Devotion for Friday, August 7th
Kevin Peterson
[Originally from Friday, May 1st]
Devotional Text: Genesis 36 (To read and even listen to this text for free, click here.)
Verse in Focus: “Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)” (Genesis 36:6-8).
Related Verse: “And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, 'I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.'" And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him" (Genesis 32:3-6).
Devotional Thought:
Have you previously wondered just what Esau could possibly have been doing in Seir with 400 men? Wow, that’s amazing—me, too! Just so you know, this question is at the heart of the second possible solution that I mentioned last time. But just in case you forgot—(humor me!)—how about a quick summary of the problem in question? Genesis 36:6-8 indicates that Esau moved to Seir after Jacob moved back home, while Genesis 32:3 clearly states that he was already there. So which is right?
That particular question, of course, is what we are avoiding—because implicit in it is the assumption that there is a contradiction between the two passages. Which, then, leads us in our search for possible solutions that can bridge the gap. The first option, that I mentioned yesterday, was the perspective that Esau moved out to Seir because he knew Jacob was coming back and that the available land was too small to sustain both of their herds. As a solution, it works, because it places Esau in Seir prior to Jacob’s arrival but meshes with the later reasoning as to why Esau moved there in the first place.
Now, some might balk at this explanation—but consider this additional information: Firstborn sons would receive a double portion of the inheritance. Isaac had only two sons, so that means that his possessions would be divided into three portions, with Jacob—now legally the firstborn—receiving two of those three shares. While Esau was still with his father, he was already sharing the fields with his brother’s herds, so to speak. Add to that, the high probability that Jacob would not return empty-handed—especially considering how long he had been gone—and the possible solution becomes even more probable.
But what are we to make of that reference to Esau’s 400 men? In his heyday, Abram—later Abraham—was only able to muster up 318 men to rescue his nephew Lot (Genesis 14:14). And then consider Jacob’s immediate fearful reaction to the news that Esau was coming with 400. Jacob instinctively knew something that we, so far, have overlooked. Esau’s band of 400 men was most likely a war party—just like Abram’s 318. Perhaps—just perhaps—Esau had located real estate he liked in Seir and was currently in the process of evicting the current tenants. Communication being what it was in those days, Jacob was only aware that Esau was in the region of Seir—not why. Hence the surprise when Esau brings his wrecking crew along for the family meet-n-greet.
So did it have to have happened that way? No, but it could have. What I’ve endeavored to show you over these last three days are the examples of how to wrestle with seeming discrepancies that we come across in the Bible. It’s amazing what an eye for detail, a little bit of thought and imagination, and a willingness to do some research, can do in bringing out possible solutions to seemingly irreconcilable contradictions! Blessings on your day!
Vaya con Dios!
Pastor Peterson
REMINDER: You can check out previous email devotions from Shepherd of the Valley Devotions by going to http://groups.google.com/group/salmonlutheran
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