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It is evident that to the writer it was a mystery why God should "love" Jacob more than Esau. He even goes so far as to imply that, at first sight, it has the character of "unrighteousness" in God. But he instantly crushes the thought (ver. 14). St. Paul makes it the basis of some thoughts about "election." It would be impossible that there should be a God of infinite knowledge and no "election." But there are only two right uses of it — viz., to humble and leave God in His unapproachable greatness, and to comfort the tried and harassed believer.

I. TO A MERE SUPERFICIAL READER, IT SEEMS VERY STRANGE THAT GOD SHOULD LOVE JACOB AND HATE ESAU.

1. Esau's picture is well drawn. He "was a clever hunter, a man of the field" — what we should call "a man of the world." He loved pleasure, and had a clear eye for any present advantage. We could not call him immoral, and, by the side of Jacob, he stands up the better man. He was far more sinned against than sinning. He had some fine traits. He was irritable, even to the point of saying that he would kill his brother! But he was forgiving, and his passion quite passed away. He bought what he might, probably, have taken by force. He never once deceived his father and mother. He spoke to his father respectfully and reverently. If he thought lightly of "the birthright" at one time, he was very earnest about it at another. He showed consideration at least the second time, in the selection of his wives (Genesis 28:8, 9). And Esau was most generous afterwards, at Peniel, e.g., even at the moment when Jacob was treating him with suspicion, fear, and cunning (Genesis 33.) He was unwilling to take anything at Jacob's hand, but, with great delicacy, when Jacob urged him to take it, he took it, and added, "Let us go, and I will go before thee." And when Jacob declined it, he said, "Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me." And the last thing we read of him is an act of modest thoughtfulness (Genesis 36:7).

2. The patient life of Jacob is a sad contrast. His besetting sin is deceitfulness. He takes advantage of his brother's hunger, and gets "the birthright" by what was almost cheating. To his apparently dying father, he tells, acts, asserts, and re-asserts a lie! And before he goes away he makes no confession or apology. He deceives his master and father-in-law, Laban, and runs away and outrages his feelings. And even to his generous brother he acts trickily.

II. WHERE, THEN, IS THE SOLUTION OF THE VERDICT, "Jacob have I loved," etc.? We go down into the sanctuary of a man's real life.

1. Esau seems to have never cared for God at all. He had no crime; but he certainly had no grace. There is not a prayer, nor any recognition of the fatherhood or the sovereignty of the Almighty. His "birthright" is little or nothing to him; and a present gratification comes before any future advantage. He tries, even with "tears," to change his father's resolve that Jacob should have the property. But there is no repentance. The "birthright" is valuable to him in a secular point of view; but he is utterly indifferent to its spiritual nature.

2. Jacob seeks the blessing by wrong means; but he values it. He makes his peace with God the very night after. His life at Syria is such that Laban was constrained to say, "I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake." He traces everything he had to God. He wrestles all night in prayer. He goes up to Bethel, and renews his covenant when God bids him. He puts away all his wives' strange gods before he goes there. He secures God's permission and blessing before he ventures to go down into Egypt. He is careful when there to separate his family from idolators, and he makes good confession before Pharaoh. In his last act he talks to his children with grandeur, and most piously, and shows his faith by charging his sons to bury him in the land of promise.Conclusion:

1. Jacob had great sins, but they were falls! He rose; he repented; and he was forgiven. The child of God comes out, and grace prevails.

2. Esau was, in a worldly sense, moral, but godless. Not very wrong with man, but never right with God.

3. Suppose you had two sons. The one lived a perfectly correct life; but you were nothing to him. The other often grieved you; but he loved you, and was sorry when he hurt you. Which would be the one you loved?

4. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Then how is it with ourselves? The world is very much made up of "Esaus" and "Jacobs." Some lead very correct lives. What is God? A cypher. Where is God? Nowhere. Others are really religious. They love God. But they do many, many inconsistent and very bad things. They repent; they are forgiven. And the correct, moral people of the world see the sins of the religious people, and suspect and despise them. And the religious people scarcely remember how very inferior they are in many things to the world.

5. Then what will be to the Jacobs? They will be punished, as Jacob was, by a retributive justice. They will go through several ordeals of purification. They will suffer even to the fire! But they will be saved! And what to the Esaus who live and die Esaus? A retributive justice too. No God in them; then no God for them! No birthright! No blessin! No repentance!

(J. Vaughan, M.A.)

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KJV: As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

WEB: Even as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."