LIFE SCRIPTS

1 This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom). 2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— 3 also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan. 6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. 9 This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. 10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. 11 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. 12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah. 13 The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 14 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam and Korah. 15 These were the chiefs among Esau’s descendants: The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons of Adah. 17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 19 These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs. 20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. 22 The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister. 23 The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 24 The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 25 The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 26 The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29 These were the Horite chiefs: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir. 31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned: 32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king. 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 40 These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied. This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.
Genesis 36:1‭-‬43 NIV

https://bible.com/bible/111/gen.36.1-43.NIV.

The account of Esau and his family contrasts with the lineage of Jacob. Esau’s sons are referred to as ‘rulers’ whereas Jacobs sons were mere shepherds. Esau had a great heritage allocated to him by God, the land of Edom. Whereas Jacob was still living as a foreigner in the land of Shechem. Esau’s people would conquer the nations around them and establish themselves yet the people of Israel would eventually become slaves of Egypt. In many ways, the lineage of Esau seemed to have made a good start. Esau seemed to have made greater strides towards God’s blessings compared to Jacob. Even when his people settled among the Horites, they intermarried and created an association with them. This wasn’t the case for Jacob who endured disdain and hostility from his opponents even though they seemed welcoming. It would be easy to conclude that Esau was the child of the promise when in actual sense Jacob was. This scenario repeats itself on many occasions in real life. The people of the faith seem not to do as well as the people who don’t believe. But does that negate God’s promises? Not at all. Infact it lays ground for them to be fulfilled in a much more marvelous way. It gives believers an opportunity to have faith in God and wait on Him. But Esau’s success story reminds us that its not enough to succeed in earthly affairs but its much better to succeed in our walk with the Lord. As we spend time growing our earthly kingdom, do we seek to grow in Christ? As we see ourselves mark timing in our career and businesses do we envy those who progress outside of God’s will? God’s timing is always the best timing for progress. Scripture also makes mention of Amalek as a descendant of Esau. He was the son of one of Esau’s descendants sired out of wedlock. Yet Amalek grew into a formidable nation which was constantly at loggerheads with the children of Israel. They were one of the first people to attack Israel when they were on the way to the promised land. On several other occasions, they laid snares and waylaid the people of Israel but God gave Israel victory. Perhaps the story of Saul’s rejection as king is the most striking one with regard to Amalek. Though he destroyed the people, he chose to spare the king, Agag who had sired a child who became the ancestor of Haman the Agagite the enemy of the Jews in the book of Esther. Amalek is a picture of sin. God doesn’t tolerate sin but desires that we purge it from among us. If we let even a little of it to linger within us then we open ourselves up to spiritual attacks. The story of Amalek is a warning to us in this present age.