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9 And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. 10 These were the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. 13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. 14 These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. ~ Genesis 36:9-14
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 36 where for a second time in this chapter we are given the genealogy of Esau. In v.1-8 Moses highlighted Esau’s wives and children born to him while he was yet in Canaan. Here, in v.9-14, Esau’s sons and grandsons born to him while he was on Mount Seir are highlighted. The sad reality is that even though Esau grew in numbers and in wealth, he never sought a personal relationship with the God of the Bible.
In v.9-11 of today's passage we read, "9 And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. 10 These were the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz."
Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn, had five sons. The first of them was named Teman. In the book of Job, one of the three men who came to comfort him was Eliphaz the Temanite. The Teman mentioned in today's passage was probably named after Job's friend. In the book of Job, Eliphaz and his two friends spoke wrongly about God and God chastised them for it. As we can see, the people who descended from Esau, had incorrect concepts of God, however, God in His mercy corrected them and gave them an opportunity to be forgiven.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife."
Timna was the daughter of Seir and is noted later in this passage as the sister of Lotan. She became the concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. Because she became the concubine of Eliphaz, it gave the descendents of Esau the chance to intermix with the people of Seir and eventually take over the land and expel the Horites who lived there. Eventually, Herod, Israel’s king at the time of the Lord Jesus, came from the Edomite people.
The reason Timna is mentioned here is because of the son she bore. His name was Amalek, the father of the Amalekites, the people who would attack Israel after their exodus from Egypt. The brutal and wicked Amalekites continued to afflict Israel throughout the time of the Judges. When the kingdom was established, their presence brought about the downfall of Israel’s first king. When God commanded King Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely, he failed to do it.
Many say they don’t like the God of the Old Testament because He seems angry all of the time. They are mistaken because a careful reading of the Old Testament reveals the loving, compassionate, and merciful heart of God. The Old Testament Scriptures are largely historical narrative that seeks to establish the truth of what really happened in those days. Anyone who is serious about the Bible being God’s word is going to believe that God both commanded Saul to eliminate the Amalekites and empowered him to have the victory. God never instructs His people to be the aggressors. It was the Amalekites who attacked the Israelites first. Israels long war against the Amalekites was self-defense.
Many in the modern day want to equate what happened in the Old Testament with the Holy Wars of the crusades and the ethnic-cleansing genocide of South Africa, but the Canaanite Conquest was unique. The Amalekites clearly claimed to be the enemies of God. The battles that ensued were a unique act of God to fulfill his promises to Abraham and the Israelites. These wars were limited and are in no way meant to be a model for the people of God after they settled in the Promised Land.
From the beginning, God’s plan in His covenant with Abraham was that Abraham's people would be given the Promised Land and all nations would be blessed through him. These wars were waged by God in pursuit of this goal. And, after some time, the promised seed of Abraham came, the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself waged the final battle against sin and death. All who believe in the Lord Jesus as our Savior are now included into the promises made to Abraham and therefore, people from all tribes, tongues, and nations are blessed through Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. 14 These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah."
Reuel, Esau’s son and the grandson of Ishmael, had these four sons. There is nothing further of note about any of them in the rest of the Bible. Unlike the other sons of Esau, there is no mention of their grandsons. Once again, only what is needed for God to instruct us is given. Each name here certainly has special significance and purpose, but the inclusion of grandsons born to these sons holds none.
Historically, the Edomites became the arch enemies of the Israelites. Due to this, the Edomites were the enemies of God. In fact, the entire prophesy of the book of Obadiah is one long diatribe judgment on Edom. That's the theme of the book, the prophet Obadiah outlines what will happen to them. This is the legacy of a man who sold his birth right for a bowl of soup.
