Who is the Esau in Hebrews 12:16 who sold his birthright for one morsel of food?
Esau is identified as the twin brother of Jacob and one of the twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. Hebrews 12:16 calls him a fornicator or profane person who, for one morsel of food, sold his birthright. Scripture presents this as immorality and profanity going hand in hand.
Les explains that Hebrews 12:16 refers back to Esau, one of the twins of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Jacob. The verse warns against a fornicator or profane person, and Les points out that the two go hand in hand—when someone is immoral, he is profane for all practical purposes. Esau is the example who, for one morsel of food, sold his birthright. Les sees this as a crucial shortcoming of the human race, going back as far as Ishmael and Esau, and exploding in the 90s.
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
More Questions
Why did God choose Jacob rather than Esau to be in the Messiah's line?
The New Testament's description of Esau as an immoral or profane person helps explain why God in His sovereignty chose Jacob, rather than Esau, to be in the line of the Messiah.