Was Easu a bad guy?

Hebrews 12:16 – See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.

A friend of mine noted that Esau does not seem like a bad guy. He tries to please his father and forgives Jacob for stealing from him. What’s the big deal?

Esau did two things that were huge – he despised his birthright and he married Canaanite women.

What is significant about these two things is that they both show a complete disregard for the God of Abraham and Isaac. Marrying a Canaanite was equivalent to inviting foreign gods into his household and despising his birthright was a denial of the promise of God through Abraham (and ultimate through Adam of the promised seed).

Esau appears to have suffered from two chief sins:

Being worldly minded (carnal)
Having no room for God in his mind (which explains why he never properly understood the significance of his inheritance or his marriages)
Romans 1:28 – just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God

In some ways, is this not the modern dilemma? Our culture has no room for God in its thoughts and is focused on fulfilling fleshly / worldly desires.