Genesis Chapter 36
In this chapter we learn more about Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. Esau, in the previous chapter, had helped Jacob bury their father and now that their father was gone there would be a permanent separation between these two brothers. Esau had previously married Canaanite women (plural). This was not what Isaac and Rebekah wanted for their sons. They did not want them marrying women from that wicked pagan culture and that is why they sent Jacob to find a wife from Rebekah’s family. But Esau, being enraged by his father’s blessing being stolen, did the opposite.
Genesis 26:34-35When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.
Esau was blessed too. He was blessed materially, which is exactly what he wanted. And because he had become wealthy, he moved to find his own land. Esau moved to the land known as Mount Seir which later became known as Edom. Edom is the land located to the south and east of the Dead Sea. Esau became the father of the Edomites. If we jump ahead in history, it was the Edomites who would not allow the Israelites to pass through their land as they journeyed from Egypt to the promised land.
Let's Reflect
1. As you read through the genealogy of Esau and his family, we first start with how many wives he had. How many wives did Esau take? You will notice that his wife Judith mentioned in Genesis 26 is not mentioned here. Possibly she died or maybe she left him. But it is the other wives that the genealogy is recorded regarding the children they bore to Esau.
Let me take a moment to mention that it is never God’s plan for men to have more than one wife. This was not the plan for Jacob either, yet he fell short of God’s plan and took more than one wife. God established the sanctity of marriage as one man and one woman. While it is true that we see many men in the Bible taking more than one wife, we must remember that they also were not perfect and were influenced by the culture around them that celebrated sexual promiscuity.
2. From the line of Esau there were many chiefs and __________ who reigned in the land of Edom. See verse 31. This also was not God’s plan. His plan was that He would reign as their one and only King.
3. In verse 12 there is a special mention of one of the sons of Esau. This son’s name was Eliphaz. Eliphaz had a son with his concubine, and they named him Amalek. Amalek became the father of the Amalekites who were especially horrific to the Israelite people later on. What was the name of the concubine?
4. Do you see any mention of the descendants of Esau becoming Godly men who sought to worship God only?
5. Did Esau get what he wanted? Did he get lots of riches and possessions and power?
