August 26, 2007

Esau
Gen 36:1-8

A break in the action here as we look at the nation known as Edom. This is the nation descended from Esau who was also known as Edom.

Esau had 5 sons and an unknown number of daughters as well as many servants and cattle. After he realized that Jacob was to be the inheritor of Isaac and possess the land of Canaan, he figured it out real quick that he ought to move on, He moved to the south and east of the dead sea into a land previously settled by descendants of SEIR. He and his brother were still “from away” as far as the Canaanites were concerned, owning little property of their own but ranging their sheep an cattle wherever they could.

The region into which Esau migrated was soon his own and became known as Edom. It was a mountainous region and Esau’s sons quickly subjugated the Horites by force, but to a greater extent assimilated them through intermarriage. This produced a people the Edomites, who were a mixture  Semitic and Caananitish.

In verses 9-19 we are given a list of the names of the sons and grandsons of Esau.all of whom had risen to prominence in    Edom. They are dukes and chieftains  already by the time of this record coming into Jacobs hand. A total of 14 prominent grandsons are listed here, 14 Dukes of the land.

His daughters married prominent Horite men and there were many powerful tribes here. One woman who is listed here is a concubine (Timan) though Esau's wife isn’t named. This is probably because of the prominence of her son, a man named Amalek, the forefather of the Amelikites, the inveterate or lifelong  enemies of Israel in later years. These were the ones to first oppose Israel’s entrance back into the promised land after their deliverance from Egypt (Ex. 17:8).

The fact that Amalek was not of the same mother  as the other sons of Esau might be the reason he moved to a separate region and developed his own nation a little west of the other Edomites.

He seemed to be outcast, perhaps because his mother was as old as Esau’s father nearly and a concubine the others seemed to shun him.

From verse 31 on, this is probably comment of the writer, Moses who appended it to the basic “Edomite descendants” documents he had from Jacob’s papers. Those names are names long after the time of jacob and continuing up to the time of Moses.

As each section is written it is verified by a special mark.( ) This is written history handed down and compiled by Moses, written under the direction of God Himself and is accurate.

As we read these lists we might note that the Edomite kings never became a family dynasty but each king was succeeded by an unrelated individual, mainly by force of arms. The fourth king on the list, Hadad is notable because of his victory over the midianites in the field of Moab. Since the Midianites lived south of Edom and the Moabites to the North it seems as if there was a northward sweep through Edom or a mission to conquer Moab that was thwarted by Hadad.

But as history continues, we need to know that the brotherhood of these two became more and more tenuous. The Israelis became more and more exclusive, as a protection of their nationhood, and after being out of the land 400 plus years, it was not what you’d call a close family.

In Numbers 20, AS the children of Jacon try to come home they appeal to their brother nation for aid and Listen:

14 ¶ And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:
 15  How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:
 16  And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we [are] in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
17  Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink [of] the water of the wells: we will go by the king's [high] way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
18  And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
19  And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without [doing] any thing [else], go through on my feet.
20  And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
21  Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

Enough to make hatred between the two nations really isn’t it? But while Edom did not act properly, listen to what God told Israel in Deut 23: 7-8  Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he [is] thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.

Interesting isn’t it? Israel was not to take revenge against their brother nation. But I want you to know that God is not a blind God. He sees!  listen to what He does about things later in Exekiel 25:12 --14 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

There is a long history of infighting and war between these brothers,It is not right and never was, But Israel, and by extension you and I if we are sons of the Father, need to learn to let God deal with these things because, as we have said many times, vengeance belongs to the Lord.

Ps 94:1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

Romans  12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31  [It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Isn’t it amazing how riled up we get and try to get even.

Romans 12:18 -21 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.   Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Pr 16:32 [He that is] slow to anger [is] better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

And Peter heard the Lord

1 Peter 3:8-12 ¶ Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be   pity filled,  be courteous:Not carrying out evil for evil, or chewing  out for chewing out: but conversely give  blessing; knowing that you are  called to that, so you should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him withhold his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no deceit:

Let him renounce evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and follow it. For the eyes of the Lord  are over the righteous, and his ears are open  unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Here is the true pattern of godliness. Not just avoiding a brother but going further than that, going out of your way to mend fences. It is too easy to rally an army to your own cause by slander and gossip, even true gossip, when what God wants is for us to go to the nth degree to live peaceable. As much as lieth in you, he said in Rom 12 18 “with all you’ve got, live at peace.

And Peter says , Yeah, when someone chews you out dont respond in the same way, instead stop, and say: “You may be right, help me out will you?”That will be a shock  to them and you will become very close as you administer CPR.

Paul states that if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink” and he says also  “ Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Someone wrote:
He drew a circle that shut me out. heretic rebel a thing to flout but love and I had the wit to win, we drew a circle that took him in.

Listen, the truth of what God has done for us will help you deal with others...

Let me close this with a moving story from King David’s day:
2Sa 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son [that was] lame of [his] feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name [was] Mephibosheth.

You have to know the usual routine when a king was overthrown involved killing any who might later on have any sort of claim on the kingdom.  But David had loved Jonathan, Saul’s son and so he takes a different tack here.

2 Sam 9:1-13 ¶ And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And [there was] of the house of Saul a servant whose name [was] Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, [Art] thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant [is he].

And the king said, [Is] there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, [which is] lame on [his] feet. And the king said unto him, Where [is] he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he [is] in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.  Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What [is] thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I [am]?..So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.

That’s my story too, and yours if you only know it. Jesus is the King of Kings and all who are not aligned with God are doomed. Doomed because by not accepting him as King we put ourselves up as “In Charge”.  We can’t enter the Kingdom of God because the standards are basically too high. God set a high standard, perfection, absolute perfection was needed in order to enter his presence and the payment for anything less, sin that is, was set as death.

But like His King David, God looked around and said “Hey, I want to make it possible for my enemies to be my friends, are there any of the rebellious line who I can show mercy to for Jesus’ sake?

And then he spotted you, and me, and he said “Come and stay in my house and eat at the Kings table forever.

Have you come in?