Edom and Israel were twin brothers in Rebekah's womb. What eventually happened to Edom?

  

Esau had fallen out of the covenant as he traded his precious covenantal birthright for a bowl of soup. Later he picked his wives from the pagan world (Gen 36:3) much to the disappointment and disagreement of Isaac and Rebekah. He mixed his blood with the pagan’s. He even married his cousin Basemath who was the daughter of Ishmael (Gen 36:3) who himself was driven out of the home of promise by Abraham and Sarah.

As we read through Genesis, we chance upon chapter 36 which is exclusively kept for the descendants of Esau. It happens precisely after the burial of Isaac in chapter 35. Why was one chapter of Genesis devoted to Esau by the Providence? Did the author plan to bring a focus on Esau before he loses his presence among the descendants of Jacob, the children of promise? What do we learn from this chapter full of antique names? What is its significance?   

When Rebekah found the twins struggling in the womb, she reached out to God and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

And two people from within you shall be divided.

The one shall be stronger than the other,

The older shall serve the younger.” (Gen 25:23).

Rebekah’s womb was a battle ground. Two nations Israel and Edom battled in her womb for nine months. Beyond the womb, the battle raged on for more than 1500 years.

God blessed both Jacob and Esau abundantly as per his promise of blessing people on the earth through Abraham (Gen 12:3). Canaan could not cope with their wealth put together. So, Esau took all his family members, livestock, beasts and went away from his brother Jacob. Esau’s descendants departed from the promised land and settled in the hill country of Seir (Gen 36:6-8). It was a full and final exit from the covenant for them. They took over the land and renamed it as Edom which means Esau. Thus, Esau became the father of Edomites (Gen 36:9).

There are striking similarities between what happened with children of the promise and children outside the promise. Jacob became the head of the 12 tribes whereas Esau became the father of 14 tribes.  Esau’s descendants dispossessed the Horites, the aborigines of the land, destroyed them and settled in their place as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave to them (Deut 2:12). Thus Esau's descendants settled in Edom and Jacob's descendants settled in Canaan.    

Esau’s descendants became kings and reigned in the land of Edom before any king of Israel reigned over the Israelites (Gen 36:31). They attained prominence faster than the children of promise.

 

How did the descendants of Jacob progress down the lanes of history? Did they attain prominence easily? Jacob’s son Joseph was sold to Midianites to become a prisoner in Egypt. Eventually he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Meanwhile a sever famine hit the land of Canaan. Jacob and family landed in Egypt and settled there under the guardianship of Joseph. After the death of Joseph, and when the memory of the great work done by Joseph faded out of their memory, the new Pharaohs brought the Israelites under brutal slavery.  

While the children of promise became slaves in a land far away from the promised land, the children outside the promise became kings and chieftains in a land that was never promised. 

Four hundred years later when the Israelites were wandering through the wilderness, they reached Kadesh, the doorstep of Edom. Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel, you know all the hardship that we have met, how our fathers went down to Egypt and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers and when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, or drink water from a well. We will go along the Kings Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory”.

Edom did not oblige. They said to him, “You shall not pass through lest I come out with sword against you.” And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. Thus, Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him (Numbers 20: 15-21). Israelites made a desperate plea for permission to pass through the highway. The ‘Kings Highway’ connected Africa with Mesopotamia which passed through the land of Edom. This trade route facilitated the movement of luxury goods between vital nations of those days. Edom enjoyed being in a prime location of great significance. Kings Highway was a matter of pride for Edom.

While children of Esau were fully settled in a foreign land, living in luxury, possessing an army in place, in fact a large army of great force (Num 20:20) we have the children of promise wandering through the wilderness pleading for permission to pass through Edom to reach the promised land.

Israelites would have harassed Moses ruthlessly from this pitiable condition as they reached the border of Edom.  They would have told him, “Look at Edom, how much they flourished in such a short notice. They are kings, chieftains, they are settled in their own land, ruled by their own kings (perhaps, this is why they asked for a king when they reached the promised land). They have an army, they are a large force while we are wandering through the wilderness, at the mercy of them, having to pay for food and water. Why did you drag us out of Egypt? It was better to be a slave in Egypt than be a beggar before Edom.”

When we compare the descendants of Jacob and Esau within the first five hundred years, one would wonder in disbelief why did the children outside the promise flourish so quickly? Why do the men and women of the world flourish so easily? Why did the children of promise struggle so much even to get to the promised land? This is a recurrent question that is being asked through the ages.

God’s blessings happen in God’s time. His timing is invariably the best as his plans are eternal. Man made achievements lack an eternal perspective hence they wither away like a flower of the field. Jacob’s descendants were part of God’s covenantal plan, and it must come to pass in His time alone. 

Years later David Struck down 18,000 Edomites in the valley of Salt. Then he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites become David’s servants (2 Sam 8:13). Amaziah struck down ten thousand Edomites in the valley of Salt (2 Kings 14:7). The children of the younger one thrashed the elder one.

During the days of Jehoshaphat, three nations Ammon, Moab and Edom attacked Judah. But this battle belonged to the Lord (2 Chr 20: 15). The Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, so they were routed. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir devoting them to destruction (2 Chr 20: 23).

The two nations remained divided throughout their history. Edom denied entry for Israelites and rejoiced at the downfall of Israelites. This brought them under God’s disfavor. Judah was captured by Babylonians in 586 BC and Edom’s fell around 500 BC to Babylonians. Children of promise eventually returned to their land. Did Edom rise from their fall?

The last book of Old Testament Malachi begins with an expression of utmost hatred for Esau. During the prophetic period, Edom became a buzzword for nations who hate Israel. Intensity of God’s love for Israel is expressed here by throwing a comparison between love for Jacob and hatred towards Esau. “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? declared the Lord. Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert. If Edom says, we are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins, the Lord of hosts says, they may build, but I will tear down and they will be called the wicked country and the people with whom the Lord is angry forever. Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say “Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!” (Malachi 1:2-5).

Yes, our eyes have seen the fulfillment of this prophecy. Finally Nabatean Arabs displaced Edomites from their homeland in the 6^th century forcing them to resettle in the southern part of Kingdom of Judah called Idumea. Nabateans thoroughly ravaged the arable homeland of Edomites. Around 100 years before the birth of Jesus, Jewish leader John Hyrcanus subjugated the Idumeans, circumcised them and incorporated them into Jewish community. At this point in history Edomites had lost their entire identity and vanished from the world map for ever. Much before the birth of Jesus, Edom had been wiped out from the world history. Prophecy of Malachi came to its fulfilment.

But God is still active with the children of promise. He implemented his salvation plan for mankind through the tribe of Judah from where Jesus came. Paul confirms in Galatians that it is those of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying “In you all the nations be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (Gal 3: 7 - 9).

We should realize that God has opened the doors of promise to the gentile world through faith in Jesus Christ. We are the children of promise because of our faith in Jesus. We are blessed because of our faith in Jesus, and we inherit the blessing of God through faith in Jesus. We are therefore part of an eternal plan.

A short-term view suggested that the descendants of Esau flourished quickly and rose to great heights. A long-term view clearly suggests things otherwise. Descendants of Esau flamed out so badly that we need the help of the archeologists to validate their identity and existence. They are no longer visible on the world map. Had it not been for Bible, Edomites would have gone into oblivion like many other extinct races on the face of the earth. Today the world refers to Edom as an ancient kingdom while the children of promise are spread around the whole globe. It is no longer possible to contain them in one geography.

Genesis chapter 36 is therefore a significant chapter to learn about the rise of Edom. Old Testament teaches us that they came under God’s disfavor due to their attitude towards Israel. 

Let's look at what God spoke to Rebekah once again.

“Two nations are in your womb,

And two people from within you shall be divided.

The one shall be stronger than the other,

The older shall serve the younger.” (Gen 25:23).

Yes, two nations were in Rebekah’s womb Israel and Edom. They were pitted against each other for a long period. Jacob the younger one was stronger than the elder Esau. The older Esau served the younger Jacob. This prophecy found its fulfilment in a span of more than 1500 years.

 

Author – Prakash T John

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