I. The Generations of Esau
Text: Gen 36:1-37:1
Common grace is grace that God gives to some men. It is different
from saving grace. It is the grace that makes life easier and more
prosperous. You can be a recipient of both saving grace and common
grace. You can be a recipient of saving grace only, or you can be a
recipient of common grace only.
According to the Moody Handbook of Theology, Common grace
may be defined as “the unmerited favor of God toward all men
displayed in His general care for them.”1
Common grace makes life better and happier, but does not bring
salvation. I have a friend who is a recipient of common grace, but not
yet saving grace. He is wealthy businessman. He is polite and
gracious. He is likeable. He is an upright, outstanding citizen,
respected by everyone. His wife and children are Christians. In
addition, his children have grown up and they are successful, but to
this date he lacks saving grace. He is a recipient of common grace
only.
Genesis 36 is about common grace. It shows the reader the
fulfillment of God’s sovereign purpose for Esau. God blessed Esau
with common grace. He did this to honor God’s promises to Abraham
and Isaac.
1
Enns, P. P. (1989). The Moody handbook of theology (332). Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
Main Point: Although Esau lacked saving grace, God gave him
sufficient common grace to fulfill God’s promises to Abraham and
Isaac.
A. ESAU LACKS SAVING FAITH
From the beginning God rejected Esau. For example, while
pregnant with twins, Esau’s mother, Rebekah, received this
prophecy.
(Genesis 25:23) "23 “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from
within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older
shall serve the younger.”
Then, when Esau came to his father, Isaac, to receive his blessing
Isaac prophesied––
(Genesis 27:39–40) “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your
dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. 40 By your sword you
shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you
shall break his yoke from your neck.”"
Why did God reject Esau? Answer: He lacked faith. He was earthly
minded. Four times this passage reminds us that his name is Edom
(36:1,8,19,43). Edom means red. The reminder that his name is
“Edom” reminds us that Esau has no capacity to value or appreciate
spiritual things. Remember, he sold his inheritance to his brother for a
bowl of red stew. Therefore, the name, Edom, is designed to remind
us of his earthly-minded foolishness.
(Genesis 25:27–34) “29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in
from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me
eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was
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called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I
am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to
me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob
gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went
his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."
In the NT letter of Hebrews the Holy Spirit gives us his
commentary on this passage.
(Hebrews 12:16–17) See "16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like
Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal."
We conclude that God rejects Esau because he doesn’t believe.
We can also say that Esau doesn’t believe because God has rejected
him. Both statements are true. In either event, he is earthly minded.
He lacks any capacity to value God’s promises to his father and
grandfather. To him, they are so unimportant that he trades them for
a bowl of red stew. It was a personal rejection of God and everything
God stands for.
In Genesis 36 Esau’s unbelief has two symptoms––Marriage to
Canaanites and a move away from the Promised Land.
1. Esau marries Canaanites
36:1These 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.
In this passage Esau married three Canaanite wives. Two weeks
ago we learned that this was a huge mistake. It was a classic
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expression of unbelief, a mistake from which God protected his
brother, Jacob. He did this despite the fact that he had been
indoctrinated to know better. He didn’t fear God. (I.e. he didn’t take
God seriously).
2. Esau Moved away from the promised land
36:6 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.)
This text emphasizes the wealth of both Jacob and Esau.
It reminds us of Genesis 13 where Abraham and Lot devise a
similar solution to a similar problem.
(Genesis 13:5–6) "5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and
herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling
together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell
together,"
Throughout Genesis God constantly separates believers from
unbelievers. In chapter 4 and 5 God separates the descendants of
Seth and Cain. God separates Lot from Abraham, and this is God’s
will. Lot is not an heir of God’s promises.
In the same way, Esau is not the heir of God’s promises. Things
have not changed. God still separates believers from unbelievers
today.
Rebekah’s dream prophesied this separation. She dreamed that
the two brothers would become “two peoples” or “two nations”
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dwelling apart from each other. Separation is an important biblical
theme. On the Day of Judgment Christ will separate the sheep from
the goats, the wheat from the chaff.
Esau moves to Seir. Seir is Southeast of the Promised Land. It is
outside the boundaries of God’s promises, but Esau doesn’t seem to
care. He doesn’t believe in God’s promises to his grandfather.
By contrast today’s text ends by comparing Esau with his twin
brother, Jacob.
(Genesis 37:1) "1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the
land of Canaan."
Who do you most represent, Jacob or Esau? Do you value God’s
spiritual promises, or is your mind set on earthly rewards only?
B. GOD FULFILLED HIS PROMISES TO ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
THROUGH ESAU
What were the promises to Abraham and Isaac that God fulfilled in
Esau?
At age 75 (Gen 12) God appeared to Abraham and promised him
a land, a people, and a blessing.
Ten years later, (Genesis 15), God expanded the promises. He
told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the
stars. Then he added that God would be his shield and his very great
reward.
Then at age 99, just before Isaac’s birth, God expanded the
promises for the last time to include nations and kings.
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(Genesis 17:5b–8) "For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and
kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me
and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And
I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings,
all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their
God.”"
Therefore, this passage goes to great length to point out the
“chiefs” and “kings” that proceeded from Esau.
(Genesis 36:18) "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."
(Genesis 36:31) "31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom,
before any king reigned over the Israelites."
In addition, when he moves to Edom there is already a king there.
Genesis 36:20-30 describes how the descendants of Esau displace
the original citizens of Seir. The name of the area changes form Seir
to Edom.
(Deuteronomy 2:12) "12 The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the
people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them
and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which
the LORD gave to them.)"
This was a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.
Last, Esau accumulates great earthly wealth. When Jacob first met
his brother on his return from Paddam-Arram. He was afraid. He sent
hundreds of animals ahead of him to propitiate Esau’s anger. But
Esau was already so rich that he initially refused the gifts. “I have
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enough my brother.” In addition, 400 warriors accompany him. He
has become a small army. Esau has become wealthy, powerful, and
prominent. With this in mind, let’s read verses 6 and 7 again.
(Genesis 36:6–7) "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."
In summary, Esau lacks saving grace, but he is the recipient of
much common grace. Esau’s common grace, described in Genesis
36, is designed to impresses us with God’s faithfulness. Even through
Esau God has fulfilled his promises to Abraham and Isaac. Esau has
received immense common grace. Because his grandfather is
Abraham he is rich, he is prosperous, he is influential, and he is
powerful.
Although Esau lacked saving grace, God gave him sufficient
common grace to fulfill God’s promises to Abraham and Isaac.
C. APPLICATION:
1. Rejoice in the Saving Grace of Election
Genesis 36 is about common grace. Common grace is an
expression of God’s general love for the world. “God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Common grace is
called grace because it is unmerited. The world deserves judgment.
But we are not getting it. Instead we have food to eat, political
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freedom, technological advance, civil government, etc. Hell is a fallen
world with no common grace.
Although God has a general love for the world, he has a greater
love for the elect. It is saving love. One way that you know that you
are a recipient of that love is that you have an increasing hunger for
spiritual and eternal rewards
Esau is about the absence of this electing love. Whenever Esau
comes up in the rest of the Bible it is always in the context of election.
Election often depresses us. It should not. Rather it should fill us
with overwhelming joy. Why? It is about unmerited favor at Christ’s
infinite expense. It is prima facie proof that God loves me personally.
However, if I assume that all men deserve salvation, then I will
look at election and cry “unfair!”
But if I assume that all men deserve damnation, I will be amazed
at God’s grace. I will be stunned that God would elect anyone,
especially at infinite expense to his son. That is the perspective of the
prophet, Malachi. He sees God’s rejection of Esau as proof positive
of God’s love for Jacob.
(Malachi 1:2–3) "2 “I have loved you [Israel],” says the LORD. But you say,
“How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD.
“Yet I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill
country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”"
The doctrines of sin, God’s holiness and God’s justice are the keys
to understanding, and rejoicing in, the doctrine of election. Esau gets
more than he deserves. He gets common grace. Jacob also gets
more than he deserves. He gets both common grace and saving
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grace. Esau has no grounds for complaining, but only gratitude for
the common grace he has received. Jacob doesn’t even deserve
what Esau has received. So, looking at Esau with compassion
causes him to overflow at God’s grace toward himself.
That is exactly how Paul sees it. Election confirms the love of God.
Romans 9 comes immediately after Romans 8, the great chapter on
love.
(Romans 9:10–13) "10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had
conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not
yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s
purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him
who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is
written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”"
2. Prove Your election: Set your mind on Heavenly Things
(2 Peter 1:10) "10 “Be all the more diligent to confirm your calling
and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall."
Don’t be like Esau. Value spiritual, not earthly, treasures.
Wherever your treasure is there will your heart be also. Paul made
huge sacrifices to secure spiritual treasures.
(2 Corinthians 4:18) "18 We look not to the things that are seen but to the
things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the
things that are unseen are eternal."
The Judaizers were like Esau. They valued earthly things.
(Philippians 3:19–20) "19 Their (the Judaizers) end is destruction, their god
is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ,"
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3. Hide Yourself in the Gospel
Jesus was the true seed of Abraham. Jesus was the fulfillment of
everything Jacob stood for. He was the polar opposite of Esau.
(Galatians 3:16) "16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his
offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring
to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ."
Since Jesus was the true seed of Abraham, and since our faith
unites us to Christ, all of God’s promises find their expression in us as
well. Here are some examples––
1st Through the gospel Christians become descendants of Jacob.
Unlike Esau, God’s Spirit indwells us and gives us a taste for spiritual
rewards (Eph. 1:13-14).
2nd Jesus set his mind on heavenly things. Unlike Esau, he did not
set his mind on earthly things. When we believe the gospel God
imputes all of Christ’s heavenly mindedness to us. Jesus takes the
judgment that our earthly-mindedness deserves. We get the reward
that his heavenly mindedness deserves.
Don’t make Esau’s mistake. He refused to believe. He sought
earthly rewards, but he missed out on heavenly and eternal rewards.
Although Esau lacked saving grace, God gave him sufficient
common grace to fulfill God’s promises to Abraham and Isaac. It
would be a big mistake to settle for common grace.
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