Genesis-121-Suddenly Esau

The word of God is from Genesis 36, verses 1 to 8.

 

“This is the genealogy of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the Canaanite women: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan. 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 which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to live together, and the land where they sojourned could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.” Amen.

 

Why Was Esau's Genealogy Recorded?

As the story of Jacob is nearing its end, we know that he had twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. Therefore, we would naturally expect the story of Jacob’s sons—Reuben, Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin—to follow. Instead, Esau’s genealogy suddenly appears. This is surprising in many ways.

 

Even though I have attended church since I was a child, I never studied Esau’s genealogy in Sunday school, nor in sermons or Bible studies. We hear a lot about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but the entire 36th chapter of Genesis is dedicated to Esau’s genealogy. One whole chapter is a significant amount. The books of Obadiah and Jude in the New Testament are also just a single chapter long. The Bible would be perfectly readable without mentioning Esau’s genealogy, yet it was deliberately recorded. This is why it is worth examining why Esau's genealogy was recorded and what meaning it holds.

 

God's Promise to Esau

In Genesis 25, the story of Esau begins with God's prophecy to Rebekah. “The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb.’” This was a message both Isaac and Rebekah heard. “‘And two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one people shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’” We usually interpret this passage from Jacob's perspective, understanding it as a prophecy that the older, Esau, would serve the younger, Jacob. While that is certainly true, a closer look reveals that it also means Esau would become a nation. The genealogy in today’s passage is about the story of Esau also forming a nation. God truly works out a great purpose through Esau as well.

 

As we know, Esau is remembered as a man who was rather distant from a life of revering God. He did not fear God and took foreign women as his wives, which caused great sorrow to Isaac and Rebekah. Later, perhaps because he saw that his father approved of Jacob going far away to find a wife, he took a woman from the family of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, as his wife. This was likely a political decision rather than a spiritual one. He might have thought he could comfort his parents and put himself in a better position to receive his inheritance.

 

Nevertheless, God does not forget His promise to Esau—the man who was gradually moving further away from God in every aspect of his life. God continues to fulfill the promise, “I will make you a great nation.” That is why the Bible has preserved this genealogy for us to follow Esau’s path. This genealogy is a much more interesting book than you might think. This chapter contains 81 names, and like Korean names, Hebrew names have meaning. Just by looking at the meanings, we can learn a lot. Observing the number of people and how they prospered is also a good way to read the Bible. However, today I will share the three features of this genealogy and the deeper lessons we can learn from it.

 

The Standard for Blessing: To Remain in the Land of Canaan?

The first feature is that Esau lived a better life than Jacob. Of course, this depends on what standards you use to measure. Jacob endured hardship for over 20 years in a foreign land. He went there with nothing, barely managed to accumulate wealth, and returned. In contrast, Esau lived in the land of Canaan, the promised land, and built his fortune there. All of Jacob’s sons, except for Benjamin, were born in the land of Haran, while Esau’s sons were born and raised in the land of Canaan. Later, Jacob had to go down to Egypt because of a famine, but there is no mention of Esau doing so. Considering that Jacob and Esau did not live far from each other, it is highly probable that they experienced the same famine. Despite this, Esau’s descendants established a nation called Edom and produced eight kings. If each king ruled for only 20 years, that means they ruled as kings for 160 to 200 years. During that time, Jacob's descendants toiled as slaves in Egypt.

 

So, what do you think? Who received the greater blessing? On the surface, it is clearly Esau. Please do not love only Jacob too much. Do you think, without even considering it, because you read the Bible so much, “Why was Esau blessed? Jacob was blessed, right? Jacob received all of God’s blessing, didn’t he?” But from what we have seen, the one who endured all the hardship on this earth was Jacob, and the one who seemed to enjoy all the wealth without any hardship was Esau.

 

The crucial question is where this outcome came from. Why was Esau so blessed? How beautiful did he have to be in God’s sight to receive such a blessing? We might say, “That’s not a true blessing,” but what do we say when we share our testimonies or have conversations? Ultimately, while we talk about "the kingdom of God and God's blessings as the real blessings," we say things like, “My child got a good job.” I have yet to see anyone say, “My child got a bad job, but it is a blessing from God.” Your standards are likely not much different from what I am describing. Isn't it true that most of our testimonies follow the pattern of, “I had such a hard time, but God heard my prayers, and when I turned back to Him, He gave me this blessing”? The Bible is not like that, but we often follow that pattern. In the world, people say quite blatantly, “The reason for believing in Jesus is to receive blessings.” We may phrase it a little more elegantly, but I often see that our heart's standard is not so different.

 

It seems to be the same here. If we look at what happened to Esau with honesty, we think it was a good thing. Wouldn’t you rather have that happen? Would you rather be like Jacob, who was chased away and suffered, or like Esau? That is a difficult question to answer, isn’t it? Well, then, let me tell you the secret to living like Esau. It is found in today’s passage.

 

“For their possessions were too great for them to live together, and the land where they sojourned could not support them because of their livestock.”

 

So what did Esau do? He left that land. This part is similar to the story of Abraham and Lot. Here, it says, “their possessions were too great,” and the two people are Jacob and Esau. Jacob was not poor, as he had also acquired wealth in Haran. Jacob was wealthy, but the Bible says that Esau went on to pursue even greater wealth. As a family that produced eight kings and established a nation, they must have become a great nation. The Bible deliberately says that he left Canaan, the promised land. He moved to the land of Seir for the sake of his wealth. He had lived in the land of Seir before, but this time, he moved there permanently. As a result, he acquired more possessions and encountered better things.

 

The Path of a Faith That Slowly Fades

This part is a bit convicting for us. We may see it and think, “Oh, so Esau did well,” but the Bible tells a different story. Let me read to you Isaac’s prophecy about Esau.

 

“Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: ‘Behold, away from the richness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother.’”

 

This was the prophecy about Esau. On the surface, it seems to not have been fulfilled at all. It clearly says, “You will live away from the rich land and away from the dew of heaven, so you will live a difficult life, a barren life, with no water for your flocks.” Doesn’t that sound like he would become desperately poor? Yet, he gained strength, power, and a nation, and he enjoyed all of those things. He became incredibly rich and his descendants prospered. From our perspective, this prophecy seems to have been wrong.

 

However, we know this prophecy was not wrong. Therefore, the phrase, “away from the richness of the earth,” and “away from the dew of heaven,” does not mean becoming poor. The Bible is not denying that Esau became truly rich; it is saying that leaving the land of Canaan meant he would no longer receive the richness of the land and the rain from heaven.

 

Our perspective begins to change completely. Up until now, we have talked about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but our perspective on the world has not changed. We clearly believe that the success of our children, our own success, living a good life on this earth, a more comfortable and better life, and a life where our desires are fulfilled is a well-lived life. Yet the Bible says that those we consider well-off are, in fact, poor. This is not about wealth. After all, Jacob was also rich. It is about only one standard: did you leave the land of Canaan, or did you remain in the land of Canaan?

 

Therefore, the conclusion of Genesis 36 is not found in verse 43 but in Genesis 37:1. “Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, the land of his father’s sojournings.” Where did Jacob live? He lived in Canaan. He would later face famine and go down to Egypt. Although Jacob and Esau were reconciled, the story of Esau gradually moves away from God. On the other hand, Jacob’s family, despite fighting and even selling Joseph, ultimately reconciled.

 

The Standard for Blessing: To Remain in the Land of Canaan?

Remember the first lesson. While it may appear that Jacob lived a lesser life than Esau, the true standard of happiness is whether God is the center of one's life in the promised land. As you judge your life, you must consider whether saying, “My child is good and studies well,” is a confession born from a God-centered heart or a worldly boast, like, “Of course my child is different.” It is important to ask what is at the center of how you see all things, what guides you forward, and whether your thoughts, mind, worries, and anxieties have changed. When God is the center, your thoughts about everything you see and about the many things that come upon you are bound to change. Leaving Canaan is not simply a choice for wealth; it means leaving the promised land and being separated from God’s promise. It is the beginning of heading toward the world. While it may seem prosperous at the moment, we know the end result all too well.

 

The Path of a Faith That Slowly Fades

So, through the first characteristic, we can realize that the standard for blessing and happiness is a God-centered life—a life that remains in the land of Canaan, a life under the cross. What kind of people are you? As you look at your prayer requests, you are probably presenting various problems and pains to God. That is a good thing. But are you looking at them from a God-centered perspective, or are you still looking at them with the eyes of the world? Does a problem being resolved or a situation being fixed the way you want it to become the standard for thinking, “I believe in God, so He has blessed me and things are going well”? I am asking whether your entire life is centered on God, and whether every word you speak today comes from a God-centered place. This is the first thing we must pay attention to.

 

The Path of a Faith That Slowly Fades

The second feature is that faith slowly fades away. Almost no one moves away from God all at once. This may be one of the easiest and most effective tactics that Satan uses on believers. Almost no one suddenly hates God and says, “God, this is it,” and leaves Him. But there are times when we live a life where our consciousness of God, our understanding of who God is, and our sense of our relationship with Him grow faint and weak. There are so many times when we do not even realize we are heading in that direction.

 

This sad reality is clearly shown in Esau's genealogy. Esau’s genealogy starts in Canaan and moves to Seir. Initially, he marries and lives among the native people of Seir, but later, he marries into influential families and even absorbs the Horite people who were the original inhabitants. As a result, he begins to become like Edom, and eight kings of Edom appear at a time when Israel did not even have a king. A wealthy and powerful nation, Edom, emerges before Israel, which was living as slaves in Egypt and wandering the wilderness. Looking at the final genealogy, we can see how influential and prosperous Edom’s chief clans became. In other words, the further they moved away from God, the more power and possessions they began to acquire.

 

As I mentioned earlier, the more Esau, who had reconciled with Jacob, moved away from God, the further he moved away from Israel, eventually becoming their enemy. Israel requested to pass through Edom’s land twice through Moses, but Edom refused and regarded Israel as a formidable enemy.

 

Looking at Esau's genealogy, this change is also revealed in the names of the people. Out of 81 names, only two have names related to faith. Reuel, which means "friend of God," and Jeush, which means "God helps." These two sons were born in Canaan. Other than these two, all the names are worldly. The name of one of the kings of Edom is even “Baal-hanan,” which means "Baal is merciful." In his life, God became a background, not the center.

 

This did not happen in an instant. Looking at the genealogy, we can see that they gradually, little by little, forgot and lost God. Since Esau lived with Isaac, he must have remembered and sought God when he first went to Seir. Although it is not recorded, he may have even worshiped and praised God by himself. However, he left the land of Canaan, the community of the saints, and as he became increasingly surrounded by the world, how could he have possibly maintained his identity as a worshiper of God? History tells us that he could not maintain it at all.

 

What About Our Lives?

What about your life and mine? We hope to live a close life with the Lord in the land of Canaan, like Jacob. But are we perhaps excusing our faith by saying, “I go to church,” “I worship,” “I study the Bible and pray”? True faith should be manifested in a life that remains in the land of Canaan.

 

Is the word and grace of the Lord that has worked in you still alive and active, and are you satisfied with it? Is it at the center of your life, so that you overcome and get back up in difficult and hard times with the faith that God is with you? What is God to you, and who is Jesus Christ to you? In your busy and difficult daily life, do you easily forget or lose God and yet still live as if you are a believer? Esau never said, “I am done with God,” but he eventually left God. None of us would decide, “I will not believe in God,” but in our lives, are we not living a shameful life, unable to obey the Lord’s word because God is not at the center?

 

Because God is the center of your life, what have you had to give up in obedience to the Lord’s word? Is it your time, your possessions? Or where is the cross that you had to bear because you live with the Lord?

 

God, The Source of Blessing

The third and final point is that this genealogy asks us what the source of blessing is. If it first asked what this blessing is—whether Jacob was more blessed than Esau—and then asked if slowly moving away from God is a problem for both Esau and all of us, now, finally, it asks what the source of blessing is.

 

The people reading this genealogy now are not the people of Esau. Who is reading it? Who is reading this book written by Moses? It is the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, who are God’s people. Esau’s genealogy was left for Jacob. The Edomites did not read the Pentateuch. Those people do not think, “Wow, our ancestor was so great” when they hear Esau’s story. This message is being conveyed to the people of Israel.

 

God's Message

However, regarding the relationship between the Israelites and Esau, that is, Edom, God said this. When they returned to Canaan, He clearly said, “Do not hate Esau. Do not hate the Edomites. He is your brother.” He even said, “Do not hate an Egyptian, for you were a sojourner in his land.” You might think, “Does that mean we have to love everyone?” In Deuteronomy, there is a verse that says certain nations “cannot enter the assembly of the Lord.” But it also says, “Let them enter the assembly of the Lord after the third generation.” This means that God had a message to convey through these events.

 

Moses requested twice to pass through Edom’s land, but he was refused both times, and Edom mobilized its army to stop them. As a result, Israel had to go all the way around. They were brothers by blood but had become enemies. The endless wars between Israel and Edom started from that time. Edom became a nation that constantly harassed Israel. At times, Edom even became a vassal state of Israel. During David’s time, the Israelite army completely conquered Edom and stationed a garrison there, making it a vassal state. However, because of that, Solomon had a lot of trouble. And Edom constantly invaded Israel.

 

The climax of this was during the time of Babylon. When Babylon attacked Israel, Edom participated in the plundering with them. Not only that, but the Edomites acted like bounty hunters, capturing and turning over Israelite prisoners who were fleeing from Babylon. Because of this, Israel's anger toward Edom was tremendous. The prophet Obadiah therefore prophesied, “Edom shall be destroyed,” and the prophecy was fulfilled when Babylon eventually destroyed Edom. The Edomites were scattered and came to live in the land of Israel, Hebron, where Isaac and Jacob had lived. They were called the “Idumeans.”

 

The climax of this story is right here. During the 400-year intertestamental period from Malachi to the coming of Jesus, the Maccabees once achieved Israel’s independence. At that time, they forcibly circumcised all the Edomites living in the Hebron region and converted them to Judaism. They essentially made them into half-Jews. The result was that Herod came to power and became the king of Israel.

 

Israel, Who Gave Up Being the Source of Blessing

Friends, God said that He would judge Edom for their sin of harassing Israel. But at the same time, He said, “Do not hate them. He is your brother.” But Israel did not follow this word at all. They continued to try to conquer and make Edom a vassal state, and David even killed 18,000 of Edom’s young men. While it is true that God was with David and judged Edom, God also gave Solomon’s reign decisive difficulties because of it. The result was not at all good for Israel.

 

What does this tell us? Israel was the source of blessing, not the source of cursing. But they gave up being the source of blessing and tried to become the judge themselves. Instead of entrusting their enemies to God, they wanted to hold the sword themselves. Holding the sword was the path of Edom. Because Edom had left God, they had no one to trust but themselves, and they had to be good with the sword. But Israel did not obey God’s word, “Do not have an army or chariots. I am your army and I will fight for you. Your battle belongs to me.” History shows us that as a result, Israel also got into trouble. Because of that chain of events that led to Herod, the sound of weeping was heard in Bethlehem.

 

That is not to say that Israel was in the right. When we think, “Ah, Edom went down that path and ultimately produced Herod,” what happened to Israel, who hated Edom? They crucified Jesus. It is impossible to say who was more right or wrong; everyone played the role of a sinner. Of course, God overcame this disobedience and sin to bring about His purposes, and Christ came. But Israel, who participated in this, committed an unforgivable sin, and the same is true for us.

 

Just because we believe in a God who brings about good does not mean we can live however we want. We should not think, “Because God is with me, even if my life is like this to some extent, a good God will accept and forgive me.” When we sin, when we are lazy before God, and when we fail to live according to God’s grace, we must know how to be sorrowful and pained in God’s heart. We should not think, “God is a good person, so He will do it for me if I turn back.” Using that freedom as an excuse for indulgence is not the way of a believer. Because a good God brings about all things, we must live even more righteously.

 

Where Are We Heading in Suffering?

Friends, if we are the source of blessing, we must live as a source of blessing in this world. We must be kind, show love, and be patient. Do not make excuses like, “That’s just not my personality.” God may not change your personality, but He will use your personality for good. Those who are quick-tempered and sometimes even wrathful will surely find rest when they go to the Lord. Do not make excuses; go to the Lord. You are a source of blessing to the world. More than anything, you are a source of blessing because you have the gospel. How much do you treasure this gospel you have, and what do you think about sharing it in your life? The Bible says that your very life is under the influence of the gospel. We must always tell those we meet, those we talk to, and those we are with that we are the mouth, the ears, and the feet of Jesus.

 

The world does not see you as just a Christian; it sees you as Jesus. Think about the background of why people say, “I don’t like Christianity, but I like Jesus.” Why do they see us as Christians? No. You are a Christian. While the word “Christian” of course means “of Christ,” you are not a religious person. You are a person of Jesus. As we saw through Esau, he was in the line of the promise, but he gradually moved toward the world and left God. “Who is more blessed?” Is it the one who is far from God, or the one who has God at the center? Is it the path of Jacob, who came to know God more through hardship and difficulty, or the path of Esau, who constantly moved toward the world in a comfortable life?

 

Friends, isn’t your life difficult right now? There will be times when it seems hard and tight. At times like that, it is natural for us to hope, “Just a little more, just a little more peace, just a little bit better.” That feeling of “just a little more,” doesn’t that sound familiar? I have never seen a person in Korea who bought a 19-pyeong apartment move to a 13-pyeong one. They dream of a 22-pyeong one, then a 32-pyeong one, a 40-pyeong, a 60-pyeong one—no one is satisfied and says, “just a little more.” That is the path Esau walked. Are you going to walk that path with him? Esau also initially just tried to survive in Seir. But eventually, for his own comfort, he swallowed up Seir and produced kings of Edom. Little by little, he moved away from God, and God became peripheral in his life.

 

What About Our Lives?

Friends, what about your life? What is the first thought that comes to mind if I were to say here, “You who believe in Jesus, please put everything down and let’s go on a mission trip next week. Dedicate yourselves as missionaries. You have received salvation and know the gospel, so how can you remain in this place? There are people dying over there; let’s all go do missions together”?

 

That’s right. Not everyone has been called to be a missionary, and you do not need to leave your home to go be a missionary. That is surely not God’s will for everyone. That is correct. But are you even pondering it? Are you thinking about what you can do with this gospel you have received, this fervent gospel that led you to life? Are you thinking about what you are bound to? Are you thinking about whether you are truly in a difficult situation, or if your own greed is making your life difficult?

 

Many people say, “All I’ve done is work hard. The only sin I’ve committed is working hard.” Believers sometimes say that, too. “All I did was live my life diligently in America.” No. For a believer, that cannot be an excuse. If a believer worked hard without God at the center, that is also a shameful thing. If you lived diligently and did something without God at the center, that is a truly shameful thing. If your thoughts, your work, and all your plans are being carried out without God, that is something to be ashamed of and to turn away from.

 

If you have lived this day and thought about your children without centering God, thinking only about what you should have, what you should possess, and your own comfort, then you should be ashamed. You have been called as a child of God. If you remember this word, you must contemplate, “Am I walking the path of Esau, and how is my genealogy being written right now?” I pray that this will become your prayer, so that you may realize what you must strive for.

 

The Hope of Our Calling

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him. I pray that He may enlighten the eyes of your heart so that you may know what is the hope to which He has called us and what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints. I pray that the Lord, who has enlightened the eyes of your heart, will make you know the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us, according to the working of His mighty strength.

 

Whatever your age, whether you are a man or a woman, a master or a servant, rich or poor, in a situation where you are completely alone and have to take responsibility for your own life, or in a lonely situation where you cannot even think about how to live, or if you have so much that every day is joyful—in all of those things, I want you to know one thing. Where is God in all of that?

 

Let us pray.

 

Loving Lord, please make us know the immeasurable greatness of Your love and power. In every moment that You walk with us, help us to contemplate, think about, decide, and lean on You, asking what blessings we have received, where we are slowly heading, and how we are living as a source of blessing. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.