Making sense of the success of Esau
The Strength of
Esau
(Genesis
36:1-43, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 28, 2015)
[36:1] These
are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). [2] Esau took his
wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite,
Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
[3] and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.
[4] And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; [5] and
Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau
who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
The
line of Esau was not the chosen branch of Isaac's family. God chose
Jacob. Yet the Lord had a plan for Esau including future generations
born to the Canaanite women that Rebecca despised.
[6] Then
Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of
his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property
that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away
from his brother Jacob. [7] For their possessions were too great
for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not
support them because of their livestock. [8] So Esau settled in
the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)
Esau
had once thought that it would be a good idea that he and his brother
Jacob live near one another. Eventually everyone recognized that they
would need land apart from each other in order to support their
livestock. Esau would be Edom and Jacob would be Israel. Israel would
be the chosen nation. The only hope of salvation for Edom would have
to come from Israel.
[9] These
are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill
country of Seir. [10] These are the names of Esau's sons:
Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath
the wife of Esau. [11] The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar,
Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. [12] (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz,
Esau's son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah,
Esau's wife. [13] These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah,
Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
[14] These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the
daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and
Korah.
Yet
Esau would be very fruitful very quickly.
[15] These
are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn
of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, [16] Korah,
Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of
Edom; these are the sons of Adah. [17] These are the sons of
Reuel, Esau's son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah;
these are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons
of Basemath, Esau's wife. [18] These are the sons of Oholibamah,
Esau's wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs
born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. [19] These
are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.
Among
their number would come leading men who would serve as chiefs over
various clans.
[20] These
are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, [21] Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are
the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
[22] The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister
was Timna. [23] These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath,
Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. [24] These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah
and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness,
as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. [25] These are
the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.
[26] These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and
Cheran. [27] These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and
Akan. [28] These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. [29] These
are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon,
Anah, [30] Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the
Horites, chief by chief in the land of Seir.
The
people of Edom would also be strong through their combination with
existing people groups in the land they inhabited. Israel was not
permitted by God to grow through combination with the people of their
territory. Their greatness would have to come in a different way
which would involve a pathway of suffering. The Edomites would
instead gain glory through assimilation of the Horites who lived in
the land of Seir.
[31] These
are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king
reigned over the Israelites. [32] Bela the son of Beor reigned
in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah. [33] Bela died,
and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. [34] Jobab
died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
[35] Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated
Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his
city being Avith. [36] Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah
reigned in his place. [37] Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on
the Euphrates reigned in his place. [38] Shaul died, and
Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. [39] Baal-hanan
the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of
his city being Pau; his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of
Matred, daughter of Mezahab.
It
would be centuries before the Israelites would have even one king.
There were many kings who reigned in Edom before that time.
[40] These
are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and
their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah,
Jetheth, [41] Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, [42] Kenaz, Teman,
Mibzar, [43] Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom
(that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling
places in the land of their possession.
The
Edomites had a “land of their possession” and were a very
well-established people.
Put
the Word to Work: The early history in the generations of
Jacob and Esau might have caused the casual observer to assume that
Esau was the chosen son and not Jacob. The best promises of God
sometimes move forward through pathways that do not at first seem to
be very promising. Salvation for the world would be through the
Suffering King of the Jews and not through the strength of Esau.
Memory
Verse from the Songs of Ascents—Psalm 132:6-7
[6] Behold,
we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
[7] “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
[7] “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”
Gospel
Reading—Matthew 22:41-46 – Whose
son is the Christ?
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