The legacy of Esau. You'll notice a simple sentence among all the begats and fathers-of: Esau is Edom. The Edomites were a people/nation in their own right along the borders of ancient Israel. Technically, they were family the Israelites, both descendants of Abraham (see, nations did come from Abraham: Ishmaelites, Israelites, Edomites...). However, they don't always live up to the family. Someday, in the distant future, Israel will be overrun. And the Edomites mock them and heckle the survivors, and they get called on the carpet about it. Check out Obadiah; it's all there. Go ahead, as this blog will not come to Obadiah for another year, almost to the day.
That Esau's descendants, that the Edomites, should be included in the narrative is significant: Genesis was likely written as the same time as the other five books of the Bible, for the nation of Israel as it's becoming a nation after leaving Egypt. This would be a significant reminder of who they are and who their neighbors are, and even more significant because Israel often didn't get along with Edom. The rivalry between Jacob and Esau lived on among their offspring.
What sort of legacy are you leaving? What sort of consequences do your actions have for your children and even your children's children? Do you ever think about that? I have to admit, I don't always do. But the decisions I make now have a significant impact on my future and my children's future. I need to be more mindful of that.
Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 37:1-36
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