Esau Becomes Edom
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The Jews have been in a
continuous ongoing conflict throughout history. No nation on earth has
experienced the turmoil as that of Israel. Satan’s goal continues to be to
exterminate the Jews in order to prevent God from fulfilling His covenant
promises to them. A part of this
conflict began with these incredible words from God. “Esau
have I hated” (Rom. 9:13). Paul was simply quoting
scripture. Rebecca, Isaac’s wife was barren and Isaac asked God to give them
a child and God answered his prayer (Gen. 25:21). Rebecca was having some
pregnancy problems and asked the Lord about it (Gen. 25:22). Here is God’s
answer! “The
Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be
separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other;
And the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23). The prophet Malachi’s
take on this passage reads like this. “I
have loved you,” says the Lord.
But you say, “How have you loved us?” Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau” (Mal.
1:2-3a). The words “love and hate”
do not mean what we may think they mean. God is saying that He chose Jacob
over Esau. God’s choice became evident throughout the rest of the Old
Testament. Esau became the father of
the Edomites. “These then are the records
of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of
Seir” (Gen. 36:9) Esau married into the
Canaanite line and had many children. The marriages were not with the
blessing of his parents, Isaac and Rebekah. “When
Esau
was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the
Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind
to Isaac and Rebekah” (Gen. 26:35). Thus began an ongoing
conflict between the Jews (the sons of Jacob) and the Edomites (the sons of Esau).
This conflict is reflected throughout the Old Testament and throughout the
history of man. Esau’s family
tree takes up a whole chapter in the Bible, a clue that he is going to play
an integral part in history (Genesis 36). Edom’s Conflict With Isaac
The Edomite Arabs refused
to allow the Exodus generation of Jews to pass through their land on their
way to Canaan (approx. 1440 BC). “Then
Edom
said to him, ‘You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you
with the sword.’ So the children of Israel said to him, ‘We will go by the
Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay
for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.’ Then he said, ‘You
shall not pass through.’ So Edom came out against them with many men
and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage
through his territory; so Israel turned away from him” (Numbers 20:18-21). The Jews had to go
through Moab to get to Canaan. The Arab families of Ammalek, Moab, and Ammon,
also tried to prevent Israel from moving into the land of Canaan during the
Exodus (Ex. 17:8; Numbers 20:18; Num. 22: 4-6; Jos. 13: 25). King Saul warred against
the Edomites. “So
Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies
on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom,
against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines” (1 Sam. 14: 47). David defeated Edom and
annihilated most of their male population. “For
it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army
had gone up to bury the slain, after he had killed every male in Edom (because for six months Joab remained
there with all Israel, until he had cut down every male in Edom), that Hadad
fled to go to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with
him. Hadad was still a little child” (1 Kings 11:15-17). The little child, Hadad,
became the leading Arab sheik. He escaped from David and tried to entice the
Egyptians against David. He went into exile into Syria and became the
greatest enemy of Solomon. “He was an adversary of
Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and
he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria” (1 Kings 11:25). The
Edomite Arabs were successful against Jehoram in Judah.
Amazia, king of Judah,
carried out successful campaigns against the Edomites. “He
killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and
called its name Joktheel to this day” (2 Kings 14:7). The Jews were never able
to successfully subjugate the Edomite Arabs. “At
the same time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. For again
the Edomites
had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives” (2 Chron.
28:16-17). When Nebuchadnezzar
conquered Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and carried Judah into the fifth cycle of
discipline, the Edomite Arabs joined Nebuchadnezzar in the conquest. The
Edomite Arabs joined Nebuchnezzar in the slaughter of the Jews because they
despised the Jews. They cried out to Nebuchadnezzar to destroy completely the
city of Jerusalem. The Psalmist reminds us that God does not forget. “Remember,
O LORD, against the sons of Edom. The day of Jerusalem, Who said,
‘Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation!” (Psa. 137:7).
Because of this hatred of
Israel and this treachery, God made this astounding prophecy concerning the
Edomites: “ ‘Edom
also shall be an astonishment; Everyone who goes by it will be astonished and will hiss at all its
plagues; as in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. And their neighbors,’ says the LORD, ‘No one shall remain
there, Nor shall a son of man dwell in it’ ” (Jer. 49:17-18). Notice carefully that God said that Edom shall be overthrown like
Sodom and Gomorrah. Is this recorded anywhere in human history as having
happened? Not yet! Biblical Prophecy and the
Edomites “Rejoice
and be glad, O daughter of Edom, You who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also pass
over to you. And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked. The
punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no
longer send you into captivity. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He
will uncover your sins” (Lam. 4:21). “Therefore
thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut
off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall
by the sword. I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel,
that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they
shall know My vengeance,’ says the Lord GOD” (Ezek 25:13-14). “Thus says the LORD: ‘For
three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His
anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever. But I will send a fire
upon Teman, Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah’” (Amos 1:11-12). Edom and Christ’s First Coming As a
reward for helping Nebuchadnezzar, the Edomite Arabs received all the land of
Judah, from Egypt to the Northern part of the Land. Esau's children at one
time had all the land. The Edomite Arabs remained for 400 years until the
Maccabee's (a Jewish family) subdued them and forced them into Judaism. The
Edomites changed their name to Idumeans. However this was conversion by coercion and that has never
worked. The Arabs did not forget!
Now enter Herod the
great, an Edomite, and Antipas, who was also an Edomite Arab. The Edomite Arabs took the land back
from the Jews politically. Herod became the third in command in the Roman
Empire behind Augustus and Agrippa.
Just before the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., twenty thousand Arabs said they wanted to help Jerusalem, so they were allowed inside. But just as in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, as soon as they got inside they began to rape and pillage, rob and murder. They killed thousands of Jews before Titus came against the city. Edom and Christ’s Second Coming
“Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments
of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel,
marching in the greatness of His strength? It is I who speak in
righteousness, mighty to save.
Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in
the wine press? I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples
there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in
My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all
My raiment. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of
redemption has come. I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was
astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to
Me, and My wrath upheld Me. I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them
drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth” (Isa.
63:1-6). Who is this one coming from
Edom? He is described with garments dyed bright red. This is a description of
the Rider on the white horse of Revelation 19. “And I saw heaven opened,
and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges
and wages war. His eyes are a
flame of fire, and on His head are
many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in
blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in
heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp
sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with
a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the
Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF
KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’” (Rev. 19:11-16). Our Lord’s white robes
are stained with blood, Arab and Mongolian blood. Bozrah is the capitol of Edom. This is a part of the
slaughter of Armageddon. When the Lord Jesus came the first time, he was
subjected to the cruelty of the Edomites, Herod and Antipas. The first time
he stood before them, He said that if He were the king at that time, His
subjects would fight. But He came with great humility in order to die for our
sin. But the second time, he's
coming as a warrior. He is coming trampling upon grapes in the wine vat. The
stain of the grapes finds its way to His clothes. This is a symbol of blood
that will stain His clothing. This is a picture of a slaughter! Edomite Arabs
will one day reap the vengeance of God. Sources
New American Standard
Bible Encyclopedia Britannica Logos Christian History
Interactive Bible Knowledge
Commentary Old Testament S. Lewis Johnson |
What happened to Esau? Is he still around! |