The Axe at the Root of Israel & Edom

  • Matt Marino
  • Feb 28, 2010
  • Series: Genesis
  • Passage: Genesis 35:16-36:43

 2-28-10

The Axe at the Root of Israel & Edom

GENESIS 35:16-36:43

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

As I was studying for this odd shaped passage of Scripture this week, I was reminded again of another value of preaching straight through the Bible. The present chapter and verse numbers were not inserted into our Bibles until the Middle Ages and we can get the idea that they are part of the inspired word of God. They are not. They are an excellent human idea that is helpful for memorizing Scripture and locating the addresses. But they are not inspired. Consequently, we might mistake the exact breaks for the boundaries around the author’s flow of thought. Sometimes that works, but sometimes that is a big mistake. Take for example the past two weeks. Do you find it strange that we did fifteen verses from Chapter 35 in one sermon and the second half together with the whole of 36 in the next? Have you ever thought to ask yourself why that might seem unnatural to you? Let me suggest that this culture has trained us to think in blips and sound-bytes long before Twitter came along. Most of us lack the ability to think about more than one thing at a time, let alone the gut-wrenching third action of thinking about how those two things go together. But here we are, still in the same story—the singular drama of redemptive history where “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” [1 Tim. 2:5].

 

MORE SIN & DEATH IN ISRAEL

THE MEANING & DESTINY OF EDOM

 

The Big Idea is that the axe of Jesus is already laid to the root of all trees: history (or life) is the brief snapshot of those two trees being carried away to their eternal destinies. 

 

DOCTRINE

 

MORE SIN & DEATH IN ISRAEL

Rachel’s Tears 

Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin.

 

Bethlehem and Ephrath are connected in the coming of Jesus.

The midwife told her not to fear, just as the angel told Mary.

[Mic. 5:2] “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

 

Bethlehem and Ephrath are connected to Rachel in this way.

When Herod feared the prophecy, he sent his men to kill every male child.

[Mat. 2:18] “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

 

Rachel’s tears in history were a shadow of Israel’s death.

 

The family went down to Egypt (like Joseph), yet all others died (like Benjamin). We get the sense again that God is writing a great story.

 

[Ruth 4:11] “Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, ‘We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem.”

 

Reuben’s Treachery 

He shows disregard for Israel as much as Shechem had with Dinah.

 

Remember that Levi and Simeon had already been demoted in the order for the birthright—now that places the fourth (Judah) at the top.

[Gen. 49:2-3] “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!”

 

Jacob’s Twilight 

The death of Isaac and last meeting with Esau

Looking forward to the end in spite of failures.

Four things before Jacob’s mind nearing his twilight years (Boice, 836):

Remembrance of the past blessings of God

Concern for purification and recommitment to God

Further revelation from God

Sorrow over death and joy at ongoing life

 

The Lord would do good to Israel…

Because He promised, BUT more foundationally,

Because His glory has set itself on Jacob like a magnifying mirror!

[Ps. 59:13] “consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth.”

 

[Ex. 11:7] “…that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”

 

THE MEANING & DESTINY OF EDOM

The Meaning of Edom

Esau and Edom mean the same thing—Red [cf. Gen. 25:25, 30]

Five times in this chapter, Moses labors the point:

[36:1] These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom)

[36:8] (Esau is Edom.)

[36:9] Esau the father of the Edomites

[36:19] These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom)

[36:43] (that is, Esau, the father of Edom)

 

Esau is to be judged; Edom is to be judged—We’re OK with that…

But the moment we hear that each individual Edomite is to be judged for the same reason and within the same story, we cringe! WHY?

 

[Obd. 1:18] “The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor for the house of Esau, for the LORD has spoken.”

 

The Actions of Edom

Sinner does as a Sinner is!

Esau was drawn to multiple women (So was Jacob!)

Esau was drawn to the pride of possessions (So was Jacob!)

[Rom. 9:21] “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?”

 

Reprobate is as Reprobate does!

He despised the birthright, desiring only its secondary blessings:

[Heb. 12:16-17] “that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”

 

He took Canaanite wives in defiance of parents and despite God’s plan.

[Gen. 28:6-9, TURN] He heard the parents’ directives and rationale; he saw what pleased and displeased them; he calculated to take wives from the reprobate and so reproduce reprobation. He tasted hell on earth and in his deception it was music to his ears!

 

He separated from the righteous (similar to Lot’s parting with Abram).

 

The Descendents of Edom 

Note from this long list that God did not fail to bless Esau’s line with common grace, just as He had done for Cain and Ishmael.

[Gen. 4:15] “Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.”

 

[Gen. 17:20] “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.”

 

It is possible that some Edomites came to faith simply because of their closeness to Israel. It is also possible that not one did. But notice the goodness of God in not entirely and immediately wiping out those who hate him!

 

[Acts 17:26-27] “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.”

 

Why does God keep reprobate lines around? To glorify his own faithfulness and patience! If you don’t understand the doctrines of common and saving grace and how each glorifies God, Acts 17:26-17 might trip you up.

 

[Mal. 1:1-4, TURN] Note that Jacob IS Israel and Esau IS Edom and that Edom’s “rebuilding” attempt does not amount to true seeking. The love and power of God are on display here in and beyond the “borders” of Israel. This is the passage quoted by Paul in Romans 9 about how and why God elects some to salvation and passes over others. 

 

[Mat. 3:10] “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 

[Mat. 15:13] “He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.”

 

APPLICATION

 

To the Skeptic – Let me clear up what might seem like a textual difficulty to some. If you were here when we began Genesis we covered the subject of how God can use multiple authors (or redactors) to complete a book. Liberals of the nineteenth century couldn’t think for more than the thirty seconds it would have required to figure that out, so they see verses like 36:31—“These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites”—and say, “Aha—this was written after the line of kings began in Israel; therefore Moses couldn’t have been the author. It was either Samuel, or, more likely, someone during the Babylonian captivity!” Now why that last bit of speculation should be “more likely” is another story, but the first thing we need to see is just how many books in the Bible have always been known to have multiple authors. The church has always been completely aware of that. Whether there were one or two or three authors to a book doesn’t address the question of whether or not God inspired it. But then that should be obvious to anyone who does have more than thirty seconds to think.

 

To the Saint – Two main things happen in the story of Jacob and Esau: God acts and they act. God elects and passes over and these two sinners live that out to the end. Christ brings his sword and divides the sheep and the goats finally in the end, but the first incision is made, decisively, ALREADY. How do we live in light of this truth? 

 

Church

Family

Evangelism

Friendships

Speech

 

 

To the Sinner – The axe is already laid to the root of all trees. What is true of Jacob and Esau is true of you. Life is shorter than you think. All the things you thought were of lasting importance here and now are a burning snapshot. It’s going away fast and the day of your death and therefore the day of your judgment is approaching fast. So consider the ways of the reprobate Esau and consider the work of Christ on behalf of Jacob. Consider them both and flee the works that will be judged and cling to the one work that pleases God forever.