Esau’s marriages were a cause of concern for his family. He had taken two Hittite wives who were “a source of grief” to his parents (Gen 26:34-5). It is this annoyance with Esau’s wives which provides Rebekah with a reason to send Jacob to Paddan Aram to escape Esau’s wrath. Isaac was only too happy to see Jacob get a good wife after all the trouble Esau’s wives had caused them.

In taking Hittite wives, Esau had demonstrated that he had not understood the special status that God had placed on his family. Abraham had not allowed Isaac to marry a Canaanite wife, and Isaac should have taken the same care over Esau.

Once Esau realises that Jacob has gone to Paddan Aram with Isaac’s blessing, he realises his mistake, and belatedly tries to put it right and please Isaac by marrying someone within the family group.

Unfortunately, he misses the mark again. He marries one of Abraham’s descendants, but through Ishmael, who was not the son of the promise. Again and again, Esau demonstrates that God was right in ordaining that Jacob would rule over him.

Jacob was far from perfect, as we have seen, but Esau’s total failure to understand any part of God’s covenant with Abraham and what that meant for Abraham’s descendants made him unsuitable to receive either the birthright or the blessing.

Jacob’s faith in God was not like Abraham or Isaac’s had been – see how he bargains with God after his vision at Bethel? But at least it existed, so God could work with it. Esau gave God nothing that he could work with at all.

God knows the heart of every man. He knew Esau and Jacob’s hearts before they were even born. He knows our hearts too, and he establishes his blessing where he knows it will be received. May our hearts be turned towards God to receive his blessing.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH