There is a lot more we could say about this passage but allow me to leave you with a few thoughts. Look at Isaac and Ishmael and Jacob and Esau. Both sinners and yet they would follow different paths. What caused this? God. We have seen this over and over in Genesis. God’s intervention, his choice, his favor are what change the person. The children’s catechism question asks: What is a change of heart called? Answer: Regeneration. God must regenerate the heart so that a person might choose to follow him. Sure, they will make their own free choices. But their will to follow God or to despise him begins with God’s choice. As Frank Hall said, “There are only two kinds of people in this world — Jacobs and Esaus. These two men represent the entire human race. Jacob represents God’s elect — and Esau represents the reprobate. Jacob is loved by God — and Esau is hated by God… Because Jacob was loved by God — God sent His Son into this world to redeem him from his sins. Christ died for Jacob…” Jacob will struggle throughout his life, but in the end, he will call the Lord his God.