Faith without religion.
Jacob and Esau: Divine Will and Human Action
In our recent teaching, we delved into the intriguing narrative of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 27:11-40, exploring the complexities of divine will and human action. A thought-provoking question was raised: “If God intended for Jacob to receive the birthright, why wasn’t he born first?” This question opens a broader discussion about God’s ways and the role of human choice in His plans.
The story of Jacob and Esau is a vivid example of how human actions, even those rooted in deception, can intersect with divine purposes. Rebekah and Jacob’s actions, driven by a mix of pragmatism and belief in God’s promise, led to a series of deceptions to secure Isaac’s blessing for Jacob. This narrative challenges us to consider the nature of God’s involvement in human affairs and the lessons we can learn from these ancient stories.
Jacob’s journey to receiving the birthright through deceit raises questions about the nature of spiritual inheritance. Unlike the earthly birthright, our spiritual birthright as Christians is not tied to our natural birth but is bestowed by the Holy Spirit. This sacred inheritance cannot be obtained through outward rituals or deceptive practices but through a genuine relationship with God.
The narrative also highlights the dangers of using God’s name to justify actions, a form of taking His name in vain. Jacob’s deceit, claiming divine intervention in his actions, serves as a cautionary tale against manipulating religious practices for personal gain.
As we reflect on this story, we are reminded of the broader spiritual truths it conveys. The material blessings given to both Jacob and Esau pale in comparison to the spiritual legacy that Jacob’s line would carry, culminating in the coming of the Messiah. This narrative invites us to trust in God’s ultimate plan, even when human actions seem to complicate the path.
In conclusion, the story of Jacob and Esau challenges us to seek a deeper understanding of God’s will, to recognize the limitations of human wisdom, and to embrace the spiritual inheritance offered through faith. As we navigate our own journeys, may we learn from these ancient lessons and strive to align our actions with God’s eternal purposes.
Teaching Script:
Welcome
Prayer
Song
Silence
Genesis 27.11- 40
March 12th 2023
Before we go forward with our text for today, I was asked a great question from one Dorothy which was excellent.
And it was, “IF God wanted the birthright to go to Jacob why didn’t he have Jacob be born first?”
That is a great question, isn’t it? And using it we are able to step forward into a line of questioning that follows, like
And, “If God wanted us to live in paradise, why did God allow Satan in the Garden, and/or why did He make a forbidden tree even available for them to choose from in the first place?
Of if God heals people why did he allow disease on earth in the first place?
I mean the slippery slope becomes almost endless right?
The thinking and question is important because in and through it we come to understand how God does some things, how He does others, and how, in every case, He appears to involve those of us who are created in his image to act, to choose, and to respond – and somehow He’s in the mix.
Perhaps this story about Esau and Jacob would serve to teach some principles and God knew this, allowing Rebekah and Jacob to reveal their nature before he works with them later, perhaps the principles are for us the reader.
It seems to me that God has his hands tied on many things – as a means to remain a good non-despotic God – and perhaps the natural order of things here takes precedence over His intervention therefore leaving us to choose how to respond?
So, while we can’t say explicitly why God didn’t just have Jacob be born first, we do have to wonder and that opens us up to seeking Him in a deeper way – so thank you sister Dorothy for that.
So, we left off last week with Rebecca instructing her son, Jacob to act deceptively toward Isaac.
And we read
9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth:
10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
Note the source of the food – their own flock, right? So on to verse 11
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved.
Alright, back to verse 11
11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:
12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
Now, the man who will become the namesake for Israel could have said,
“No, this is deceptive Mother and I won’t do it,” but Yacob was worried about getting caught and receiving a curse from dear old Dad instead of a blessing.
We have to remember that Esau DID IN FACT sell his birthright to Jacob and it could be that this is the reason that God allowed Jacob to get it through deception.
But still, the manner in which he got it is a problem.
13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.
Some scholars think that Rebekah was so certain that God wanted Jacob to be the one to carry forth His line that she was willing to take a potential curse upon herself.
And perhaps He did, in the face of her death never being mentioned. There is also the fact that Rebekah was thinking about Esau and his pagan Hittite wives being the ones to bear the line and this was so bitter an idea she took the matter into her own hands.
We, again, see similar reasoning happening with Eve eating the fruit, with Sarah offering Hagar, and with the eldest daughter of Lot.
That female “thread of pragmatism” evident in each of these stories – and listen, that is how God made women – to care for the home, to look out for the family, to make decisions on how to get things done, to make ends meet, all things considered and often in the company of some rather deadbeat men.
But even when a man isn’t deadbeat I suppose there are few things more untenable in a marriage than a pragmatic wife and a husband who diligently seeks to do the will of an invisible God.
Wives want there to be milk for the babies, and it’s not easy if the husbands only reassurance is “God will provide,” right?
The fact of the matter is, Rebekah was appealing to the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and believed her wisdom was sound in the act.
Perhaps if she and Jacob went to Isaac and explained their thoughts, and if she pushed for Isaac to see the importance of the line passing from Jacob, then the Lord would have spoken to Isaac and instructed him to do this.
But appealing to the fruit from the Tree of Life was not in the cards here yet in the end we see God using any and all human decisions to bring about His will. V 14
14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them (the goats) to his mother: (Deception #1 – Isaac asked for hunted meat not meat from his own herd) and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved.
Verse 15
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: (Deception number 2)
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: (Deception number 3)
17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father! and he said, “Here am I; who art thou, my son?”
19 And Jacob said unto his father, “I am Esau thy firstborn;” (Deception number 4) I have done according as thou badest me: (Deception number 5) Arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, (Deception number 6 as venison means “to hunt” and he did not hunt) that thy soul may bless me.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. (Deception number 7 – the biggest because now he blasphemously brings God into the story)
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. (Deception number 8)
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Alright, back to verse 15
15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
It is doubtful that Esau had a whole bunch of different clothes at this time but probably the basic work/hunting clothes and he was probably wearing them.
Notice that verse 15 says that Rebekah took “goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house.”
Now maybe this goodly raiment he kept in reserve for nights out at the disco and such but some believe that this was a robe, due to the Septuagint language, and that it served as the attire he was supposed to wear as Priest of the house since Isaac was old and it is thought by some to have been a holy robe he inherited from Abraham, and then Isaac.
Conjecture, but never the less possible – as it seems appropriate clothing to wear in the event of receiving a blessing from his father.
16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:
You gotta wonder how they kept that skin in place – but whatever.
17 And she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?
19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
What is the type we find here in this tale? What is the parallel principle, if any, to be discovered?
Jacob was seeking to receive a birthright of the first-born. Because it was related to his earth life and family it was officially bestowed by his father but this one came with special spiritual ties as well.
When we think about our birthright today as Christians, it is not tied to our natural births, is it? Our heavenly birth-rights as children of God are bestowed only and through the Holy Spirit when we are born from above and then later anointed by God.
This, and only this, gives us access to the Father as sons and daughters, and only He bestows it. There is no other way.
But what pragmatic counterfeits exist in the world, what deceptive practices are in place that seek to bestow this sacred birthright though other deceptive means.
They are found in outward religious expressions, aren’t they? And these expressions often dress themselves up in holy robes, they use the right even lying words, they are accompanied by all the right outward external actions.
They are religious rituals, folks, which place the task of someone seeing themselves as a son or daughter of God in the hands of everything BUT God himself!
Yes, they can be done. Yes, God will ultimately reach out and grab those who are His and redirect them from them, but along the way these things are found in every religion that says:
You have to look right, be dressed right, smell right, do the right actions, and say the right words. Bring the right offerings. Do do do.
The Catholics do it. The LDS do it (more than most others) Orthodoxy does it, and so do some of the Baptists.
By obeying their rites, rules of dress, and saying the right words they will lay their hands upon your head and give you birthrights, but we note that the “Yacob” in this story, the deceiver who took it by deception, will have to inwardly in his mind become Israel before God will use Him.
All the education, all the rites, all the esteem of men will do nothing for the heavenly kingdom. It may appear to amount to something, but His Kingdom is not of this world.
Again, what we are reading about here is fruit from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil.
In this particular case, it was obtained via evil means in an effort to do good, but it will not last unless God himself uses it and that will only happen when God himself makes everything right in the life of Jacob the heel catcher, who
. . . used everything possible to obtain the birthright – lying words, lying actions, deceptive claims, making the right offerings and deceptive apparel and appearance.
He was successful in tricking his earthly father, but he will never be successful in tricking the Father of Heaven.
What blows my mind is people have for ages attempted to even justify all of this conduct of Rebekah and Jacob, even to the point of saying it was God honoring and God lead.
No. It is religion. The essence of it. All show and zero spiritual substance, founded in the flesh and built on lies.
Learn the lesson well.
So, God had told Rebekah that the elder would serve the younger she thought it necessary to insert herself and her wisdom to make this happen.
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
And herein we find the most deplorable, despicable result of religious practice – using the name of God to do it. This is a biblical example of taking of the name of God in vain, folks.
Its not saying, “God, I wish I had a taco.”
His name is not God. God dammit is different because you are placing yourself in a position to damn things using his Name when that is His prerogative but even that is not taking His name in vain.
The real taking of the name of God in vain, and the real blasphemy “is to use His name to suit our needs and wants. To get people to do things by appealing to His intentions.”
God expects you to attend church.
God expects you to pay tithes.
God want to call you on a mission.
God want you to submit to my authority.
Here Jacob actually says that YHWH Elohim brought the game to him under the auspices of him hunting!
Pretty big lie, folks. But winked at here because there was no Law given.
Speaking of the practices of Idolatry, Luke has Paul say in Acts 17:30
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”
Because Yacob would be a distant father of Moses who would give the nation the law down the road, they were not prohibited from using the name of God in this way.
So, Yacob was not under great condemnation but our looking back at this story shows the need for God’s Law – either written in stone for them or on our hearts now.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.
All I can say is old Esau must have been one hairy fella if the skin of a goat could
Reasonably fool his dad. Either that or Isaac was really starting to fail in other ways besides his sight.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
This line sort of breaks my heart. Isaac is sort of confused and relies upon the son in front of him for reassurance – and to tell him the truth.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
This passage is a bit cumbersome. It seems like Isaac was identifying the smell of the clothing that Jacob was wearing to the field smell of Esau.
This may be the case.
However, it is believed that these clothes were packed away, especially if it was a holy robe, with aromatic herbs which smelled like the fields that Esau frequented.
And at this point, the blessing is given
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
By jumping down to verse 39 we will read that Isaac will ultimately bless Esau with these very same things, saying
“Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;” (he omits the plenty of corn and wine) but the material blessings to each son appear to be the same not only here but according to historical accounts.
So, in terms of temporal advantages in life, it seems from the biblical narrative that both sons would have an abundance.
This was not what was lost to Esau. What Isaac will not say to Esau is found in verse 19
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Unlike the similarities of material blessing there is a huge disparity “in the spiritual gifts” the younger brother would have because the specific details NOT given to Esau are
1 Let people serve thee,
2 and nations bow down to thee:
3 be lord over thy brethren,
4 and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee:
5 cursed be every one that curseth thee,
6 and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
The first two promises given,
1 Let people serve thee,
2 and nations bow down to thee:
Seem to reiterate the blessing God had given Abraham when he said from his seed would “all the families of the earth be blessed.”
He adds here, “Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”
This too was the same promise made to Abraham when God said in Genesis 12:3:
“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee,”
This was the promise given to all the offspring of Abraham, then Isaac, and now Jacob.
It was in full effect until the arrival of the promised Messiah, who would be the blessing to all nations of the earth and He would wrap the spiritual blessing up that was given.
I’m not so sure about the material as the Nation of Israel appears to continue to be blessed materially on this earth – as are those religions who appeal to the Law – Islam, Mormons etc.
So in and through the line of Jacob, who would, in the end, truly become a man of faith the idea of faith would pass along through his offspring.
From the start, this was not Esau nor those that would come from him.
This brings me to a perspective of the world and God’s hand in it that I would like to share.
We have a tendency, as believers, to see the relationship we have with God by faith as the only thing in the universe that has value.
In terms of our objectives, to live with Him after this life, I understand this. And the more we diligently seek Him in spirit and truth, I trust that this focus on this perspective will pay off greatly in the realms to come for those who want it.
But I think we often forget that God, who knows all things, created a world where, according to Jesus, said there would be few who find this way.
What are we to say about all the rest?
There is a tendency, which I have leaned into over the years, instead of looking down on them, judging or condemning them to eternal punishments of God’s wrath pouring down upon them, I would present another picture.
And that would be that the afterlife, might greatly reflect this life here, one where God blesses the just and the unjust and sends the rain down upon both sinner and saint.
I submit that God loves all the Ishmaelites, the Hittites and the Sodomites, and that he gives or rewards them according to their works.
If they are works of dark, they get dark after this life, if the works of Godless good, they get godless good. And this is speaking ONLY of all the people who live this live without faith.
What believers experience is something that cannot be comprehended. And we receive it because we sought it, sowed to it, and yearned to please and know our Maker and His will.
I hope we will all start to see life in this way in light of the victory God’s son had over all things which makes this description possible.
Let me reiterate – what awaits those who elected to live by faith and love – forget about it. It cannot be comprehended nor described.
But I think we make a mistake in seeing the rest of the human race, from Adam to the present, as being hated, punished or unloved by our Maker.
So, the posterity of Jacob would preserve the true religion of faith, and the worship of one God, while the Edomites would get sunk in idolatry and faithlessness in Him.
The greatest gift the seed of Jacob would provide us, then, would be the Tanakh, but most importantly, the Word of God made flesh, savior, and Victor over Satan, the Fall, sin and death.
In this way, and until the birth of our Lord, the elder would surely serve the younger.
And in this way, Paul wrote the lines about God having “mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
So, this brings us to the next set of verses which speak to Esau’s return from the hunt. (Verse 30)
Genesis 27:30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Alright, back to verse 30
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
It is interesting in terms of detail that Moses adds, “as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was scarce gone out of the presence of Jacob . . .”
How did he know? A written or oral record or through inspiration? Can’t say.
31 And he (Esau) also had made savory meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son’s venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, “Who art thou?” And he said, “I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.”
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
The Hebrew reading is very literal and proper relative to Isaac trembling greatly.
And his reply to Esau is revelatory because when he says,
Where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him?
Then He adds the ever important reiteration, “yea, and he shall be blessed.”
This shows the deep concern he felt for his own deception and from what is said in this verse, along with Hebrews 12:17 which says
Hebrews 12:16-17 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
we see how binding the conveyance of the birthright was when communicated with the rites already mentioned and there was no changing of mind, which is they definition of repentance.
34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.
35 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.
36 And he (Esau) said, Is not he rightly named Yacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?
Hurt feelings tend to blind us, and while Jacob was certainly a trickster and deceiver, Esau seems to forget that he agreed to sell his birthright to His brother, and he expected to still get it in spite of this deal and this expectation makes his as much of a deceiver as his younger brother.
37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
The word lord there is all lower case and in the Hebrew is gheeber – meaning master.
38 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.
There appears to be a difference between the rite of blessing the primogeniture and the bestowal of a blessing upon a child.
In desperation it sounds like Esau was asking for the latter in the face of having lost the blessing given only to the primogenitor. (verse 39)
39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
We again note that these are some of the very same words Isaac bestowed on Jacob which were
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
But to Jacob Isaac added
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
But the added words to Esau are
40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Let’s wrap up our time explaining verse forty as best we can
And by thy sword shalt thou live,
This means that the Edomites would be warlike, predatory hunters but they would not dominate over Israel.
There is a whole history of them and their conquests available but our focus is on spiritual principles pointing to the Messiah and His victory so I am not going to go into it.
and shalt serve thy brother;
So again, no matter how warlike or great they become with the sword, the Edomites would serve Israel for the simple reason God was with Israel and Edom would turn, even had turned, from Him.
And then our final line for today, which is pretty interesting as Isaac adds in
and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
Isn’t that interesting? Isaac foretells that there was to be a time when the elder Esau was to have dominion and shake off the yoke of the younger.
The Jerusalem Targum gives the words the following explanation:
“When the sons of Jacob attend to the law and observe the precepts, they shall impose the yoke of servitude upon thy neck, (Esau); but when they shall turn away themselves from studying the law and neglect the precepts, thou shalt break off the yoke of servitude they have placed upon your neck.”
As for some concluding history (which we will come across down the road for verification), one Bishop Newton writes
“It was David who imposed the yoke, and at that time the Jewish people observed the law; and the yoke was galling to the Edomites from the first; and towards the end of Solomon’s reign, Hadad, the Edomite of the blood royal, who had been carried into Egypt from his childhood, returned into his own country, and raised some disturbances, but was not able to recover his throne, his subjects being over-awed by the garrisons which David had placed among them.
But in the reign of Jehoram, (who was) the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a king.
Jehoram made some attempts to subdue them again, but could not prevail; so the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day, (which we will read about in 2nd Chronicles 21:8,10) and hereby this part of the prophecy was fulfilled about nine hundred years after it was delivered.”
Bishop Newton concludes, “we have traced, in our notes on this and the accomplishment of this prophecy from the beginning and we find that the nation of the Edomites has at several times been conquered by and made tributary to the Jews, but never the nation of the Jews to the Edomites; and the Jews have been the more considerable people, more known in the world, and more famous in history. We know indeed little more of the history of the Edomites than as it is connected with that of the Jews; and where is the name or nation now? They were swallowed up and lost, partly among the Nabathean Arabs, and partly among the Jews; and the very name, as Dr. Prideaux has observed, was abolished and disused about the end of the first century of the Christian era.”
Questions/Comments/Prayer
David
Laura
My family – children, grandchildren, sons in laws, wife
