Edom

By Venessa Holtzhausen

Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites.

In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness”.

In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.

Verse 35-36: When Hadad died. Hadad was also the name of the Aramaean storm god, whom the Canaanites called Ba’al. The false god Hadad was believed to be able to bring rain to the observant.

Elijah in 1 Kings 18, challenged the priests of Ba’al. He prayed that it should not rain and it did not. In that region it was believed that Ba’al controlled the rain and that is why Elijah used the drought and then covered the altar of the Lord with water and God answered by fire. He prayed again and it rained. Thus he was showing them, that God is the one who is in control of the rain, not Ba’al as they believed.

Amen!