Genesis Part 057

The UCG Bible Commentary for Genesis 36 says, “All of chapter 36 is a record of what happened to the line of Esau. As far as the birthright was concerned, Esau was rejected but he was not forgotten. Indeed, it is interesting to consider that Moses, though of the line of Israel, had this record of Esau’s family descent available hundreds of years later to set it down as part of the book of Genesis. This demonstrates God’s interest and concern with Esau’s descendants. Understanding the origin of the nations that occupy the Middle East to this day is helpful to understand their temperament, and motives for their behavior.   

The descendants of Esau—or Edom (verse 1 and 8)—would come into frequent conflict with the descendants of Israel over the ages. Edom was located in the southern Lavant, or highland region south of the Dead Sea. This was also known as the hill country of Seir, and today that territory lies mostly in southern Jordan and extends into parts of southern Israel, the Negev.   We will see more about this in the book of Exodus and then as we continue through other books of the Bible. It might be surprising to know that the conflict has persisted even up to modern times. The minor prophet Obadiah contains prophecies about Edom, and the UCG Bible Commentary shares insight into the identity of the Edomites today.” 

1 Chronicles 1:35–2:2 contains genealogies pertaining to Esau and Jacob (Israel). According to the traditional Hebrew arrangement, the book of 1 Chronicles came last in the Old Testament. It is believed that this book was put together by Ezra. Chapters 1 through 9 contain genealogies that can sometimes be difficult to read. We might wonder why it is important for this information to be contained in the Bible. The answer is found in part in these pages. By understanding the history, we are better able to understand the present.   

Beyond the reasons mentioned above, is there more to the scriptural incorporation of these lists of genealogies at the beginning of the book of Chronicles? The Bible Reader's Companion states in its notes on 1 Chronicles 1–3: "At least eight different purposes of Old Testament genealogies have been suggested:  

1. To show relationships between Israel and neighboring peoples.  
2. To show relationships between elements in the story of Israel's origins.  
3. To link periods of time not covered by other material.  
4. As a means of organizing Israel's men for warfare, by tribe and family.  
5. To demonstrate the legitimacy of a person or family's claim to a particular role or rank.  
6. To preserve the purity of the chosen people and/or their priesthood.  
7. To affirm the continuity of the people of God despite expulsion from the Promised Land.  
8. To demonstrate progress toward achieving God's revealed purposes; to show that the Lord is sovereignly shaping history in accord with His own plan. The genealogies of the Old Testament play a vital role in maintaining the integrity, and showing the continuity, of Scripture's story of salvation" (Lawrence Richards, 1991). 

Halley's Bible Handbook concludes in its notes on 1 Chronicles 1–9: "These 9 chapters of genealogies form the generation-to-generation tie-up of all preceding Biblical history. They need not be read, for devotional purposes, as often as some other parts of Scripture. But these, and similar genealogies, are the skeleton framework of the Old Testament, the thing that binds the whole Bible together, and gives it unity, and makes it look like real history, not legend.” 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.