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“Esau, who for one morsel (plateful) of meat (food) sold his birthright…He found no place of repentance, though he sought it (the blessing) carefully with tears” (Hebrews 12:16-17).
Esau and Jacob were twins, but Esau was born first, and thus he was the elder brother, strictly speaking. But Esau did not value this privilege, and when he came in very hungry one day, he agreed to give Jacob his birthright, if Jacob would feed him. Jacob was cooking a stew and did feed him, but Esau did not care that he had lost his birthright. (His birthright as the elder son meant that he would normally receive a bigger blessing than those who were younger than he.)
Later, Esau badly wanted the blessing from his father, but he never repented of despising his birthright. He did get a blessing, but he would surely have received more if he had been repentant towards God. As believers, it is important to be able to repent — to admit that we are wrong. When we are willing to admit we are wrong, we justify God, and then we can be restored to happy fellowship with the Lord. Sadly, Esau went his own way, and there is no record that he ever repented, or walked with the Lord. His descendants became bitter enemies of Israel, the descendants of Jacob.
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