Week 35, Day 1: Answered Promises
Today’s Reading: Genesis 36:1-43
Some thoughts from the reading…
Sometimes, chapters like Genesis 36 can seem to be a bit boring as we read through them. Many may wonder what the purpose of chapters such as these serve. I believe there are at least a couple of good reasons for this type of chapter. When we understand the purpose, perhaps we won’t think of them as being boring. So, consider a couple of reasons that God may have included chapters such as our text today into the Bible.
First, this chapter shows that God fulfills His promises. Before the birth of Jacob and Esau, God promised that there were two nations in the womb of Rebekah. In this chapter, we can see how God began that development. It connects the dots for us from the point of Esau to the formation of the nation of Edom. This chapter shows how the Edomites came from the descendants of Esau, listing his own sons and then their descendants.
Second, this chapter serves to answer many Bible critics. Often, critics will make the claim that certain things just couldn’t happen. For example, many say that the world could not be populated from only two people (Adam and Eve), and yet we can look at a similar chapter of genealogies in Genesis chapter 5. Here, we can see just how a large nation descended from one man. Historians may go back and argue that the source of this people is impossible to discover. However, it is clear from the Biblical history just how God brought this nation into existence.
The Edomites play a significant role in the history of the Israelites from this point until the end of the Old Testament period. We will certainly see these two nations “striving together” throughout their histories. It will be interesting to watch how they interact as we continue our reading of the Old Testament!
Question: What other purposes do you see for these type of “genealogy” chapters in the Bible?
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