Midweek Meditation March 3, 2021 Genesis 36 Today, we are going to move through chapter 36 in a way that is not detailed. We are going to think about the context of Esau in the history of Israel, rather than an exhaustive discussion about the lineage of Esau. We are also going to use this lesson as an opportunity to review a little bit about where we have been so far, in this study of the patriarchs of our faith. We discover very quickly upon reading this chapter that it is about the family and generations of Esau. Every once in a while, there will be a chapter and verse in the Bible, where you wonder why it was included here. This chapter has two purposes. First, to answer the question, “What ever became of Jacob’s twin brother Esau?” And the second purpose is, that this chapter gives us sort of a literary transition from the story of Jacob to the story of Joseph. This is sort of the Genesis version of, “Meanwhile.” So, first, let us take a look at where we have been. Abraham’s father was Terah. Terah, Abraham, Sarah and Lot were called by God to journey north from Ur to Haran. Terah died there, and then, the others were called by God to go to Canaan, which they did. Abraham was designated by God to be the chosen leader of the great nation, Israel, and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Eventually, Lot and Abraham split up, because their herds were too large for the land to support. Lot went east, and fell into the corruption of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham and Sarah had their times of doubt, and they made mistakes, and they had their struggles of faith, but they persevered in faith. At a very old age, they were finally granted a son together. They named him Isaac, and Isaac was the one chosen to be the heir to the promise that God had given to Abraham. As Abraham became older and more frail, he be became worried about finding the appropriate wife for his son Isaac to that he would have an heir worth to be heir to the promise that God had given to him and his descendants. So, he sent his trusted servant to the area of Haran, where the rest of Abraham’s family was. Abraham asked his trusted servant to find Isaac a wife. And after a long journey, and the servant, faithfully trusting the guiding hand of God, Rebekah was chosen, and brought back to Canaan to join in marriage with Isaac. Rebekah and Isaac, after a long time without children, prayed to God, and were granted twins, Jacob and Esau. By several minutes, Esau was the oldest. When Isaac and Rebekah’s children became older, Isaac, worried about his health was prepared to grant his birthright to his oldest son, Esau. But Rebekah and Jacob tricked Esau and Isaac. so that the birthright was granted to Jacob. Jacob fled to the land of Rebekah’s family near Haran for two reasons. The first reason was to escape the anger of his brother, Esau, who had vowed to kill him. The second reason was to find a wife from Abraham’s line, as opposed to marrying Canaanites. During a 20 year struggle with his uncle, Laban, Jacob served his uncle in exchange for 4 wives. Two were Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel, and two were the servants of his wives. After this 20 year struggle, Jacob finally headed toward the home of his father, Isaac in Hebron. During the journey, he met and made peace with his brother Esau. Then Jacob made the mistake of settling near the pagan city of Shechem. After he and his family were consumed by the sinful way of this pagan city, Jacob, or Israel, was called by God to go to Bethel, a place where Israel and God made a covenant many years before. It was in Bethel that Israel re-embraced his role as the chosen leader of the Holy nation, Israel. And after leaving Bethel, Israel returned to Hebron, the home of his father. And then, the death of Rachal, Rebekah and Isaac are accounted for in the narrative of the scripture.

So, that brings us up to the place where we are right now, chapter 36. A transition passage between the stories of Jacob and Joseph. As far as I can see, shortly after the death of Isaac, the herds of Esau and Jacob became too numerous for the southern part of Canaan to sustain, so, Esau moves all of his family and livestock from the area of Hebron to the south a place called the hills of Seir. And to me, it makes sense that it would be God’s will for Esau to occupy a land, that was not a part of what would eventually become the promised land. You remember, that Jacob intentionally chose a wife, Rachel, who was descended from the line of Abraham. Esau married Canaanite women, except for one of them who was Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael. Ishmael, of course was the son of Abraham who was disowned so that Isaac would be the only heir to God’s promise. So, Jacob’s bloodline was purely from Abraham. Esau’s was a mix of Abraham’s line, the Canaanite line, and the Ishmaelite line. And So, God’s purpose was fulfilled by Esau’s family moving to the south. So, Esau and his family occupy a large area directly south of Israel which would become known as Edom. You may remember, when Esau was born, he came from the womb a reddish color, and Edom means red. So that means that all of the Edomites are descended from Esau. Edom occupies much of the place where Moses and all of his people traveled during their 40 years of wondering. And in fact, in Deuteronomy 2, God tells the people of Moses not to provoke the Edomites because I have given that land to the descendants of Esau. Basically, God tells Moses to treat the Edomites with respect, because the Edomites are a part of Abraham’s family. All of chapter 36 talks about Esau’s extended family dwelling in the land of Edom. Through the years, the Edomites were not friends with Israel. And eventually, their hearts became so hardened to the God who created, them that Edom and Horites, also descendants of Esau, sort of disappeared from history. The most significant descendant from the people of Edom was King Herod the Great and of course, the sons who followed Herod. The second part of this chapter talks about the kings and chiefs that descended from Esau. And it is noteworthy that Edom had kings way before Israel did. And the reason for that is because the land of Canaan had not even been granted by God to the Israelites, and would not be for another 400 years. And even after that, you will remember, that, for a number of years, Israel was ruled by judges as opposed to Kings. But we are getting closer to the place where God’s chosen people will actually dwell, and take ownership of the Promised Land. And Next week we will begin a discussion of the fourth generation of God’s Chosen people; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Next week we will discuss the unique role that Joseph takes in the history of this great nation, Israel. Until then, Let us bow before our great God. Let us pray