Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup because he was destitute of faith — the promise of a Redeemer through Abraham meant nothing to him, and he valued immediate food more.
Genesis 25 shows Esau coming in faint and saying he was at the point of death, but Les Feldick explains that physical hunger alone was not the root cause. Esau had no faith and therefore saw no value in the spiritual inheritance connected with the birthright. Jacob, though flawed, understood that the line of promise mattered and took advantage of the moment. Hebrews 12:16 confirms Esau was a profane man who sold his birthright for one morsel of food.
Genesis 25:29-34 — The actual event: Esau, faint and hungry, sells his birthright to Jacob for red pottage.
Hebrews 12:16-17 — The New Testament interpretation that labels Esau profane and shows he could not undo the sale.
Genesis 25:29-34 records the event. Esau came in from the field faint, saw Jacob's red pottage, and asked to be fed. Jacob said, "Sell me this day thy birthright," and Esau replied, "Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" After swearing, he sold the birthright, then ate, drank, and went his way — "thus Esau despised his birthright." The New Testament uses this incident in Hebrews 12:16-17, calling Esau a "profane person" who sold his birthright for one morsel of meat. It also says that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected and found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Les Feldick teaches that Esau's decision was not mainly about hunger; it revealed his lack of faith. According to Les, the birthright was tied to God's promise of a Redeemer through Abraham's line. Esau was destitute of faith, so that spiritual inheritance meant nothing to him. Jacob, though called a "rascal," had enough of a concept of what God had promised that he could believe it and be a man of faith. Les notes that Esau later became upset primarily about losing the material double portion, not the spiritual position in Messiah's line. When Esau wept and sought the blessing, he was seeking to change his father's mind, and his tears did not change his standing in faith.
Les explains that the birthright was more than a title — it carried the promise that the Redeemer would come through Abraham's descendants and also meant the eldest son would receive a double portion of the father's wealth. In the exchange, Esau was willing to trade all of that for a bowl of red bean soup. According to Les, Esau cared about the double portion, but the spiritual side — being in the line of the Messiah — meant nothing to him.
Les turns to Hebrews 12:16-17 and points out that Esau is called a profane person who sold his birthright for one morsel. When Esau later sought the blessing with tears, Les says he was hoping to change his father's mind. His weeping and crying did not change his status in faith — he never came out of the experience saying, "From now on, I will believe what God says."
Les says Jacob, even though he was a rascal, had enough of a concept of what God had promised that he could believe it and be a man of faith. Esau was destitute of faith, so what God had said about the coming Redeemer meant nothing to him. That is why he could trade away the birthright so glibly for a bowl of bean soup.
The Moment of Sale
Les sets the physical scene: Esau came in from the field faint and asked Jacob for the soup, while the twins were 24 years old.
Destitute of Faith
Les gives the central answer: Esau was destitute of faith, so the coming Redeemer promised through Abraham meant nothing to him; Jacob, though a rascal, could believe it.
The Profane Esau
Les applies Hebrews 12:16-17: Esau was immoral, profane, and sold his birthright for one morsel; his later tears were aimed at changing his father's mind.
Esau's Character
Les notes the exchange produced no immediate enmity, and Esau's later marriage to Canaanite women adds to the picture of a man destitute of faith.
Rejected for Lack of Faith
Les explains that Esau wept over missing the blessing but never understood why he missed it — because he could not believe what God had said.
Faith and Moral Discernment
Les says a man of faith knows right from wrong, while Esau's lack of faith made him perhaps incapable of such discernment; his bitter cry was for the material blessing.
The Double Portion and Messiah's Line
Les explains the birthright included both the line of the Messiah and a double portion of Isaac's wealth; Esau was interested in the wealth, not the spiritual position.
Tears and Unchanged Faith
Les emphasizes that Esau's weeping did not change his status in faith — he never came away saying he would now believe God.
Genesis 25:29: And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
Sets the scene for the exchange: Jacob was cooking pottage while Esau returned faint from the field.
Genesis 25:30: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Shows how urgently Esau asked for the food and the origin of his name Edom.
Genesis 25:31: And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Jacob's demand tied the meal to the birthright.
Genesis 25:32: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Reveals Esau's attitude: he saw no practical value in the birthright.
Genesis 25:33: And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Records the formal exchange of the birthright.
Genesis 25:34: Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Shows Esau's indifference as he ate and left, despising the birthright.
Hebrews 12:16: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
New Testament labels Esau profane and connects the sale to one morsel.
Hebrews 12:17: 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.
Explains that even tears could not undo the loss.
Esau came in from the field faint and exhausted. He was extremely hungry, and his words in Genesis 25:32 — "Behold, I am at the point to die" — show how urgent the need felt at that moment. Les uses this to explain why the bowl of red bean soup seemed more valuable to him than the birthright.
According to Les, no. Although Esau wept and sought the blessing, he was seeking to change his father's mind. Hebrews 12:17 says he found no place of repentance, and Les adds that his tears did not change his standing in faith — he never came out of it saying he would believe God.
Jacob gained the birthright itself, which included the spiritual line of the coming Redeemer and a double portion of Isaac's earthly wealth. More importantly, as Les explains, Jacob had enough faith in God's promise to value the spiritual side, while Esau did not.
Watch the Teaching: The Birthright Explained: Why God Chose Jacob Over Esau