29 And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 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. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 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.
Wanting More

It seems that from the very beginning of Jacob’s life he is not satisfied. There is something in his nature that drives him to want more than what he has. At his birth he is clutching the heel of his brother Edom as if to say you can’t be the first born.

Because of the birth his brother is name Edom which means red, while he is name Jacob the heel catcher, the supplanter. Edom and Jacob are twin but definitely not identical twins and the differences in their personalities, actions and attachments make Edom or Esau a favorite of Isaac, while Jacob hangs around the campsite with his Mom, Rachael and becomes her favorite. Esau is an outdoors man, a hunter, who bring home the bacon, or in this case the venison and his Isaac loves venison and he loves his strong son, a real man’s man.

Jacob meanwhile learns to be a good cook. Nothing wrong with that but he doesn’t go hunting, he like to hang out by the tents and stay close to Mom. And Rachael loves that as any Mom would.

The Bible gives us no other details. It doesn’t tell us if Isaac tried to take Jacob hunting, to install a bit more manliness into him, to temper his mother’s influence. We can only guess at those things. We only know what the Bible tells us and we can only see the outcome of the favoritism of the two parents.

I will say this much though. Parents and grandparents never pick a favorite, never. Love your children and grandchildren equally. Each of them must have you full time, must have your full attention, and your full devotion when they are with you. You may not think a young child can tell that you prefer one over the other but believe me they can and it will hurt them. It will affect them, it will often bend them and make them resentful and rebellious. I believe it is the source of the friction in the family of Isaac.
Way to Supplanting

The first sign of Jacob’s nature is his birth but the first conscious act of being a supplanter by Jacob is the buying of his brother’s birthright.

Esau came in from the field, perhaps he was not successful that day in the hunt. He walks by his brother’s tent, his brother that’s always near his tent and he smells some stew. The bible calls it pottage. Not sure what all is in it except some lentils, but it was colored red probably from the lentils or spices that Jacob used. Remember he’s a good cook.

Edom is hungry and he asks, “Feed me, I pray some of that delicious looking red stew. I’m really weak from being out in the field all day.” Now Jacob could have just fed him some stew. He could have been brotherly. He could have been hospitable, but instead he supplants. He advances himself at the cost of another. At this point in his life, Jacob is not a good guy. He is selfish and he is willing to take what is not his from his own brother.

Esau was the firstborn and that meant that he was the inheritor of the name and place of Isaac, but Jacob was the heel catcher and he wanted that birth rite. Now taking advantage of his brother’s hunger and his brother's nature, as someone who would rather be hunting than taking care of the family heritage, Jacob makes  a very one-sided deal.

Genesis 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. Esau says, “I’m starving, I’m close to death. What do I need with a birth rite if I’m dead.” And he agrees with the deal. Genesis 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Jacob even throws in some bread to sweeten the deal, cause he’s such a great guy who loves his brother.

Now God word is heard, it clearly adds this note. Genesis 25:34 thus Esau despised his birthright. What Jacob did was wrong but what Esau did was shameful. Jacob showed no hospitality, no familial love but instead saw an opportunity for selfish gain and he took it. But Esau, Esau sold his heritage, his responsibility, and his honor for a bowl of stew.
Working Our Nature

Now some would say that Jacob was just doing what the prophecy that Rebekah his mother had heard before the boys were born. Genesis 25:23 And the LORD said unto her,
Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

And probably that is right, but I would argue that instead of wanting more and taking it at the first opportunity from his own brother, Jacob should have waited on the Lord, but instead he tries to do the Lord’s work and fulfill the prophecy himself. He should have trusted the Lord’s word and let God fulfill the prophecy, Himself. But that is not in Jacob’s nature.

And while I’m throwing rocks at Jacob let me also throw some rocks in our general direction. Jacob is a selfish, scheming sinner who thinks the best way to do things is his own way. That is his nature, and you know why we can so readily see these faults in Jacob? Because that is our nature as well.

Paul pulls spares no feelings when he describes our nature by quoting the 14th Psalms in the 3rd chapter of his letter to the Romans.

Romans 3:9-18 What then? are we better than they? (Are we better than Jacob or Esau?) No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.

There is no difference in the eyes of God because we are all by nature sinners, rebels, and murderers. God’s pure nature of holiness can only see us in the full iniquity of our fallen nature of sin.

Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:

That is what God’s word says about us, about man’s nature that has been tainted and poisoned by the sin of this world. You may not be all these things. I’m very glad you’re not else you’d be in prison instead of in church, but you are guilty of some of these things and because of God’s holy nature you only have to be guilty of one to be guilty of all. It is our nature. It is who we are. It was who Jacob was.