15 These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, 16 Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah. 17 These were the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. 18 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah. 19 These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs. 20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. 22 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was Timna. 23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. ~ Genesis 36:15-23
Today, we return to Genesis 36 which is mostly a compilation of the names of people and a few locations. Very little else is noted in this chapter. Yet, there is always a reason why God included these names and places. As we will discover, conscience is something given to us by God, it is immensely important to our eternal status. We were created in innocence, not bearing the knowledge of good and evil. Although we were deceived by the enemy, God knew that we would be deceived and that we would rebel against Him. He didn’t prevent us from choosing accordingly because we would otherwise be robots. Sadly, robots are programmed and have no heart.
All of mankind has a law written on our hearts which bears witness of God through our conscience. It works in tandem with our fears to push us into a personal relationship with God. This conscience can become seared and it can work against us, or it can be helpful to tenderize our hearts and fuel our faith in the God of the Bible. Ultimately, it is God's Spirit and His Word that He uses to address our willingness to trust Him in the end.
In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, 16 Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah."
Today's passage reveals the direction that our fears lead us without having placed our faith in the God of the Bible. Here, Moses lists the chiefs or the leaders of the family of Esau. The difference between these people and a king is that a king has been crowned, while these leaders had not. The title "chiefs" here literally speaks of "a leader of a thousand."
These men were the prominent descendants of Esau. The people of their tribes would be called after their name.
These men were the prominent descendants of Esau. The people of their tribes would be called after their name.
In v.17-19 of today's passage we read, "17 These were the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. 18 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah. 19 These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs."
This list was given to show the link of Esau’s son Reuel by his wives Basemath and Aholibamah. Interestingly, God had these names recorded and preserved not through Esau and his descendants, but by the people of Israel. These names were so important to God that He had them maintained by His chosen people. The Bible is a book which, among other things, details the redemption of man. This seemingly tedious and often overlooked list is a part of that process. For those who are willing, God is willing to reach into our heart through such lists to tell us that He cares for us as He did the Edomites.
This list was given to show the link of Esau’s son Reuel by his wives Basemath and Aholibamah. Interestingly, God had these names recorded and preserved not through Esau and his descendants, but by the people of Israel. These names were so important to God that He had them maintained by His chosen people. The Bible is a book which, among other things, details the redemption of man. This seemingly tedious and often overlooked list is a part of that process. For those who are willing, God is willing to reach into our heart through such lists to tell us that He cares for us as He did the Edomites.
In AD 70, the Temple where all of their genealogies were kept was destroyed. The only place where these names can be found is in the Bible. And there is only one genealogy of the Jewish people which is still intact from Adam onward. That genealogy is that of the Lord Jesus Christ. This shows us the incredible nature of God’s wisdom. The most published book on the face of the earth year after year, bears witness to the history of man. If we can simply look at the bigger picture and see this, then this historical narrative, with so many little stories which don’t seem to tie together or make sense, actually make all the sense in the world. Since the Fall of man God has been reaching out to rebellious man with the free gift of a personal relationship with Him through the gospel of His Son.
In v.20-23 of today's passage we read, "20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. 22 And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was Timna. 23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam."
The name Seir is related to se’ar which means "hair." Closely related to it is the verb sa’ar which means to be "very afraid." When we are very afraid, our hair stands up. The noun sa’ir means a "he-goat," a bristly haired animal. Then there is another verb sa’fa which means "to be swept away." From this word comes se’ara and which means "storm." This concept of hair and all of these related words tie back to the thought of conscience. The sons of Seir were introduced here in order to show who the land belonged to prior to Esau taking it over. The Edomites intermarried with these people and eventually, the Edomites took from them their land. The sons of Seir did not look to the Lord for salvation and thus they were swept away.
These sons of Seir reveal the state of the unsaved man. The man named Seir was a Horite who were first introduced in Genesis14 at the times that the kings of the east came and attacked the land of Canaan. The designation "Horite" means "cave dweller." There in the land of awareness, they lived in caves. Throughout the Bible, caves are places where people go to hide away. Lot was afraid of living in Zoar and so he and his daughters moved to a cave. Caves, over and over in the Bible, represent those living in fear. In addition, the Edomites represent those who have a conscience but they choose to be defined by this world.
In Hebrews 2:14-15 we read, "14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
God kept these records of these names and places in order to reveal the condition of those who were in bondage apart from Him. God’s eyes and His thoughts may have seemed to be directed only to the people of Israel, but in fact, they were also on all of those whom He had created. God has always had a heart for all people as indicated through the promise that He made to Abraham. That promise included salvation for all people both Jew and Gentile.
Lotan was the first son of Seir. His name meant "covering." Lotan is derived from the word "lowt" which is used exactly one time in the Bible. In Isaiah 25:6-8 we read, "6 The Lord All-Powerful will prepare a feast on this mountain for all people. It will be a feast with all the best food and wine, the finest meat and wine, 7 On this mountain God will destroy the veil that covers all nations, the veil that stretches over all peoples; 8 he will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away every tear from every face. He will take away the shame of his people from the earth. The Lord has spoken."
If Seir is the conscious of the man who fears death, then Lotan is the covering, the shadow of death which has been cast over all people. As indicated in Isaiah 25:6-8, in Christ, that shadow has been destroyed and death is swallowed up in victory. Lotan’s sister was Timna. Once again, a girl’s name is mentioned out of the blue in a list of genealogies which is entirely centered on men. Seir certainly had lots of daughters, but only Timna is mentioned. Her name means "restraint." Timna’s name appears here to show us God’s great mercy and His grace shown through the death of His Son who paid the penalty for our sin. All we have to do is to admit that we need a savior, believe that He did to pay the penalty of our sin and cry out to Him to be our God.
