There’s a topic I want to spend some time on as this topic could have saved me months of time in my life. There was a pastor that I thought was good at one point in my life.
I almost moved to this man’s church about 6 years ago. This statement that I heard him made kept me from moving there, and that was the right decision. So, we have to be careful listening to what people are preaching. This gives you a clue about that person. I want to show you this clear example today.
And I am not talking about a novice in the word of God who is learning and seeing things. I am talking about a man who knows the Bible very well. I want to show you this today.
Introduction to Esau the Man
Romans 9:13
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
That verse shocks people. Pastors have debated for centuries: Did Esau die and go to heaven? Or did Esau die in unbelief, rejected of God?
Some preachers try to soften it: “Oh, Esau reconciled with Jacob, so he must have been saved. He cried, so God must have forgiven him.” But the Bible never once calls Esau a man of faith. In fact, Esau is remembered in Scripture as a warning, not an example.
Tonight I want to preach on this question: Was Esau saved? And more importantly, what does his life teach us about salvation, repentance, and the danger of despising the things of God?
I. Esau’s Life in Genesis
1. His Birthright
Genesis 25:34
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.
That birthright wasn’t just about inheritance money—it was the covenant of Abraham, the line of promise, the blessings of God. Esau gave it up for a bowl of soup. That’s the first mark of an unsaved man: he doesn’t care about spiritual things. Some people would trade food in that moment of hunger for heaven.
2. His Marriages
Genesis 26:34-35
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: 35 Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
Instead of seeking a godly wife, Esau deliberately joined himself to pagan women. He chose the world, not the Lord. That’s the second mark of an unsaved man: rebellion against God’s holiness.
3. His Tears
Genesis 27:38
And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
Those tears were not repentance toward God—they were anger at losing out on the blessing. That’s the third mark of an unsaved man: he wants God’s benefits, but not God Himself.
II. What the Old Testament Says About Esau
Malachi 1:2-3
Yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
This is God Himself, long after Esau lived, still declaring His hatred for Esau.
Now, I will ask you a question that I’ve asked many people. Look at that closely. This is the perfect and holy Scriptures written by God. This is God speaking in that Scripture.
He says, “Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau.” Jacob and Esau were twin brothers—same Dad and same Mom: Isaac and Rebekah. Same flesh—straight from the physical line of Abraham.
Now you clearly see God Almighty say these three words: “I HATED ESAU.” Here’s my question to you: “DID GOD HATE ESAU?” God said, “I hated Esau.”
Do you believe God? Pretty simple, right. God hated Esau. So, when I heard a pastor that I trusted many years ago say: “God didn’t hate Esau,” – I lost some trust in that man which was actually a good thing. Because I didn’t move to that state. It’s a good thing to listen to a man and see what he preaches about the Bible. I guarantee you God hated Esau. IT IS WRITTEN.
Now, understand where you are in the Bible. You are in Malachi. This book was written about 1,400 years after Esau lived.
If God hated Esau 1,400 years after Esau lived, do you think Esau went to heaven?
Esau died about 1,400 years BEFORE Malachi was written and then Malachi writes that God hated Esau. Did God change His mind about Esau? Would God hate a saved man—one of His children?
And take a close look at that verse: “And laid his mountains and his heritage to waste for the dragons of the wilderness.” HIS HERITAGE. People will say that couldn’t be talking about Esau because he was rich and was never laid to waste. The Bible says HIS MOUNTAINS AND HIS HERITAGE was laid to waste. That doesn’t say Esau was laid to waste. The people after him, his people and his land, were laid to waste because God hated Esau and his people followed in his footsteps.
Obadiah 1:10
For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
Esau and his people were wicked. “For they violence against thy brother Jacob.” The entire book of Obadiah is talking about Esau and his people. God judged the nation that came from Esau. The Bible clearly says that God hated Esau.
Now, after you read a verse where God says “I HATED ESAU” and a pastor then proceeds to tell you that God didn’t hate Esau, who are you going to believe? Well let’s do a little twisting of that Scripture. “Well that doesn’t mean Esau the person because Esau is Edom.” And you go, “Oh ok God didn’t hate Esau.” Is that what you do? No. Do not do that.
III. What the New Testament Says about Esau
Hebrews 12:16-17
Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
The Holy Spirit flat-out calls Esau “profane.” That word means unholy, common, godless. And Scripture warns Christians not to be like him. He cried bitter tears, but he never found repentance. His sorrow was worldly, not godly.
People cry all the time. Many people are very good at crying to get what they want. They prey on people with their tears. I believe Esau was this type of person.
That same pastor taught that the verse right there isn’t calling Esau a fornicator. They will say, as we saw the Scripture earlier, that Esau was married so he clearly can’t be a fornicator. They will say, “That’s not talking about Esau.” You tell me. “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau.”
And then the same verse, the same sentence speaks of Esau selling his birthright. Is that not talking about Esau either? Yes, it’s all talking about Esau. The Scriptures right there were 100% written about Esau THE MAN—not the nation of Edom right there: THE MAN ESAU. Listen, don’t fall for false doctrine. Simply listen to God’s words. Study all the Scriptures.
Was Esau a fornicator? Yes he was. How do I know for sure? Because God says so right there.
Marriage doesn’t exclude fornication. The Bible uses the word fornication in two ways:
- Literally, as sexual sin outside of God’s design.
- Spiritually, as idolatry or unfaithfulness to God.
Being married doesn’t prevent either kind of fornication. In fact, Esau’s marriages to heathen women were themselves a form of unfaithfulness to God’s covenant. He joined himself to heathen wives.
His marriages were an act of rebellion, and could rightly be described as spiritual fornication.
The grammar allows both labels to apply to Esau. The phrase “any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau” does not demand that the “fornicator” is someone else. It’s like saying: “Don’t be a liar or a thief, like Judas.” Both categories point back to the same example.
The emphasis is on his character. Hebrews isn’t cataloging every sin Esau ever committed. The Spirit is saying, Don’t be like Esau—a man ruled by flesh, unfaithful, and godless. Whether the fornication is literal or figurative, Esau’s life fits. He wasn’t a saved man gone bad. He wasn’t a saved man. God doesn’t hate His saved people.
Here’s another verse about Esau in the New Testament:
Romans 9:10-13
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Romans uses Esau as the picture of the flesh—rejected of God. Jacob symbolizes faith and promise. THIS SPEAKS OF THE PERSON ESAU. “Esau have I hated.”
If Esau was saved, why would God choose him as the ultimate warning example of someone rejected?
IV. The Case Some Make for Esau’s Salvation
Let’s be fair. Some say:
- He reconciled with Jacob in Genesis 33.
- He prospered materially and became a great nation.
- God’s hatred fell on Edom, not Esau himself.
But reconciliation with his brother is not reconciliation with God. Material blessings mean nothing for eternity. And Hebrews names Esau the man as profane—not just Edom.
V. Esau’s Symbolism in Scripture
- The Carnal Man
Philippians 3:19
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
- The Profane Man – He represents those who treat holy things as worthless.
- The Rejected Man – He represents those who cry later, but too late.
Esau is not a type of a backslidden believer. He’s a type of a lost man who never believed.
VI. Was Esau Saved?
Let’s answer it plainly. The Bible gives us no evidence that Esau ever believed in the Lord. No altar, no prayer, no faith. He lived for the flesh, despised the covenant, and is held up as a warning.
If I preach the Bible faithfully, I must conclude: Esau was not saved. And I don’t have to say: “Well, maybe I’m wrong. Well, maybe the three words I HATED ESAU don’t mean what they say.” This is what bad pastors will do. They will decrease your faith in the word of God. I hated Esau means that God hated Esau.
And God preserved his story to warn us that some tears cannot undo unbelief.
Was Esau saved? There is no record of Esau ever calling upon the Lord, building an altar, offering a sacrifice by faith, or walking in covenant with God. Contrast that with Jacob, who—despite his sins—had multiple encounters with God, built altars, and confessed his faith.
Esau’s tears in Genesis 27:38 were for the loss of blessing, not for sin. He wanted the benefits of God without wanting the God of the benefits. Riches on earth mean nothing for salvation—NOTHING. Being nice to your brother doesn’t mean you’re saved.
He’s the example of what not to do. Doesn’t matter of his Dad was Isaac and his Mom was Rebekah. It doesn’t matter that his grandfather was Isaac and his grandmother was Rebekah. Esau went to hell. That’s the truth because God says that He hated Esau. When God hates you, you go to hell.
VII. Application for Today Concerning Esau
1. Don’t Trade Eternity for Appetite
Esau gave up eternal blessings for five minutes of soup. People today trade heaven for a night of sin, a drug high, or the approval of the world.
2. Don’t Confuse Regret with Repentance
Esau cried, but never believed. Tears don’t save—faith in Christ does.
3. Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Esau found no place of repentance. If you die without Christ, you will never get another chance. If you reject God one too many times, you won’t get another chance.
Conclusion – Esau Was Saved???
Esau’s life screams a warning: You can cry, but if you despise God’s salvation, you’ll be rejected.
He had privilege, he had opportunity, but he never had faith. God hated Esau because Esau first despised the things of God.
Don’t be like Esau. Don’t be profane. Don’t trade eternity for sin. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ while you still can.
And never believe a man that tells you the exact opposite of simple words within the Bible. The three simple words I HATED ESAU means God cast Esau straight into hell. If you want to argue that, you can argue with God. He said it. I didn’t.
Let’s pray.
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