There’s an adage about writing: fiction should be believable, nonfiction should be unbelievable. The true-to-life stories that make great books or movies are the ones so amazing that we would struggle to believe them if the story wasn’t true. An underdog team wins the gold medal. Cancer completely disappears.
At times, we read events in Scripture that seem unbelievable, yet that’s why they were written down… they involve a God who specializes in the impossible.
One such story is the foundation and growth of the nation of Edom. We get hints of Edom throughout the Old Testament. Without the whole arc of Edom’s story, a few Scriptures seem harsh and hateful. However, Edom shows up every now and then, and the story of its people runs parallel to God’s chosen people, Israel. Even at the very genesis of the man who had the nation named after him, Jacob.
What Does the Bible Say about Edom’s Founder?
A bowl of stew. Esau traded the promise of his future, his inheritance, for a meal. Soup.
If anyone is looking for evidence that people can do ridiculous things for ridiculous reasons, those of us who have teenagers can give plenty of examples. My teens say and do things that boggle the imagination, actions with a complete lack of reason or forethought. This is why our culture doesn’t allow them to vote, drive, or have other responsibilities until they are a little older. There’s also a reason a young man’s car insurance premiums get way cheaper at 25. Insurance companies know the data better than anyone.
In the biblical narrative, Abraham received a promise and a covenant that would result in a worldwide blessing. Abraham’s blessing enacted a universal story of redemption that the apostle Paul taught meant the coming of Christ (Galatians 3:16). The covenant and promise passed through the family line, from Abraham to his supernaturally-provided son Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah had twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the elder by mere moments and, therefore, the one meant to inherit the promise to Abraham.
Esau was a manly warrior and hunter. He was very hairy and red. Jacob was a “mama’s boy,” a young man who hung out around the tents with his mom. Esau was Isaac’s favorite.
As the story goes, Esau was out hunting and came back hungry and faint. Jacob had some soup he had made, and Esau begged for some food. He thought he was dying. Jacob agreed, but on one condition: Esau had to trade his firstborn inheritance to get some stew (Genesis 25:29-34).
Hopefully, the stew was good. It cost Esau a great deal. He made the trade, arguing that his inheritance wouldn’t be good if he starved. His actions seem ridiculous, but as I said, anyone with teenagers or young children understands the reality of such rash decisions.
Jacob later deceived Isaac to get his blessing, which included the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 27:1-29). Then Jacob ran away from Esau’s violent threats.
Esau wept at the loss of his firstborn inheritance and blessing, but Isaac gave another blessing to his eldest son (Genesis 27:39-40). That blessing proved fruitful in a large and wealthy family of his own.
What Happened with Edom While the Israelites Conquered Canaan?
The promise of God’s blessing was so big that even those related to Abraham gained an increase and wealth, even if not in the direct line of the covenant. Several people through Abraham’s family fathered nations. His nephew Lot had two sons, Ammon and Moah, who became fathers of nations. Abraham’s eldest son Ishmael (born from Egyptian servant Hagar) had twelve sons who became nations. Abraham’s youngest son Midian (born from Keturah, Abraham’s wife after Sarah) fathered the nation of Midian.
Isaac’s two sons continued this tradition. Jacob’s family grew with two wives, two concubines, twelve sons, and at least one daughter. After a reconciliation event with Esau, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and Israel became a nation.
Esau’s family also increased, and he fathered a nation that became Edom. Since Edom is not named directly after Esau, this may be confusing. Edom means “red,” a reference to Esau’s famous red complexion. The descendants of Esau grew and became a nation, the Edomites, while Israel and his sons moved to Egypt and exploded in numbers.
Edom grew to the point that they adopted kings like the other nations around them (Genesis 36:31-43), settling to the southeast of what became the land of Judah. The kingship wasn’t hereditary and may have been an elected position. The Edomites were recorded in ancient Egyptian texts (1215-1155 BC).
When Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness toward the promised land, Moses offered to pay for water and permission to pass through Edom. This seemed simple since Edom and Israel had common ancestors. Esau and Jacob had reconciled in the past. Due to the reconciliation and the fact Edom was outside the land of Canaan, God commanded the Israelites not to go to war with Edom.
However, the Edomites twice refused the Israelites’ offer. Moses led the people around Edom, but the event created a long-running tension between Israel and Edom. The Edomites are mentioned by Moses more than once (Deuteronomy 2:4-6). The insult was so great that God told Israel they couldn’t marry an Edomite for four generations (Deuteronomy 23:8-9).
Eventually, David defeated Edom in the Valley of Salt near the Dead Sea (2 Samuel 8:13-14). Edom’s prince Hadad fled to Egypt and unsuccessfully tried to start a rebellion after David’s death. Edom stayed a vassal of Israel. After the nation of Israel split, Edom became a vassal of the kings of Judah. The older brother still submitted to the younger.
What Happened to Edom after Israel and Judah Were Exiled?
Edom’s vassalage to Judah continued, and we can only speculate how that must have caused resentment within Edom. Once God began to judge Israel and Judah for their sins and idolatry, Edom joined with other nations as an enemy. When Moab and Ammon (also related to Israel) rose to attack Judah, Edom joined them. God delivered Israel by turning the three armies against each other, confusing them (2 Chronicles 20:10-23).
Edom continued to be a problem under the Judaic kings Amaziah and Jehoram. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon plundered Judah, and Scripture implies that Edom assisted with the violence (Psalm 137:7, Obadiah 1:11-14). Later prophets denounced Edom harshly, using the names of Edom and Esau interchangeably (Isaiah 34:5-8, Jeremiah 49:7-22).
Malachi 1:3-4 includes God’s “hate” and indignation for Esau, which means the nation of Edom. The statement may seem harsh from a God of love, but Edom’s outright war against its brother Israel brought judgment upon the nation. Edom was destroyed and exiled by Babylon in the 6th century BC. They lived in southern Judah as exiles, permanently settling around Mount Hermon during Persian rule.
As history continued, the Edomites became known as the Idumeans. Josephus records that the Idumeans were conquered by the Jewish king Hyrcanus I, becoming vassals to Judah. The Idumeans converted (by force or willingly) to Judaism in 110 BC. The Herodian dynasty included Edomite/Idumean origins. The writers of the Gospels and the New Testament don’t paint either Herod the Great or his grandson, Herod Agrippa, in a good light.
The modern country of Jordan contains most of the area we associate with Edom. However, the descendants of Edom and Idumea are spread throughout Jordan, southern Israel, and the area southeast of Israel.
What Can We Learn from Edom?
We can gather two important lessons from the story of Esau and Edom.
First, we aren’t so far removed from making the same decision as Esau. He was ruled by his immediate need, his hunger, and traded his integral part in the story of redemption for a meal. The meal was temporary, as was his need, as desperate as it seemed in the moment. The covenant and promise to Abraham are eternal, one that every believer and disciple is a part of today. At one time or another, we have either been tempted to or made choices based on our temporary immediate needs. We have all had moments where we valued those temporary needs over the eternal story we’ve been invited to partake in.
Through Christ, we are part of what the Father is doing—God is reconciling and redeeming all of creation back to himself through his Son, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15). Our salvation isn’t simply to be rescued from Hell—it includes that, but God’s primary purpose is to be with us forever. He has made us partakers of that mission and shared his purpose with us. We are called “ministers of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). However, the temptation is real for us. We often want to choose the immediate need based on worldly desires over the greater purpose and reward.
Temporary pleasure is a foolish and impoverished trade for eternal joy. Paul wrote that some people who had left the church, whose end was destruction, treated their bellies as their god (Philippians 3:19). God help us. Thankfully, Jesus beat that temptation in the wilderness when he chose obedience over his extreme hunger (Matthew 4:4).
Second, we must be careful how we treat God’s chosen people under his covenant. In the Old Testament, that was Israel. In the New Testament and today, that is the church of the Living God. God loves all of creation, especially the humanity fashioned in his image. However, those born of the Spirit are different. We are his children (Galatians 3:26), his brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29), and his Bride (Ephesians 5:27).
Therefore, God takes how the world treats us and how we treat one another seriously. I may not always like my kids. They’re not perfect. However, I will fight you if you attack them or treat them with abuse. At the same time, if you are kind and generous to my kids, then I’m your fan. God is the same.
Matthew 10:40-42 makes this clear. Those who receive God’s children receive him and will get a reward. Those who reject us reject God—not because we are perfect but because we are his children. And when people resist and reject God’s people, they act from a source outside of God, one directly opposed to him. Even in his correction, God is out to bless and increase us.
Edom continued to make choices to insult, reject, or even attack Israel and Judah, taking advantage of their tragedy and judgment. That’s an evil thing to God.
The good news is this. In the Old Testament, being part of God’s people was, in some respect, physical. Now it is spiritual. Those who act against us aren’t really our enemies, as much as they might believe. We know the truth. And the best way to defeat an enemy is to make them our friends, even brothers and sisters and children of God, through that amazing and beautiful ministry of reconciliation.
Peace.
Photo Credit: ©Getty/SzymonBartosz
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