Genesis 35:1 - 36:43 Buried Blessing

If you have your Bible, go and open it to the book of Genesis, to the book of Genesis. We'll be looking at Genesis chapter 35 to 36 as we round out this third of the book of Genesis. We'll be entering into a different sermon series in the coming weeks, but we'll dive back into Genesis in several months. This will be the last sermon in Genesis for a while. We'll be looking at two full chapters. I'm going to read both of them in their entirety before I pray.

Now, when you get to chapter 36, you may be wondering whether or not I'm pronouncing those names correctly. And the answer is, I'm not. If you know Hebrew at all, there's really no right way to say it in the English language. So I'll just be reading chapter 35 and 36, and then I'll pray. If this is the first time you're using a Bible, or if you don't have one, you can use the pew Bible that's in front of you. If you don't own a Bible, we're so glad that you're here. We would love for you to just keep that Bible as a gift from us to you. We would love for you to have a copy of God's Word so you could read it for yourself.

Again, we'll be looking at Genesis chapter 35 and 36, which says this:

God said to Jacob, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.” Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem. When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. Jacob built an altar there and called the place El-bethel because it was there that God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. Deborah, the one who had nursed and raised Rebekah, died and was buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth. God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan-aram, and he blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; you will no longer be named Jacob, but your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. God also said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you. I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac. And I will give the land to your future descendants.” Then God withdrew from him at the place where he had spoken to him. Jacob set up a marker at the place where he had spoken to him—a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. They set out from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. During her difficult labor, the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you have another son.” With her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni, but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Jacob set up a marker on her grave; it is the marker at Rachel’s grave still today. Israel set out again and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons: Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel’s slave Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah’s slave Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram. Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. Isaac lived 180 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. These are the family records of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the Canaanite women: Adah daughter of Elon the Hethite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the land of Canaan. Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too many for them to live together, and because of their herds, the land where they stayed could not support them. So Esau (that is, Edom) lived in the mountains of Seir. These are the family records of Esau, father of the Edomites in the mountains of Seir. These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Adah. These are Reuel’s sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Edom. These are the chiefs among Esau’s sons: the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, chief Korah, chief Gatam, and chief Amalek. These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, and chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, and chief Korah. These are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah. These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs. These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs among the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman. Timna was Lotan’s sister. These are Shobal’s sons: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. These are Zibeon’s sons: Aiah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. These are Dishon’s sons: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. These are Ezer’s sons: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These are Dishan’s sons: Uz and Aran. These are the chiefs among the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan. These are the chiefs among the Horites, clan by clan, in the land of Seir. These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah. When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad reigned in his place. He defeated Midian in the field of Moab; the name of his city was Avith. When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River reigned in his place. When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place. When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place. His city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-zahab. These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, according to their families and their localities, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are Edom’s chiefs, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was father of the Edomites.

-- Genesis 35:1-36:43 (CSB)

Let's pray. Lord, we pray, even as we look at this list of names, and as we look at a lot of death, Lord, we know that if You don't speak to us, even these words will fall upon deaf ears and hardened hearts. So we ask, Lord, that Your word would shine in the darkness, and help us to see the light of Christ. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. First of all, I'd just like to thank God for my ability to get through that chapter.

The Struggle and God's Promises

You know, sometimes it looks like life doesn't go the way that you want. Your drive gets halted by disappointments. It seems like everything that you've striven for in your life gets unraveled as you face the inevitability of the darkness of this world. Sometimes you can't even read through Genesis 36. In the face of the world's darkness and allure, what will you do? Where will you turn? What will you be tempted to turn to?

And in our passage this morning, we see examples of two families: one from the line of Jacob, the other from the line of Esau. And with these two different lines, you have two very different outcomes. You read chapter 35 and it looks like Jacob's family has endless struggle and disappointment. On the other hand, you see Esau's family with endless success and winning. And in these two examples, God's word is asking you this morning, "Which way will you choose?" When life gets hard, when things pin you down, when you look out for the rest of this week and it looks like nothing is working, "Will you still trust in God's promises?"

Our passage has a number of contrasts for us to look at. And impressing this wedge, we'll first look at two trees in the story, one of repentance and one of death. And then we'll look at two stones, two markers that are set up. And lastly, we'll look at two sons as we consider where you will turn as you face life's difficulties.

Two Trees: Repentance and Death

So we'll start with point number one, two trees. Move with me from verse one of chapter 35.

Genesis 35 picks up where we left off, with Jacob being unable to remain in the place where he had been staying. After creating an enemy of everyone in the land of Shechem, God tells Jacob, "It is time for you to go. Get up and go to Bethel." And Jacob does it. He listens to God's commands, but before he does, he gathers all his family together and he hits the reset button: "Get rid of the foreign gods, purify yourselves, change your clothes." Three commands, three actions that are indicative of the same thing. He is having a fresh start, a new hope, a new beginning.

Similar to Abraham getting called to leave his father's land and go to the land that God promised (Genesis 12), Jacob is to leave what's familiar and return to the land that God called Abraham to go to. We've seen this happen over and over again throughout the book of Genesis, haven't we? New beginnings. God taking the rubble of what sin destroyed and starting fresh. And here God tells Jacob to start anew again, because a life following God involves starting anew. If you want to be able to follow the Lord, it involves shedding your old self and pursuing righteousness, taking off what is old and putting on the new.

This is exactly what Paul talks about in Ephesians 4 when he says that you need to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, to put on a new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity and truth. That is exactly what Jacob does. If you want to follow God, it starts with you turning away from all that the world has given you so that you can turn to the Lord. And it's exactly what Jacob has been calling his family to do: "You need to start over."

Because you cannot worship your false gods and build an altar to the God who answered and has been with you. That's not true worship. And so they take all their foreign gods and their earrings, which probably involved worship. This is not a verse against you wearing hoops, right? They take off their earrings, which were likely involved with worshipping idols, and they bury them under this tree in Shechem. They bury them into the ground and then they leave them there. And the reason why they bury them under the ground there isn't so that they leave buried treasure for someone else to go uncover someday. The reason why they bury it there is because they're not going back. They are burying it into the ground because they're done. They are actually walking away from their idols. They don't leave a map behind for someone to discover. They don't know that in the back of their head with some kind of like escape hatch in case following Yahweh doesn't work out. Christians don't have parachutes of promiscuity that they carry around in case following Jesus doesn't work out. There is no plan B. There isn't keeping one foot in the world while choosing to follow Jesus. When we decide to follow him, we put our old self in the ground. We bury it. And we don't go back.

Jacob buries all of his idols under this oak and then he builds an altar to the Lord in Bethel, a recognition that God has been protecting him this entire time. This is the end of this kind of saga that we've been following all the way since chapter 28 in Bethel when Jacob first sets up this marker, this Ebenezer to the Lord, recognizing the promises that God had given him. And now with all of his possessions, with his wife and children, he sets up this altar recognizing that God had been with him every step of the way. Even in the present, God was protecting Jacob from all of these surrounding cities. They're unable to even lay a hand on him because the fear of God strikes them and paralyzes them from attacking. There's something unique about that peace that God's protection gives that enables him to have this confidence to be able to go before the Lord.

Except that protection then is followed by a sharp contrast because the oak near Shechem isn't the only tree. It doesn't stop with an altar in Bethel. You find out this news about Deborah, the one who raised Rebekah, who died and was buried. And this area is called Allon-bacuth. In other words, this oak is called the "oak of weeping." That's the name of this place. Because even though Jacob can recognize the good of all that the Lord has done for him, you know, he could bury his idols into the ground and build an altar and be able to worship God, the bitter bite of sin still continues to infect humanity.

Deborah, who nursed and raised Rebekah, is now dead and buried because even in the land of promise, it is still stained with sin. You and I are familiar with that feeling. You can follow God and still reach a bitter end, can't you? You start to commit to start over, to follow God, only to be confronted with sudden ends. Sometimes it feels like you just got on your feet and suddenly you have the wind knocked out of you again. And God is willing and able to protect Jacob and his family, but Deborah is buried in death immediately after. If you think about it, it reveals even a bigger cover-up. I mean, Deborah was the one who nursed and raised Rebekah, and yet we have no idea what happened to Rebekah. She says goodbye to Jacob. She doesn't show up in the story ever again. She says farewell to her son and she becomes completely buried from the story. The only mention of her is the mention of the woman who raised her.

Not only does Rebekah die before being able to see her son again, she's never even brought up. Lost to the timeline of history. In fact, Deborah herself is a name drop out of nowhere. Do you know how many times you've heard of Deborah in this book of Genesis before now? Zero times. It's the first time she showed up. And just as soon as she showed up, she disappeared. She died. That's the only mention of her in this story because that's exactly how death works, isn't it? One second you're here, the next second you're gone. You leave as soon as you came. It's sudden sorrow. You can't control it. Those of us who have been seasoned with age know that time comes and goes just so fast. And even after Jacob's great movement of repentance, this kind of epic story of starting anew, he's forced to confront the inevitability of death. Buried idols but also buried souls. An oak of faith and an oak of fatality.

Two Stones: Promise and Loss

That's not the only contrast in this story. Point two: you see two stones. Two stones. Look at verse nine.

You notice that God renames Jacob to Israel again? It's not because Jacob forgot. It's because God is re-initiating this promise that he gave to Israel. That this event that's happening in Bethel with this altar being built and this declaration on Jacob is just as pivotal in his name, who he is, as when he wrestled God. That these promises that Israel is receiving is fundamental to his identity and, by extension, is fundamental to all of Israel's identity. This is their promise.

And they are called to be "fruitful and to multiply." Do you remember that phrase, "Be fruitful and multiply"? Does that remind you of anywhere else in the Bible? It reminds you of Genesis 1, right? And then you have this promise that they'll have a nation, an assembly of nations, people that will be in this land, in this place. And that kings will descend from them. This power. You have people, place, and power. This is a new beginning from the call of Abraham in Genesis 12. All the way back to the creation of humanity itself in Genesis 1. God's promise to Jacob here is referring to everything that's happened in the previous 34 chapters. That everything that God has been doing in this timeline of history is leading up to what he will do through Israel, through Jacob, through his family.

And so Jacob, in response to this amazing promise, sets up another stone marker. He pours out a drink offering. He anoints this rock with oil and he names this place Bethel. And if you're familiar with this book of Genesis, like we've been going through for the last 34 chapters, you know that whenever you have a new creation, it's immediately followed with a new fall. And you see that in verse 16.

If you remember back to Genesis 3 when the Fall first hits, one of the curses that God gives to the woman is that she will experience pain in childbirth. And Rachel here bears the full brunt of the Fall as she gives birth to her second son. And just as quickly as God gives Jacob this renewed promise about this amazing future for all of his people, as his favored wife is giving birth to one of his sons, his wife passes away due to the consequences of sin. If you remember, a month ago, Jacob swore in Genesis 31:32:

If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live! Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. -- Genesis 31:32 (CSB)

Here you have the payoff. Four chapters later, Rachel receives the circumstantial end of that vow. She told Jacob, "Give me children or I die." And now in giving birth to that child, she meets her own end. It's not just that sin is tragic. It says it's cruel. Rachel dies because of sin. Whether it's because of her own idolatry, whether it's because of her own selfish demands, whether it's just because of the curse of the Fall itself. Sin mars the promise of grace with the bitterness of sin. It seems that Rachel was experiencing that level of sorrow even as she's going through labor. That name, Ben-oni, means "son of sorrow." His father, however, calls him Benjamin, "son of the right hand," a name that's marked with power and hope. It is hard to think of a larger contrast than between these two realities: calling someone a son of sorrow, a son of pain, while simultaneously calling him a son of power, seeing a promise of power while simultaneously seeing a bereavement from birth.

What you are seeing in every stage of this story, as it's progressing in chapter 35, is the paradox of trusting the Lord in the cruel consequences of a corrupt world. Jacob's response is the same as when God blessed him, when God gave him promises. He sets up a marker, sets up a stone. A marker that reminds Israel of their past. A marker that says, "Something happened here." And that's exactly how markers function, right? If you want to think of this marker almost like a gravestone, right, that says that Rachel was here. That she mattered.

I remember going to the Netherlands and being able to go to the gravesite of one of my favorite theologians, Herman Bavinck. And I get to the gravesite and my Dutch friend, in his very Dutch directness, goes, "Yeah, nobody really comes here." I was like, "Are you kidding me? Bavinck's a legend. Why don't more people come here?" He says, "Well, he's dead." Right? Like, why would anybody show up here? I mean, it's tongue-in-cheek, but we know that's not why we go to a grave, right? We don't go to a grave expecting to see that person emerge from the ground. We don't go to see what is. We go to a gravestone to see what was. Right? These markers serve as a tool for us to remember. And it's the same reason why my dad wanted to get buried in Rose Hills, right? He's Korean. He loves being Korean. I've been to the gravesite in his family hometown in Korea with all the mounds, with all of his ancestors there. And he said he did not want to be buried there. I asked him why while he was still alive and he said, "Because he wanted my family to be able to go out and see him."

Now, I would love to say that he isn't there. I find myself going there every single time that I go to Rose Hills for a funeral. Why do I do that? Because those markers serve as a tool. Because I don't want to forget. I want to remember, right? Now, when I go to my dad's grave in Rose Hills, am I remembering his life? Or am I remembering the fact that he's gone? The answer is both. I'm doing both. The marker reminds me of the contrast of living in a broken world. I can simultaneously experience all the joys of the blessings of having a godly father in my life, as well as experiencing the pain of his absence, right? You can recognize the marker of God's promises that are laid out for you while simultaneously recognizing the broken reality of sin in this world. Jacob is able to set up markers both in response to God's promise and his own wife's death. Because he trusts in a God who is sovereign over both, who's in charge over both. It's the same thing that you and I are called to do. We are called to remember.

Two Sons: Worldly Success vs. Godly Struggle

That's not the only contrast in this story. Point three, and we'll be spending most of our time here: two sons. Two sons. Look at verse 21.

Israel finishes his movement to Bethlehem and Isaac dies, his father. And he's buried with his two sons, Jacob and Esau. That's the contrast that the story lays out in front of you. This passage kind of serves like the hinge between chapter 35 and 36. You hear about Jacob's life, you hear about Esau's life afterwards. But in that region before Isaac dies, Jacob's oldest son goes and sleeps with Jacob's concubine. Despite all the attempts to start over, despite his attempts to repent and bury his idols into the ground, to start new, his firstborn son wasn't able to get rid of the wickedness that was inside of his heart. This is nothing short of wickedness. God without a doubt condemns this kind of behavior. If you're confused about this, you can even look at passages like 1 Corinthians 5 which explicitly condemns sleeping with your father's wife.

And Israel hears about this. His dad hears about it. And he doesn't do anything. He doesn't respond, he doesn't condemn. He just hears about it. Similar to the situation that happened in chapter 34 with Simeon and Levi. Jacob hears but he doesn't act. But this passage doesn't spend much time on Reuben's sin or Jacob's inaction, but on Jacob's family. On Jacob's family, this list of names that you see here, to show that all of Jacob's sons came to be from who their moms are, and to point out that Reuben is the firstborn. It's the firstborn. That though Reuben is the one that's supposed to be the firstborn and take on the mantle after Jacob, he has fallen into sin and, by extension, disqualified himself as the leader of God's promise. Same with Simeon and Levi.

And this is the end of Jacob's story as far as the focus being on Jacob. This is the legacy that Jacob leaves: 12 sons. And the one that's supposed to lead is a despicable sinner. On top of that, his dad dies. And so he and his brother go to bury him. Isaac comes to the end of his life with two sons, old and full of days. And with his death comes the conclusion of Esau's story as well. We see the same thing happen with Isaac, or with Abraham. When Abraham dies in the book of Genesis, what happens right afterwards is a long story about all of Ishmael's descendants, right? So you read that and you go, "Why am I hearing so much information about the Ishmaelites?" Well, the reason is because that's the last time Ishmael will show up in the story, right? And all of Ishmael's descendants give context for the Israelites before they enter the promised land, to know who these people are, right? The same thing is happening with Esau. Esau is not going to show up in the book of Genesis again. You will, however, see the names of all those people show up later in the other books of the Bible, right? As Israel interacts with them.

And while Isaac's story stumbles along, while Jacob's story stumbles along with these promises and dark providences, Esau's story is completely different. You know, I'm not going to reread that entire chapter because quite frankly, I don't think I'll read any of those names the same way again. But notice the way that chapter 36 summarizes Esau's separation in Genesis 36:6:

Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too many for them to live together, and because of their herds, the land where they stayed could not support them. So Esau (that is, Edom) lived in the mountains of Seir. -- Genesis 36:6 (CSB)

Why did Esau leave? Well, if you read the book of Genesis, you would think Esau doesn't have the promise. Remember the story of the birthright and all the drama that entailed from that, and Jacob fleeing for his life? Here, the reason why Esau separated from Jacob is because Esau had way too much stuff. He was doing too well. He had so much stuff, there was literally not enough space for them. Esau had to go relocate somewhere else so that he can settle, just so that he could keep up with all the blessings of his life. In fact, if you look at the way that the Bible describes chapter 36 and compare it with chapter 35, chapter 35 is an absolute slog. It's boring to read. It's depressing. There is nothing interesting that is happening there in terms of Jacob's life. And then you read chapter 36, and it might read boring to you, unless it was your inheritance letter. I mean, everything that Esau has is infinitely interesting. I mean, he has so much stuff. He has so much stuff that the only way that you could describe the amount of stuff is that he had so much stuff, he had to go somewhere else to fit all his stuff.

Not only that, his legacy seems to be more significant as well. The reason why these names are memorable aren't just because they're terribly hard to pronounce, it's because of all the titles that are attached to them. Did you notice how many times the word "chief" shows up in chapter 36? Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, and on and on it goes. And not just chiefs, these chiefs evolved to become kings. King after king, after king, after king, who ruled the land. I mean, it seems like Esau's kids are absolutely dominating every single land that they step in. Jacob can barely keep his own family alive and keep them from sinning. And meanwhile, Esau seems to continue to ascend.

I wonder which life sounds more appealing to you. I bet if we were to sit down and recount the stories of our lives, all of us would love to take our testimony and spray spiritual Febreze on it. And talk about all the different ways that life got hard, but then the gospel came and now life is good now. But if we're being totally honest, how many of our lives don't have that upswing? They seem to be marked with difficulty after difficulty. Where every single month feels like a downward spiral into the depths of hell, despite believing in a God who promised us otherwise. When you hear stories about those who aren't following Jesus that seem to be living a more fulfilled life, a life that's even just more pleasurable or easygoing, how does that land on your heart? When you hear of Esaus around you that are living lives that, quite frankly, just seem better, is your heart tempted to follow along that path? Maybe even just a little bit. Just get a taste of life's comforts so you can finally just catch your breath. Which life sounds more appealing to you? Esau's life may seem preferable. But that's when we need to remember God's promises.

See, Esau took his wives and left the land because they forsook the promises of God and abandoned their birthright. You know that story about them having way too much stuff so that they don't have enough space to be in the same land. Does that remind you of anyone else in the book of Genesis? Yeah, it should remind you of Abraham and Lot. Where Lot chose to live in a different land where he seems to succeed. And if you don't remember, things don't end very well over there. And while there is no Sodom and Gomorrah narrative for Edom, there is a prophecy that Balaam gives for Edom's descendants in Numbers 24:

I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites. Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant. One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors. -- Numbers 24:17-19 (CSB)

This is the promise that God gives for the future for Israel in light of this passage. Not that Esau is going to continue to ascend, but that Esau's descendants are going to be utterly destroyed. And that destruction is going to come from a descendant of Jacob. One who has a scepter. In fact, the clues for that are already laid out in this passage because if you remember, Jacob's kids are not that great. You have Reuben who disqualified himself. Two weeks ago we saw Simeon and Levi disqualified themselves, which means that the next one up is Judah. And that's exactly how Jacob understands Judah's role as well. Genesis 49:

Judah is a young lion— my son, you return from the kill. He crouches; he lies down like a lion or a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him. -- Genesis 49:9-10 (CSB)

That the king that God promised, the line of Judah, will come who will reign perfectly and will dominate all of his enemies and will strike down all of them and reign triumphant. But the good news of the gospel is that the way that this king would rule would be unlike any other king. Rather than domination, this king was subvert expectations. The king's focus wouldn't be on dominating his opponents, but delivering his enemies from their sin. He wouldn't just take down wicked nations, but he would take down wickedness itself. See, the very curse of sin that infected all nations with death, that infects you and I, that dooms us to an eternity in hell. Jesus takes that curse on himself, on his own shoulders, on the cross, and rose from the dead so that he could put an end to all weeping, put an end to the curse of sin that's existed since the garden.

You know what's missing in chapter 36? All of Esau's descendants died. All of them died. And none of them could take any of their success, their status, or their stuff with them into the grave. But Jesus takes all of us in the midst of our dismal, pathetic lives and gives us a hope that's greater than anything that this world can offer. It's no wonder that when Mary comes to the tomb, she encounters an angel who looks at her and asks, "Why are you looking for the living among the dead?" In Luke 24:5-6, it says:

So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, -- Luke 24:5-6 (CSB)

See, we don't come to the cross the way that we do a gravestone, remembering those who have passed. Remembering the vacancy of those who were before. The cross is the death of death itself. And we don't come to a cross for salvation. We go to an empty tomb to remember someone who not just was, but someone who is. Jesus who conquered sin and death to establish his rule and reign right now.

Choosing God's Promise

See, the promise of Christianity is not a promise of today, it is a promise of tomorrow. We don't cash our chips on what we can obtain today. We don't cash our chips on a life that seems appealing today, or a lack of suffering today. Which life is more appealing to you? Would you rather have the success of today or the promise of a greater tomorrow? That's one of the central questions of this book. That's one of the questions that we've been asking ourselves as we walk through this book of Genesis. Even in the most minute, boring details, we see this cycle of life, sin, and hope appear over and over and over again.

Are you going to pick success with the poison of sin? Or cash in your hope in the hope of God's redemption? The cycle isn't anything new. You will bury idols and you will bury souls. If you choose to follow God, you will set markers of God's promises and markers of sin's curse in your life. You will constantly live in this paradox between the world's success while you embrace godly struggle. That is your life if you choose to follow Christ. And all of it will be worth it. Not because of the genesis of that story, and not because of how that story starts. Not even because of how that story feels today. But because of the way that that story ends. We know that God will make everything right again.

See, if you trust this God of Jacob, if you really believe in him and follow him, then even when you're faced with the bitterness of this fallen world, you can put up a marker of both God's promises and the world's curse. You can see the hardship of this life and recognize that that is nothing new. You have not faced anything in this life that Jacob did not face before, that Moses did not face before, that Jesus did not face before. And you can trust God's providence in both. You can place your trust in the God who has been everywhere that you've gone. Has followed every step of the journey. And you can plant your seed of faith knowing that even if you are buried in death, you will rise into the tree of life. What will you choose? Let's pray.

Lord, we pray that You would help us to be sober-minded comparing the life of Jacob and Esau. We do ask, Lord, that You would help us to trust You, recognizing that Your gospel is worth trusting all of ourselves to. Even when the world doesn't feel like it, or feel like things are working out well, we pray, Lord, that You would give us the strength to be able to trust in Your goodness. Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.