Genesis 36, I'll begin reading in verse 1. Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan, Ada, the daughter of Elon, the Hittite, Aholabama, the daughter of Ena, the daughter of Zibion, the Hivite, and Basimath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nabajoth. Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basimath bore Reuel.
And Aholabamah bore Jewish, Jalem, and Korah. These were 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 persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock.
So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom. And this is the genealogy of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. These were the names of Esau's sons, Eliphaz, the son of Ada, the wife of Esau, and Reuel, the son of Basimath, the wife of Esau.
And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Getem, and Canaz. Now Timnah was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Ada, Esau's wife. These were the sons of Reuel, Nahath, Zerah, Shemah, and Mizah.
These were the sons of Basimath, Esau's wife. These were the sons of Aholabamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibion. And she bore to Esau, Jeush, Jelum, and Korah. These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau.
The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, chief Koraz, chief Gadam, and chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Ada. These were the sons of Reuel, Esau's son, chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shema, and chief Mitzah.
These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basimath, Esau's wife. And these were the sons of Aholabamah, Esau's wife, chief Jewish, chief Jelum, and chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Ahol-Abama, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah.
These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs. These were the sons of Seir, the Horite, who inhabited the land. Lotan, Shobal, Zibion, Anah, Deshan, Etzer, and Deshan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.
And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan's sister was Timnah. These were the sons of Shobal, Alvin, Manahath, Ebal, Shefo, and Onam. These were the sons of Zibion, both Ejah and Ena.
This was the Ena who found the water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibion. These were the children of Ena, Deshon and Deholabama, the daughter of Ena. These were the sons of Dishan, Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Karan. These were the sons of Etser, Bilhan, Zeavan, and Akan.
These were the sons of Dishan, Uz, and Aaron. These were the chiefs of the Horites, Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibion, Chief Ena, Chief Dishan, Chief Etser, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.
Kings of Edom and Israel's Monarchy
Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel. Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom and the name of his city was Dinabah. And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith. When Hadad died, Samlah of Masraqah reigned in his place. And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his place.
When Saul died, Bel-Hanan, the son of Akbor, reigned in his place. And when Bel-Hanan, the son of Akbor, died, Hedar reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Pow. His wife's name was Mehedabel, the daughter of Matrad, the daughter of Metsahab.
And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names. Chief Timnah, Chief Alva, Chief Jeheth, Chief Aholabama, Chief Ela, Chief Pinyon, Chief Kenaz, Chief Temen, Chief Mibzar, Chief Magdiel, and Chief Irem. These were the chiefs of Edom according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.
Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan. Amen.
Scripture Reading
We will not be going through each and every one of these names. I just kind of want to do an overview here of the genealogy of Esau or the descendants of Esau and try to give an account as to why it occurs here in the narrative. I had mentioned last week this was probably going to be a shorter study than is typical and I stand by that. It's going to be a shorter study than is typical.
But
Introduction
basically what we have are two broad sections. In verses 1 to 8, we have the journey of Esau to Seir. So in verses 1 to 8, he's in Canaan, and then in verses 9 to 43, he dwells in Seir. So you've got the journey of Esau to Seir, verses 1 to 8, and then the dwelling of Esau in Seir, in verses 9 to 43.
And then obviously, because it's a genealogy list, it's interested in providing that genealogy, and essentially the presentation concerns the sons of Esau, the sons of Seir the Horite, and then the chiefs and the kings of Edom. So the men that were in charge of this particular region. But
Esau's Journey to Seir
let's look first at this journey of Esau to Seir in verses 1 to 8 with reference to the genealogy of Esau. Now
The Toledoth Structure in Genesis
there's something that we looked at when we first started the book of Genesis that it might be good to review at this particular time. If you look back at chapter 37 or look ahead to chapter 37 at verse 2 It says, this is the history of Jacob. Now that little phrase occurs several times in the book of Genesis, and it's something of a structuring device. The word is Toledoth, and it's found in chapter 2 at verse 4, when it talks about the generations, or the history rather, of the heavens and the earth, when they were created. in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
This comes up again in chapter 5 at verse 1. This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Chapter 6, verse 9, this is the genealogy of Noah.
Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Chapter 10, verse 1, now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the flood. It occurs in 11.10. 11.10, this is the genealogy of Shem. Shem was 100 years old and begot Arphakad two years after the flood.
Chapter 11, at verse 27, this is the genealogy of Terah. Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And then again in chapter 25 at verse 12, and this is getting closer to our passage and the reason for this long genealogy concerning Esau.
But in chapter 25 at verse 12, now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, and then chapter 25 at verse 19, this is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son, Abraham begot Isaac. That brings us to chapter 36, where we have the genealogy of Esau. Again, that Hebrew word toledoth, it's a structuring device in the book of Genesis. It's reiterated again in verse 9 in chapter 36.
And this is the genealogy of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. And then the final instance of toledoth is found in verse 2 of chapter 37. This is the history of Jacob. And so the reference is conspicuous throughout the book.
And so the story of Isaac begins in chapter 25 at verse 19, and then it ends here in chapter 35 at verse 29 with a reference to his death. And then the story of Jacob begins in chapter 37 at verse 2, and that will extend to the end of the book, chapter 50, verse 26. So in essence, chapter 37 to chapter 50 gives us the genealogy and the sons of Jacob. So here in chapter 36, we get the sons of Isaac's other son, Esau.
So that's what's happening. And
Non-Elect Line Precedes Elect Line
typically with reference to the line, the seed that God has chosen out of the world with reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you typically get the genealogies of the non-elect son first. You see that with reference to Ishmael, and Ishmael and Isaac. If you go back for just a moment to chapter 25. Chapter 25, you have the genealogy of Ishmael.
It's given in chapter 25, verses 12 to 18, after the notice of Abraham's death. And then comes the genealogy of, or then comes the emphasis upon Isaac. The same sort of thing is happening here in chapter 36. You get Esau, the non-elect son of Isaac, and then you have in detail the genealogy, chapters 37 to 50, not strictly genealogy, but rather the family of Jacob given in great detail.
So the line of Ishmael precedes the line of Isaac, the line of Esau precedes the line of Jacob. So that's a common feature in these genealogical lists also. And then with reference to the length of this particular genealogy, it is, if not the longest, one of the longest in the entire book of Genesis. And so it's very important that we understand what's happening here.
Well,
God's Faithfulness to His Promises
I would suggest, first of all, it is to underscore or reiterate or highlight the faithfulness of God. And if God's faithfulness is highlighted with reference to promises made to the non-elect son, then I think by implication we ought to derive great comfort and encouragement that the promises of God made to the elect son will most certainly come to pass. God promised according to chapter 25 at verse 23 that there would be two nations or that there were in fact two nations in Rebekah's womb. So chapter 25, 23, and the Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb, two people shall be separated from your body, one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.
So we see that very conspicuously and obviously in Genesis chapter 36. Esau is Edom. Edom doesn't vanish in Genesis chapter 36. Edom is sort of right alongside Israel all along the history of Israel in the Old Testament.
Now there are times when Edom is subjugated by Israel. King David ultimately puts them in their place. Amaziah as well subjugates them. But the fact is that they are extant, that they continue along the way in Old Testament history.
And so God's promise concerning Esau that he would in fact become a nation is realized or fulfilled according to Genesis 36. But as well, Isaac had pronounced a blessing upon Esau. That's in Genesis chapter 27. In Genesis 27 at verse 39 we read, And it shall come to pass when you become restless that you shall break his yoke from your neck.
So there's the promise that there will be blessing. He will enjoy the fatness of the earth. And certainly there in Genesis 36, there is every evidence to suggest that that was in fact the case. There was not enough room for both Jacob and Esau in the land of Canaan.
So Esau then goes into the land of Seir. And one of the reasons is, is because he had a great deal of blessing, a great deal of temporal provision from the Lord. As Meredith Klein says, he writes, it, the genealogy of Esau, displays the carrying forward of God's revealed purpose concerning Esau, chapter 25, verse 23. and of Isaac's inspired blessing on him in chapter 27 at verse 39. So if we didn't have Genesis 36 and this extended sort of genealogy with reference to Esau, it would leave a question in our minds concerning the veracity of God's promise.
Does it come to fruition? Does Esau blossom into or become this nation that was prophesied? And most certainly the answer is yes. with reference to Isaac's blessing upon him. If we had no chapter 36, we wouldn't know whether or not Esau was reaping from the fatness of the land or not.
And so Genesis 36 serves in that capacity. It is the genealogy of the non-elect son. The genealogy or the family history of the elect son will be taken up in chapters 37 to 50. And so this is a great place for us to sort of reflect upon Esau and his contribution in this regard.
Now
Esau's Marriages and Departure
next in verses 1 to 8 you have the marriages of Esau in verses 2 to 5. Basically he married Adah, verse 2, a holy Bama, verse 2, and Basimath in verse 3. And then the text underscores a specific problem that's already been highlighted relative to Esau's marriages. Notice in verse 2 of chapter 36, Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan.
Now this was obviously an affront to his parents as we go back in the narrative. In Genesis chapter 26 at verse 35, it tells us that what he did was an offense to his parents. Verse 35, in chapter 26, they were a grief of mine to Isaac and Rebekah. And then again in chapter 28, in verse 1, then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him and said to him, you shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
What's the obvious implication? Like your brother Esau has done. And so it was the mind of or according to the will of Isaac that Jacob go to Pat and Aram and take a daughter from the family ultimately of Terah. Dropping down in chapter 28, you see in verse 6, Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Pat and Aram to take himself a wife from there.
And that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge, saying, You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. And that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Pat and Aram. Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahaloth, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nabajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.
Now, he doesn't do this as a further affront to Isaac, but rather he's trying to assuage Isaac's sort of wrath against him. The interpretation that is correct is that he does this to ingratiate himself to his father by taking this sister, I'm sorry, he went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. So Wenham says, to marry a relation rather than a Canaanite seemed to ensure parental goodwill. So Esau decides to marry a daughter of Ishmael.
That it was only after he had heard Isaac sending Jacob off that he realized his wives were unpopular suggests Esau was rather slow-witted. So he was a bit slow on the uptake, but he did have this idea, so he takes this particular woman as wife. And then back to Genesis chapter 36, we notice that having engaged in this marriage to these Canaanite women, he then has plenty of... he has wives. He has sons, he has daughters, all the persons of his household, according to verse 6, his cattle and all his animals and all his goods, which he had gained in the land of Canaan.
And from there he departs from the presence of Jacob. This is likely after Genesis chapter 33, when they had met. And then they make this decisive stance in terms of where they're going to live. Of course, Jacob inherits the promised land and Esau leaves that and he goes to Seir.
In fact, that contrast is sharp at 37.1. Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan. No more Esau, no more sort of jockeying rivalry going on, but it's rather Jacob and the land. Of course, there will be a foray into Egypt for various reasons, as the text will make clear later, but this shows God's willingness or God's timing with reference to blessing the covenant people in the land of promise that He had given to them.
So he departs from Jacob, and then the prosperity, again, of Esau is underscored in verse 7, for their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. It sounds very similar to Genesis chapter 13, when Lot and Abraham could not occupy the same portion of land, and they had dispersed from one another. So the same sort of idea or concept is going on. And then, of course, he goes to Seir, according to verse 8.
So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir, and Esau is Edom. Remember, Edom means red. It's got the name from the mess of pottage, that red stuff that was in the bull. This is how Esau has become known.
And so the nation of which he is the father of, ultimately, is the nation of Edom. There's a whole book in the Bible devoted to prophecy against Edom. It's the book of Obadiah, one of the minor prophets. You see the Edomites, as I already mentioned, show up in the former prophets.
You see David subjugate them. You see Amaziah subjugate them. You see in the book of Amos a reference to Edom alongside of Gentiles, and then that promise makes its way into the Jerusalem Council in Acts chapter 15, and seems to be an argument for Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. In its original setting in Amos chapter 9, the Edomites are specifically referenced, probably in connection with Gentiles.
So Edom was, in fact, a great nation. Edom does continue alongside of Israel throughout the Old Testament, and this is, in fact, the place where, or this is, in fact, the accounting of the sons of Esau and the chiefs of Edom and the kings of Edom. Now, in terms of Israel's relationship to Edom, God told them in Deuteronomy chapter 2, when they were in the wilderness wanderings, to pass through the land of Edom and not to meddle with them. In Deuteronomy chapter 27, He actually speaks to them and tells them to have regard for them because they, or because Edom is in fact a brother to Israel.
So it wasn't the case that there was this constant sort of warfare. Obviously in the history of redemption and the history of Israel, they did rise up, they did create problems for Israel, but as said under David and Amaziah, they were subjugated. But also this land of Seir, if you look at Deuteronomy chapter 22 for just a moment, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy chapter 2 verse 22, you see that it was in fact God that dispossessed these Horites out of the land of Seir. In order that Esau would receive the blessing of this particular land.
And I think that's one of the overarching themes in Genesis chapter 36. We know that Esau is not elect. We know that Esau is not the son of promise. We know that that is Jacob and the text has been very obvious that way.
But nevertheless, with reference to this man who is a reprobate, we'll see that as we move through redemptive history, God nevertheless shows kindness to him. It's a temporal, it's an earthly, it's from the fatness of the land, but nevertheless the goodness of God is evident in that he has given this provision to Esau. You need to understand that. A lot of people throughout the world enjoy the good benefits of God Almighty.
Whether they're elect or not, there are those that are not, those that are outside of the covenant blessings of God Almighty, that nevertheless reap wonderful things from the hand of God. That shows or demonstrates to us His benevolence, His goodness, His kindness, His love and His mercy. He is benevolent to His creatures, His sovereignty rules over all, and He oftentimes blesses in ways that are absolutely amazing. And so in Deuteronomy chapter 22, I'm sorry, 2 verse 22, it says, just as he had done for the descendants of Esau who dwelt in Seir when he destroyed the Horites from before them, they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place even to this day.
So it wasn't the case that it was the superior military savvy of Esau, though no doubt he probably had that ability, but it was God, ultimately, who drove out these Horrites and who provided this land of Seir for Esau, again, according to his goodness and his kindness. And so when we get back to Genesis chapter 36, we pick up the narrative in verse 9.
Esau's Descendants in Seir
We are reminded that this is the genealogy of Esau, the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. And then as I said, it highlights the sons of Esau in verses 9 to 14. They are listed according to the wives. And then the chiefs of Edom in verses 15 to 19.
Again, listed according to Esau's wives of their mothers. And then you have this reference to the sons of Seir the Horite in verses 20 to 30. Now this shows obviously the power of God. It doesn't specify in this particular section, but it certainly does there in Deuteronomy 22 that it was God who dispossessed these persons from the land so that Esau and his descendants could occupy this particular portion of land, but it also shows the birth of the nation of Edom under Esau.
And then you have the kings of Edom in verses 31 to 43. And essentially what you have is a list of kings. You can read that for yourself. And then this reference to the monarchy in Israel.
If you look at verse 31, it says, now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel. Now, we know that Saul was the first king of Israel, and he took possession of the throne, or he was anointed by God, Samuel, God through the prophet Samuel, or the seer Samuel, in chapters 9 and 10 of 1 Samuel. So he's identified in chapter 9, he's anointed in chapter 10, and this comes as a result of the people of Israel in chapter 8. clamoring for a king. They, remember, want a king, and Samuel is upset by this, and so he pours out his heart to the Lord.
And the Lord says, Samuel, it's not you they're despising, it's me. But we need to understand that it was always God's intention for a monarchy in Israel. It was always his purpose and plan to have that monarchy. So the problem in chapter 8 in 1 Samuel is not that they wanted a monarchy.
It's that they wanted a monarchy so they could be like the other nations around them. It wasn't the fact of monarchy, but it was the motivation by which they were seeking it that was an offense ultimately to God, and it was an offense to Samuel. But if you look at Deuteronomy chapter 7, you see rules, laws, principles governing the kings, I'm sorry, 17, the kings of Israel. Notice in Deuteronomy chapter 17 at verse 14.
So though Edom had kings prior to Israel, it was always God's purpose to have a kingdom in Israel or have a monarchy. Israel literally was supposed to be a kingdom of priests, but they never achieved that, but they were in fact a monarchy. Initially, it was simply, you had Saul, and then you had David, then you had Solomon, and then after Solomon, there was a breach in the kingdom. You had a division in the kingdom. and you had the ten northern tribes and then the two southern tribes.
You had Israel and Judah. And that was consistent up until about 722 BC. And that's when the Assyrian armies came and basically shut down the northern kingdom. And then the southern kingdom was all alone.
Judah was all alone until about 587, 586 BC. And then Babylon comes and shuts them down. And then, of course, they emerge. They're back under governors.
They don't have a king or a monarch. at that particular time, they're still subject to whatever power is in power, they sort of lost that autonomy and sovereignty. But they were always purposed to be a monarchy, and Deuteronomy 17 evidences that. Notice in verse 14. When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it, and dwell in it, and say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses.
One from among your brethren you shall set as king over you. One needs to be from among your brethren. Can't be a foreigner. Has to be somebody from within the stock of Israel.
You may not set a foreigner over you who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. For the Lord has said to you, you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.
Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. So essentially, the prohibition involves weapons, women, and wealth. Weapons, women, and wealth, if there's too much, it will promote or produce apostasy in the king. And the history of the monarchy evidences that.
Solomon, perhaps, is the best example in terms of multiplying women. That was the means by which his heart was turned away from the living and true God. So the prohibition isn't that you can't have a wife, it's not that you can't have money, and it's not that you can't have weapons, it's that you cannot put your trust in those things and you cannot multiply those things and then have reliance upon them. And then notice as well, according to verse 18, the responsibility of the king when he assumes the kingdom.
Also it shall be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book from the one before the priest, the Levites, and it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. Now had the kings of Israel actually done or obeyed or complied with that, probably things would have been a whole lot better. But as far as I know, there weren't any of them that took that seriously and wrote that law down for themselves and then meditated upon it day and night, except perhaps for David. So going back to Genesis chapter 36, it indicates the kings of Edom, and notice that it's not a dynasty, it's not dynastic, it's not the son of, the son of, the son of.
It is rather a collection of men that served as kings in Edom. And so this foreshadows, verse 31, sort of foreshadows the monarchy in Israel. And then it indicates also the stability of the Edomites. The list of descendants of Esau indicates a powerful nation governed by a monarchy.
So God's promise to Esau comes to fruition. He becomes a nation. The promise to Rebekah indicates that they would never, however, be as powerful as Israel. Remember the statement in 2523, the older Esau shall serve the younger.
And then, as I said, the history of Israel demonstrates that reality. So it's not the case that they ever become sort of a world power. They're not like the Assyrian Empire. They're not like the Babylonian Empire. or the Persians or the Medes, but rather they are there alongside of Israel.
The times that they do rebel or the time that they do rise up, they are put down by Israel. But they are a kingdom and they are a nation as God had specified and certainly Esau reaps the benefits having been promised to him by Isaac, his father, in terms of enjoying the fatness of the land. Now,
Application
with reference to some practical observations concerning the chapter, I think
Contrast Between Jacob and Esau
first of all we ought to appreciate the contrast between Jacob and Esau. Esau is the reprobate and Jacob is the elect son. There's certainly a contrast between these two men. The promise concerning Esau was temporal.
It was temporal and it was good, but it wasn't spiritual and it wasn't eternal. It wasn't lasting in the sense that he would ultimately end in heaven. The promise concerning Jacob was, in fact, spiritual. Jacob amasses quite a great deal of wealth along the way as well, but life for Jacob isn't simply temporal.
It's not simply in the promised land of Canaan, but Canaan is typical for him of heaven above because he is, in fact, the son of promise. The promise concerning both was that the older would serve the younger, and the history testifies to that. The history subsequent to this shows or demonstrates that reality. The genealogy of Esau shows the fulfillment of God's promise to him, and then the beginning of chapter 37 emphasizes the difference between the two sons.
Now you've got, as said before, Esau is out of the land. Walti says, with the migration of Esau from the promised land, the stage is now set for God to fulfill His promises to Israel. And most of that, as I said, from 37 to 50, will be located upon the sons of Jacob. Now, certainly Esau had a lot of sons.
I think Waltke mentions there are 12. There's this federation of tribes. But what Jacob produces in terms of his 12 sons is the vehicle by which Messiah will come. It's the vehicle by which redemption comes to the world, so the emphasis or the accent falls on the spiritual with reference to Jacob versus the temporal or physical with reference to Esau.
And then the descendants of the two emphasize that difference. Esau had many sons. He gave birth to a nation, but Jacob ultimately gives birth to the Messiah, even the Lord Jesus Christ. That was prophesied concerning him already back in chapter 35.
When God at Bethel says He called His name Israel, according to verse 11, also God said to Him, I am God Almighty, be fruitful and multiply a nation, and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. So definitely Saul, and David, and Solomon, and then the line of kings from Judah and Israel, Judah specifically, and then we of course have the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the promised seed in the book of Genesis. As well,
God's Faithfulness to the Elect
when we see the promises of God fulfilled in Genesis 36, we have no reason whatsoever to disbelieve the promise of God being fulfilled with reference to the elect. If he is going to fulfill promises made to a reprobate in terms of fatness of the land, he is certainly going to take care of the people of God whom he has foreordained from before the foundation of the world, chosen in Christ before that foundation. He will see to it that he will fulfill the promises made to the patriarchs regarding the land and the sea. And that's precisely what the rest of Genesis records.
And
God's Goodness to the Reprobate
then finally, the goodness of God to the reprobate. Go to the book of Malachi, just to see divine commentary on Esau. Malachi chapter 1. Verse 1, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
I have loved you, says the Lord. Yet you say, in what way have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, says the Lord? Yet Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness.
Even though Edom has said, we have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places. So there's a contrast between Jacob and Esau that God maintains when the nation of Israel is calling into question God's constant love for them. In fact, look at verse 2. I have loved you, says the Lord, yet you say, in what way have you loved us?
That kind of a question should never be asked by the covenant people of God. God demonstrates and manifests that love in ways unimaginable. We don't even know how many ways He demonstrates that love to us, and yet that's one of the recurring themes in the book of Malachi. God, through the prophet, indicts the people, and instead of the people repenting and forsaking their sin, they essentially say, what do you mean?
What do you mean? What are you saying? We did this or we did this. And here they say, in what way have you loved us?
And then, of course, the theology of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 9 highlights the reality that, in fact, Esau was reprobate. In Romans chapter 9 at verse 10, we're picking up in verse 6. There's an argument going on here. We shouldn't jump in at the end.
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children, because they are the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise, at this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.
You see, not all Israel is Israel. Just because you have the physical descendancy in your blood doesn't necessarily mean that's the case. He's going to argue that Gentiles who are converted are Israel. So you have this interesting juxtaposition in New Covenant theology.
You have Jews who reject Jesus are spiritual Gentiles. You have Gentiles, ethnic Gentiles, who believe on Jesus, and they are spiritual Jews. This is why at the end of the book of Galatians, Paul the Apostle can pronounce peace upon the Israel of God. Well, the churches of southern Galatia probably had some Jews in them, but it was primarily Gentile.
And so Paul says to the churches of Galatia that they are the Israel of God. That's Paul's point in Romans 9 to 11. It doesn't run, or the promise of God's blessing and salvation doesn't run along ethnic lines. It doesn't run through the blood.
It doesn't run through race, but rather it runs through grace. And that's Paul's point, Romans 9 to 11. And then he picks that up in verse 10 and says, and not only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac, for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but him who calls, it was said to her, the older shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. So the Lord's goodness is seen in the temporal prosperity of Esau.
The Lord's goodness is seen in the fact that Esau is a great nation and that he benefits from the fatness of the land. Now temporal prosperity certainly does not save, but it does in fact highlight the goodness and the kindness of God. And if we go back in the book of Romans, there is an emphasis on the goodness of God which ought to produce something on the recipient or on the part of the recipient who benefits from that goodness. Notice in Romans 2.1.
Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things, but we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Now note verse 4, the promise or rather the implication or the lesson that sinners should receive when they reap the benefits of God.
Verse 4 says, Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God lead you to repentance? So that temporal blessing or benefit is not salvific in and of itself, but it ought to set forth in the part of the sinner or in the heart of the sinner the fact that God is good and it ought to promote on the part of the recipient of that repentance unto life. So there is that grand design, there is that great faithfulness of God Most High, and Genesis 36 is just another statement to that effect. Another chapter in the pages of Holy Scripture which tell us that the God who promises is in fact faithful to make good on those promises that Esau would be a nation and that Esau would reap the fatness of the land.
Well, let's close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your Word, we thank you for your faithfulness, we thank you for your covenant and your mercy, and we thank you that you've included us in these promises, not just the temporal, but the spiritual. You've given us an interest in the seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. You've given us faith and repentance, and certainly we are the recipients of your goodness, both at the temporal and spiritual level. and how we praise you for that, how we thank you for the gospel of our salvation, how we thank you for the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and that those in that day and age saw, beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. How we praise you that Christ is ultimately the focus in the book of Genesis and that in the fullness of the time you sent him forth, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law.
And God thank you for including us in these blessed promises and we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.