SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

A Legacy of Written in Red

Words of Faith Final

A Legacy of Written in Red
Words of Faith 6-24-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><<><

Genesis 36
This is the account 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.

I have noticed that when people look to the Bible for biblical names for their children, they rarely turn to Genesis 36! It may simply be because they don't want a daughter named Oholibamah or a son named Zibeon. It also may be because this is the "account" or legacy of the son "not chosen." This is the story of the son who allowed his appetites to steal his future.
The Hebrew word towledah, to-led-aw' is translated as "this is the account" but really means much more. Towledah means "the generations," that is, the birth or the family descent. It speaks of legacy. What was Esau's legacy?
Esau was father to the people called Edomites, who settled to the east of Canaan. The name Edom means "red" or "ruddy." This first came from the fact that when Esau was born, he was red and ruddy. But later, the name related to Esau's decision when he despised his birthright and traded it the price of some red stew. He surrendered to appetite rather than look to the future.
It is also interesting that the area of Edom is known for red sandstone and a magnificent ancient city called Petra was carved out of the sandstone on the southeast side of the Dead Sea. (Remember the city in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"?)
Esau intermarried with the Hittites and then the Hivites, Canaanite peoples, even though his mother Rebekah strongly opposed this. He had no respect for the generations before, and his descendants became a thorn in the side of Israel for generations to come.
After the death of Isaac, Esau moved to the east of Canaan, away from Jacob. The scripture says that their possessions were too great for the brothers to remain near each other, and the land could not support their livestock. Their "stuff" came between them.
It is interesting that all of Jacob's sons except one were born outside the Land of Promise but ended up living there, while all of Esau's sons were born inside the Land of Promise, but ended up living outside of it. The birthright had been despised.
It is also interesting that the name Edom can mean "bloody." One of the descendants of Esau would be an Idumaean king named Herod. "Herod the Great" was one of the bloodiest rulers to ever occupy the land of Israel. He was known for his stern and cruel disposition. He was called "brutish and a stranger to all humanity."
When word spread of the one "born King of the Jews," Herod slaughtered the male children two years old and under in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). It would seem that the rage Esau once nursed against the house of Jacob finally burst forth generations later. This was the legacy of Esau.
The writer of Hebrews warns: "See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, he was rejected when he wanted to inherit this blessing. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears" (Hebrews 12:16-17). Even though Esau himself reconciled to Jacob, the seeds of godlessness were planted in his legacy for years to come.
All because of some stew? Not really. The stew decision simply reflected Esau's fundamental disrespect for eternal matters and a tendency to appease his appetites rather than worship God. We can learn from that. In Christ, we can choose not to appease the flesh. We can choose to have a heart set upon that which is eternal.
Here is the Good News! Life would seem pretty hopeless were it not for one fact, the truth of Jesus Christ. The legacy of our sin and the consequence of our decisions would be irreparable were it not for God's plan in the person of Jesus. This is the legacy of the House of Jacob!
The Bible declares, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17)! He has removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (John 1:12-13).
This is the legacy of the house of Jacob. We can live in the legacy of Jacob's house even if we have failed like Esau! It is a legacy written in the cleansing blood of Jesus.

Father, I give thanks for the legacy of the House of Jacob. I give thanks that, by faith, I can receive the legacy of Jesus. I give thanks for what You have done in Jesus for me. I rejoice in knowing I can walk in Your light and life. Forgive me of my sin. I trust in You wholly to cover my sin and make me into the person You want me to be. I am a new person in Jesus. In Jesus' name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.