THE EPIC OF ESAU – EDOM: A Very Much Neglected Story
Knowing the end from the beginning, the All-Wise Creator was aware that reliable character could only be produced by testing and adversity, even as gold is tried in the fire. So admittedly created opposition – “The Lord hath made all [things] for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Prov. 16:4) and again “I make peace and create evil” (Isa. 45:7) (evil is not sin; sin comes in when Law is broken). We do not question His áuthority or wisdom.
Before Jacob and Esau were born, Lord told Rachel that she would bear progenitors of TWO nations and the “Elder shall serve the Younger;” so enters divinely directed opposition!
Esau was bold, self-willed and stubborn; Jacob was plastic enough to shaped into the path God laid out him. Of course this aroused envy in Esau when he realised that he had lost Birthright “The days of mourning for father are at hand, then will I slay my brother Jacob” (and regain the birthright)! (Gen. 27:41) This threat has never been rescinded; from then onwards Esau and his descendants have continually striven to kill Jacob and his descendants.
The following extracts will help make this clearer:- Gen. 27:41 – “and Esau hated Jacob”
Gen. 36:43 – “he is Esau, the father of the Edomites”
Num. 20:18 – “And Edom said unto him, (Moses) Thou shalt not pass by me, I come out against thee with the sword”
Gen. 36:12— “Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau’s son; and she bore… Amalek”
Deut.25:17— “Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye came out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way and smote the hindmost of those behind thee, all (that were) feeble behind thee, when thou (wast) faint and weary; and he feared not God.”
Ex. 17:8 – “Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim.”
Ex. 17:14,16 — “And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this (for) a memorial in a book and rehearse (it) in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven;… the Lord (will have) war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Note the continuance, and the importance of this declaration!
I Sam. 15:1,3— “Samuel also said unto Saul, … go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not.”
I Sam. 15:9 – “But Saul and the people spared Agag…”
(who was an Edomite)
I Sam. 15:23 – “Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee (Saul) from (being) king.
II Sam. 8:13-14 – “And David gave (him) a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians its in the valley of salt, (even) 18,000 (men) … and all they of Edom became servants to David.”
II Kings 8:20, 22 – “In his days (Jehoram) Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah … unto this day”
Passing on to the captivity of Judah and Benjamin in Babylon, the story of Esther tells us how Haman, the Agagite of Edom, sought to destroy all the Judeans that were throughout the kingdom and only the inspired intervent of Esther forestalled his intention.
Psa. 137:7— “… the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem who said, Rase (it), rase (it, even) to the foundations thereof.”
Esau and Jacob
(from a painting by Harold Copping)
Following the offer of Cyrus for who-ever was willing and godfearing to return to the land, 42,370 with 7,200 servants came back. This small company were the descendants of Judah, Benjamin and some of Levi. King Nebuchadnezzar had given name to the united territories of Judah and Benjamin, calling it Judea and occupants Judeans. From this name word JEW is a recent corruption.
But the returnees (Nehemiah 13: 3) found the land partly occupied by a mixed multitude from Ammon, Moab (not Babylon) including a number of Edomites.
The Edomites with their numerical superiority became the dominant in the land. The Scriptures refer to a class of persons who were not of Israel no Judah: they are called “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” and in a number of cases contrasted with Judah and Israel; the following; Isaiah 5:3, 8:141 22:21; Jeremiah 17:25, 35:13; Ezekiel 11:15, 15:67; Zechariah 12:7-10.
These were all geographic Judeans. Under John Hyrcanus, at B.C. 135 they were all compelled to adopt a rabbinical form of worship and from that time spoken of as Jews (Judeans). King Herod and even High Priest were of Edomite extraction and their ideas are expressed in the parable – “This is the heir, come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours”. (Mark 12:7) Their first attempt, the massacre of the infants of Bethlehem, later the death of the Messiah Himself.
Psa. 22:16 – “… the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.”
John 10:1 – “He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is thief and a robber. “
Matt. 12:14 – “… the Pharisees went out, and held counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him.”
Matt. 12:34 – “Ye generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?”
Matt. 15:3 – “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your traditions?”
Matt. 16:6 – “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matt 21:31 – “Verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you.”
Matt. 21:38 – “But the husbandmen (farmers) saw the son, they said among themselves, this is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.”
Matt. 23:15 – “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more a child of hell than yourselves.”
Matt. 23:29,31— “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees… ye are witness unto your-selves; that ye are the children of them who killed the Prophets.”
Matt. 23:33 – “Ye serpents, ye generation (offspring) of vipers, how shall ye escape the damnation of hell?”
Matt. 23:36 – “Verily I say unto you all these things shall come upon this generation.”
Mark 3:6 – “And the Pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy Him.” (Herodians – Herod was an Idumean, a descendant of Esau.)
Is that enough? Some more to establish their identity:-
John 8:33 – “They answered Him, We are Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man.” (Esau were not captive in Egypt nor in Babylon.)
Matt. 21:43 – “The Kingdom is within (among) you” (Luke 17:21) they had the land, a people, the Law, and The KING, but “The Kingdom of God shall be (was) taken from you” and be given to the rightful legatees.
Until then:
Matt. 13:30 – ” Let both (the wheat and the tares) grow together until the harvest; …. then gather together first the tares bind them in bundles to burn them”
Eze. 35:2-5 – “Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end”
Eze 25:14 – “I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people, Israel”
Eze. 36:5 – “Therefore, thus saith the Lord God: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations and against all Edom, who have appointed my land into their possession.”
We are told that in contrast with the scribes and Pharisees many of the “common people” heard Him (Jesus) gladly and under Peter “there were added unto them in that day 3,000.“ These Judean Christians could no longer be reckoned with the ruling community of the Jews. The Galileans, who were descendants of Benjamin, provided a place of refuge for Jesus (1 Kings 11:36) (the danger area was Jerusalem).
During the siege of Jerusalem (AD. 70) the Esau element turned against the true Israelites and many were killed; but some escaped including those of Benjamin who had been warned (Luke 21:20).
When Jerusalem was destroyed the surviving Jews were scattered throughout the known world – sold as slaves – some went to Babylon and a deputation from them were invited to go to Russia by King Bulan (Ruler of the Khazars) and about the year A.D. 740 the whole of the Khazar nation, a country the size of England and Scotland, became converted to Judaism and are called Jews today, although they never were in Palestine.
Yet God, through Malachi (1:2-3) says, “{Was} not Esau Jacob’s brother? … Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau” This is confirmed in Romans 9.13 “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” And, continuing, Malachi 1:4 “Whereas Edom saith, … we will return and build the desolate places, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, the border of wickedness and, the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever.”
These are strong words; do they refer to the recent re-occupation of Palestine? Can they, who falsely claim to be Israel, hold a land taken by force, a land promised by God to Israel of the Twelve Tribes?
Their ideas do not change; they are quite aware that Jesus of Nazareth is descended from David and Jacob, yet they will not acknowledge Him as King: “Neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:31)
Courtesy: Covenant Message
