Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 36 before reading the devotional below.
Today’s chapter might seem like one of those boring lists of names again, but right from the start I’m fascinated to connect some dots I never put together before. The descendents of Esau are known as the Edomites, which in all my years of Bible reading I had never noticed. It’s amazing how many details I catch having to write these devotionals instead of my eyes skimming the verses. If you want to read more about the Edomites, here’s a link of other places they show up in the Bible. (Spoiler alert: they become enemies of Israel.)
We can see from today’s chapter where Esau and his descendants started going wrong. He married Canaanite women. Recall from Genesis 28:6-9 that Esau was well aware his father did not approve of marrying Canaanite women because they worshiped false gods. Jacob has just rid his entire household of these idols. Esau had already married descendents of Ishmael, and he adds to his clan by marrying two Canaanites. In Jeremiah 9:25-26, God calls the Edomites a “pagan nation” who may be circumsized outwardly (as they would likely be since they were Abraham’s descendents) but had strayed far from the heart of God.
Here’s your freedom for today:
Freedom is found when your insides match your outsides.
God really hates hypocrites. And if you think that he’s somehow satisfied by a fleshly circumsicion, then you don’t know the God of the Bible very well. He wants your outsides to reflect what’s going on inside your heart. He’s not one for show and all his outward laws and systems were really all about heart. It’s like he’s saying, “Show me that your heart is for me by performing this symbolic act,” rather than, “You’re all set if you just pay the right physical price.” God’s not running a club that you can bribe to get into. It’s free already so bribery doesn’t make any sense. He’s looking for hearts that are seeking him. Everything else follows. Esau strayed from that and his descendents became like all the other pagans — they didn’t know the heart of God at all.