as Esau returned from the field he was very hungry and asked Jacob for his bowl of pottage. Jacob did so on the condition that Esau would sell him his birthright. Esau was more concerned with things of the flesh and said, “I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” Thus in God’s eye, “Esau despised his birthright;” analogous to spiritual fornication.

Esau was a successful hunter and would prepare a “savoury meat dish” that his father Isaac craved, again of the flesh. While Esau was hunting Rebecca and Jacob tricked the blind Isaac with a savoury meat dish that Rebecca had prepared. As a result Jacob received the blessing that normally would have belonged to the firstborn.

Carnal nature came into play both with Isaac's desire for Esau’s stew and with Esau’s selling his birthright for a bowl of pottage. 

Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently (G1983) lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator (G4205), or profane person (G952), as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance (G3341), though he sought it carefully with tears.

Common opinion seemed to be that Jacob was deceitful and stole the blessing that should have belonged to Esau. However, God allowed (orchestrated?) Jacob to receive the blessing. And so God’s covenant with Abraham that had passed from Abraham to Isaac now passed to Jacob. This is just one of several examples of God bypassing the firstborn and favoring a younger brother. As a profane person Esau had crossed a line drawn in the sand by God and there was no repentance possible. A profane person (G952) comes from the base of G939 and βηλός bēlos (a threshold); accessible (as by crossing the door way), that is, (by implication of Jewish notions) heathenish, wicked: - profane (person). And Esau did indeed cross over a threshold!

Contrast Jacob and Esau. How is God's sovereign choice NOT due to His omniscience? 534-2 - 13-3

With thanks to Wikipedia, “Omniscience (pron.: /ɒmˈnɪʃəns/[1]), mainly in religion, is the capacity to know everything that there is to know. In particular, Hinduism and the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) believe that there is a divine being who is omniscient. An omniscient point-of-view, in writing, is to know everything that can be known about a character, including past history, thoughts, feelings, etc. In Latin, omnis means "all" and sciens means "knowing".

I came across this gem as I was reviewing the Book of Daniel for another class, Daniel 2:20-22, "Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.”

When Jacob and Esau’s mother Rebecca was pregnant God told Rebecca Genesis 25:23 “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” Jacob earned his name which means heel grabber; as Rebecca was delivering her son Esau Jacob had a hold of his heel trying to pass him as they exited the womb. Esau (red) became a skillful hunter and a favorite of his father while Jacob stayed closer to home and was favored by his mother.

Romans 9:13, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” God is not confined to our lineal sense of time as he stands outside of it. He knows the beginning from the ending and the ending from the beginning. Add to that God is sovereign and it is up to him who he loves and who he hates. That said, I don’t belief that we serve a capricious God who loves and/or hates without reason. God knew that Esau would value his birthright so little that he would sell it for a bowl of porridge to gratify his carnal appetite of hunger. When Esau cried that he wanted his birthright restored it was too late. Herein lays a lesson for those preferring subsidence for the flesh rather than for the spirit.

Later, Isaac wanted Esau to make him a savory stew and bring it to him and he would give Esau his blessing. Rebecca and Jacob tricked Isaac into giving his blessing to Jacob. Jacob fled his home fearing revenge from Esau. Rebecca told Jacob to go to her brother Lehman where he was in turn tricked by Lehman. Finally Jacob earned Lehman’s daughters Rachel and Leah and between them and two concubines Jacob had 12 sons and one daughter.

Were Rebecca and Jacob really devious or just doing God’s will (election)? IMO, God always intended that His Covenant would pass to Jacob.