Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Welcome to Thru the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. And I'm glad you're on the Bible bus for our five-year journey through the whole Word of God. Now in this study, we're going to stop in Genesis 36 and take a closer look at the lives of Isaac and Rebekah's twin sons, Esau and Jacob.

Even before they were born, God told Rebekah that two nations would come from these two boys. And whether we realize it or not, when we follow today's headlines about the Middle East, we're often watching the long story unfold between Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael, and his grandsons, Jacob and Esau.

It's a powerful reminder that history isn't random. God has a plan and His hand is steadily at work across generations, nations, and even the headlines today. Before we begin our study, let's take a few minutes to hear from some of our fellow members of our Thru the Bible family.

First, a note from Amy in the US. She writes: "Our church has recently gone through a rather traumatic split after our pastor resigned suddenly. People were not only caught off guard, but then sides were quickly taken up. The enemy of our soul is working feverishly to destroy. The need for steadfast faith in Christ and a firm foundation of His Word is paramount.

As a facilitator to our senior women's group, my only plan is to gather the women together for hymns, prayers, and reading through the book of Colossians until the Lord sends me a clear message of where and how to proceed. I have always loved listening to J. Vernon McGee and know his teachings are a reliable resource. I look forward to studying Colossians with the women. Prayers needed and appreciated."

Well, let's be praying. Let's be praying for Amy, her church, and for many others facing no doubt similar trials. Remembering that even when the enemy works and does divide, God remains faithful to heal and restore.

Here's a note. This is from a listener, this time in India. "Just a few months ago, my youngest daughter-in-law wasn't convinced about my faith. But through God's mercy, she came to know Christ in December. Soon after, she began sharing God's Word with a sister, and that conversation became a turning point in her sister's life.

Seeing the change in my daughter-in-law's attitude and faith, the sister was drawn toward God's love and began attending our group meetings. As my daughter-in-law grew in her faith, she encouraged the sister to read the Bible, pray, and listen to God's Word regularly. It was inspiring to watch her transformation.

This journey has brought our entire family closer together, and we are experiencing the power of God's love in action. I often face challenges from villagers and relatives, but over time the situation has softened. People now see the peace and joy in our family and have started asking questions about God. It fills my heart with gratitude to witness how God is opening new doors for His Word."

And then finally, a note from Nathan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He tells us this: "Your program came at just the right time for me. I was feeling really discouraged. With everything happening in our country, I had started to doubt God's justice.

But the study of God's sovereignty even in hard times really struck me. It reminded me of an essential truth: God is still in control even when everything seems chaotic. Since then, I've been praying for our nation with a heart truly full of hope."

Well, what powerful reminders of how God is at work in hearts and families and churches and nations. We have so much to thank Him for and so much to pray about too. So if you'd like to join our world prayer team praying for listeners in more than 250 languages around the world, you can do it by signing up at TTB.org or calling 1-800-65-BIBLE for more information.

And now let's give this time to the Lord. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. Meet us where we are and open our hearts to understand it and help us trust You as we learn and grow. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Here's Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Genesis 36 on Thru the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now today we come in our study to the 36th chapter of the book of Genesis. And it deals entirely with Esau. The entire chapter. And the Spirit of God follows this pattern all the way through this book. In fact, it's followed all the way through the Scripture. The seed that is being followed is Christ. Paul makes that clear, "The seed's not many but one, Christ."

And so as you go through the Scripture, beginning actually with Adam and Eve and Seth, and then come on down to Abraham and Isaac and now Jacob. The method and the pattern that is followed, God will give the rejected line first, and it's dismissed as far as any purpose is concerned in the Scripture. And then the other line is picked up after that. So that is the place and the purpose of the 36th chapter.

Now when we left off last time, we were talking in the 35th chapter about the death of Rachel. And I'm sure that many folks who have heard me speak on this section before have said, "Well, you certainly failed to give your usual eulogy of Rachel." And that's true, I didn't. To tell the truth, I didn't have time. But I do want to come back to make a connection here that's going to be very important later on.

Rachel was the one fine thing in the life of Jacob even in those years in Padan Aram that are sordid in so many ways, where there's so much evidence of just the flesh of self. But he loved Rachel, no question about that. And he was willing to do most anything for her. He was totally devoted to her.

He permitted her, for instance, to keep those images that she'd taken from her father. I don't think Leah would have gotten by with it, or anyone else would have. But he was indulgent with her. He loved her. And she had this boy first, Joseph. Then she had this boy, Benjamin. And it was at the birth of Benjamin that she died. His life meant her death in this particular connection.

And it was a great heartbreak to Jacob. To begin with, the other ten boys were no joy to him at all. God reminded him, I think every day, that it was sinful to have more than one wife. He didn't need all of them. That wasn't God's method. God will overrule, of course He does. He does in your life, friends, and He does mine. Thank God He'll overrule.

But it doesn't mean God approved of this at all. In fact, these facts reveal He didn't approve of it, and especially what happened to Joseph. Now he loved Joseph and Benjamin. Very frankly, the other boys were jealous of that. He should not have shown such partiality to Joseph, because he had experienced that in his own home. And he was the one that his own father more or less pushed aside and he knew the trouble it had caused. And he should not have practiced it, but he did.

And ordinarily I don't defend Jacob. But after all, when Rachel died and she says, "Call this boy Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow," and I think Jacob would have said, "Yes, he's the son of Rachel's sorrow." But when he looked down at the little fellow, and I guess he looked like Rachel, probably had her eyes, he reminded him of Rachel.

He said, "I can't call him... he's not the son of my sorrow. He's the only one I got to lean on now. He's the son of my right hand. He's my walking stick. He's my staff. I'm going to lean on him." And you'll find out this is very important later on because this is part of the great sorrow this man was called to go through later on. All of this around one fact, and that is God did not approve of this.

And God does not approve of that which is wrong in our lives, friends. We think we get by with it, but we actually do not get by with it at all. And Jacob did not get by with it. But his lovely Rachel now is gone, buried at Bethlehem. And this chapter 35 that we had last time, did you notice that it is a chapter that is made prominent by deaths? First, the death of Deborah, the maid of Rebekah, and then in that the suggestion of the death of Rebekah herself.

And now the death of lovely Rachel. Then the sons of Jacob are mentioned here and he had no joy in them. And lo and behold, it closes with the death of Isaac. So that here is a chapter where the most prominent thing in it are the deaths and the funerals of these different ones, three in this chapter.

Now when we come to chapter 36 of Genesis, we now turn to Esau, and it's all given over to Esau. It's almost humorous in places, by the way, and may I say that this would not be too interesting for a great many of us. This would be a marvelous study for someone who wanted to follow through on these names, follow through on those that came from them.

You find some of the names that are mentioned here that are names you hear out there on that great Arabian desert today. We've all heard of Omar the tentmaker, and he belonged out there. We've heard of Teman, Kenaz, and Zepho. Well, you read the 15th verse here and you find out all of them are mentioned here. Here is the family of Esau. That's where they are out in that desert.

Now they settled in the land of Edom. And Edom is south and east of the Dead Sea. It's in a mountainous area and the capital of Edom, the rock-hewn city of Petra, is there today. Prophecy is given concerning that, remarkable prophecy that stands fulfilled. In fact, it is fulfilled there today. God said it would be just exactly as it is. It's a prophecy we'll see when we get to it. Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel all mention this particular section and this particular nation.

Now this nation came from Esau. And three times in this chapter it's made very clear to us that Esau is the father of Edom and that they're synonymous terms. If you look at verse eight, for instance, "Thus dwelt Esau in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom." Somebody says, "Well, what's the difference?"

Well, the difference is just simply this. When you look at this boy Esau as we first met him in the family of Isaac, and we see him there, the outdoor rugged type, athletic type, fine-looking boy, by the way. I'm sure that our snap judgment would be, "My, there's a fine boy." And outwardly, it might look that way, but if there ever was a man of the flesh, he's the man of the flesh.

Several years ago, a Christian girl talked to me about she'd met a fine-looking young man, and to tell the truth, they both were fine-looking young people. She had been born in China, not of missionaries, father was in the oil business and had made very wealthy. And she had met this young man, he was a bank clerk.

And I was a bank clerk when I was a young fellow and I knew some about it. I knew one thing, he was a very poor boy. And I know a lot of bank clerks look around for a good marriage, especially among customers that have daughters where the customer has money in the bank. So this boy had met this girl, and he was a handsome brute. Fine-looking, rugged type. To me, he looked like Esau. I have a notion Esau looked very much like it.

And she was a Christian girl. Had been led to the Lord by missionaries out in China years ago. And so she insisted she's going to marry him. And I said I would not marry him. I had counsel with him. She said, "I believe that he'll come to the Lord." I talked with him. He had no notion of coming to the Lord. He was wanting to marry that girl. She was beautiful and had money. And he was a man of the flesh.

And she married him. And I didn't perform it, I can assure you. In fact, she was provoked with me at the time. But later on she came back and she was telling me, they got a divorce. She said, "I never met a person in my life, Dr. McGee, that was so given over to the things that were secular and carnal and of the flesh." She said, "I never dreamed that there could be any person anywhere that in his entire life never had a high, noble, spiritual, wonderful thought."

Why, she said, "He was as crude as they come. That he gave a good impression on the surface. He said he would open the door of the car for me to get in and he was quite lovely when we were courting. But he was as crude as any person I've ever met." Well, may I say to you, that's Esau.

And when you see Esau in the family there, maybe you, if you were a beautiful young lady and he wanted to date you, chances are you'd date him because he was attractive. But he was a man of the flesh. That's who he is. Now somebody might want to argue with me about that and argue with God about it. You made a mistake in setting this man aside.

Well, God says and He always protects Himself. Over in the little book of Obadiah, you find that Esau is unveiled. Now Esau is Edom. That's what Moses says here, "Esau is Edom." All right. Go down the century. In fact, you'll have to go down over a thousand years. And one little Esau now is about a hundred thousand Edomites. Each one of them's a little Esau.

Now take a look at the nation and you see what came from Esau. It is like putting Esau under the microscope. Or as the photographer out here in Hollywood told me about a picture of mine. He says, "I want to blow it up." I didn't know what he really meant by that at first. I thought that it was so bad he wanted to put a stick of dynamite under it. But what he meant was, he wanted to take a small one and make it a great big picture.

All right. If you want to see a real picture of Esau, go to Obadiah. And what do you see there? Again, a nation filled with pride. And God says, "Though you be lifted up like the eagle, and you make your nest yonder in the tops of the mountains," God says, "I'll bring you down."

And what is pride of heart that they were guilty of? Well, it's the declaration of independence of a soul that says, "I can live without God and I don't need God." That's Esau. And you'll have to wait till we get over there. And then when you come to the last book of the Old Testament, God says, "Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated." And God never said that till you go down over a thousand years.

Now God knew it at the beginning. But you didn't know it and I didn't know it. And when they worked their way out in history, you can be sure God's accurate. Esau turned out. And so three times in this chapter we're told Esau is Edom. And he says that three times so we make sure that we get it. But that's not the funny part of that. In fact, that's not funny.

But this is. Let me read. Verse 15: "These were dukes of the sons of Esau." And you have here Duke Omar, Duke Zepho, Duke Kenaz, Duke Korah, Duke Gatam, and Duke Amalek. Where in the world did they get these dukes? Well, here's the beginning of nobility. They just assumed it. Each one of them became a duke.

And believe me, here we go. And it's not just a nickname, they mean business by this. This is the beginning of nobility now. Where did it begin? In the family of Esau. And again we come back to it in verse 19, that is this one statement: "These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes." My, they got dukes in the family now.

And a great many people in this country can trace their ancestry right back to royalty. You wonder if anybody came from over there from those who ran stores and worked in vineyards and made pottery and ran a shoe shop. Everybody seems to have come from royalty. Well, I'll tell you, Esau turned out quite a few of them.

And if you think that is going pretty far, he went farther than that. Will you notice verse 31: "And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel." The business of having kings. I don't think this was God's arrangement at all to put a king over them like this. But here they go, they have kings over them also.

And isn't this quite interesting? This was before the children of Israel had kings. Where did they get the idea? They got the idea from these people. In fact, that's the thing they told Samuel later on. They said, "We want kings just like our neighbors round about us." And they could have said, "Our brother down here, the Edomites, they happen to have kings and we'd like to have kings also." This was the thing that they did.

We find in this section here many things that have to do with certain tribes that actually could be followed today for anyone that would be interested in following the study of anthropology or the study of ethnology. Here they are. And that lends importance to a chapter like this that goes back, gives a family history probably farther back than anyone else could go.

And this is the rejected line. Now immediately after this, we'll take the line that's going to lead to Christ. Let me read verse 40 again: "And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names." Here's some more dukes, friends. Duke Timnah, Duke Alvah, Duke Jetheth.

My, when they got together, don't you know that that was quite a matter of bowing and scraping to each other and introducing each other? "I want you to meet my brother here, he's Duke Alvah. I want you to meet my friend here, he's Duke Timnah." We're dukes and then some of them were kings, and I doubt whether you could even get in to meet them.

But now notice how this chapter closes. We have here Duke Magdiel, Duke Iram. "These be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession." This is down in the land of Edom. And now this chapter closes as it began: "He is Esau, the father of the Edomites." We see the working out of that in the book of Obadiah and then in the last book of the Old Testament. This is quite remarkable, friends, and something you just can't bypass. We'll have to leave off there. We'll pick up at the next chapter next time, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: Well, we've got more in this great study of Genesis, so invite a friend to hop aboard the Bible bus, maybe via our app or over at TTB.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE if we can help you find a local radio station. I'm Steve Schwetz and I'll meet you right back here next time as we continue to make our way through the Bible.

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