Genesis 36 Devotional

Promises Kept on Both Sides

Genesis 36 is a list: Esau's wives, his sons, the chiefs of Edom, and the kings who reigned in Edom before any king ruled over Israel (36:31). Like Abraham and Lot before them, Esau and Jacob have too many possessions to live together, and Esau moves to the hill country of Seir (36:6-8). It is easy to skim, but it records something about God.

God had told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb (25:23), and here is one of them, fully grown, with chiefs and kings while Jacob's family is still a household of shepherds. God keeps his word even to the brother outside the line of promise. Esau is blessed with descendants and land. Yet the promise of blessing for all nations runs through Jacob, not because of who was stronger first, but because God chose it. God's timing often looks slow. Edom had kings long before Israel did, and Israel's true King came later still.

To think about: Where does God's timing seem slow to you compared with what you see others receiving?