At Todd's Road Grace Church,
we'd like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I'm going to be speaking from
Genesis chapter 36 and the first two verses of Genesis chapter
37. And I've entitled this message,
The Generations of Esau. Esau was the twin brother of
Jacob. Now in Genesis chapter 36, we
read, now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. Genesis chapter 36 is a chapter
that we're tempted to just skip. It's a long list of names of
the men who were the descendants of Esau. And it's very long. There are scores of names mentioned. And when we read something like
this, we have a tendency to just skip it. As a matter of fact,
I talked to one man who said when he was having problems sleeping,
he would read Genesis chapter 36 to put him to sleep. Now,
why would God have a chapter in the Bible like this? And there's
many chapters like this, seemingly endless genealogies and names
of people. Now, I want you to remember 2
Timothy 3.16 says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And Genesis chapter 36 is given
by inspiration of God. Now, if we don't have the presupposition
that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God, we really
have nothing to say. My opinion, your opinion, which
are both worthless when it comes right down to it. If the Bible
is not the word of God, what do we have but man's opinion? But thank God the Bible is as
it declares to be, all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Now, we read in verse one of
Genesis chapter 36, these are the generations of Esau, who
is Edom. And I said he goes on to name,
it's a very long chapter with many names mentioned, the kings
and dukes that came out of Esau and the country of Edom. And
then in chapter 37, verse two, we read, these are the generations
of Jacob. Esau's twin brother, and only
one name is mentioned. Now, remember the generations
is more than just a list of genealogy, names of descendants. It means
the life and times of a certain period or a certain person. These are the generations of
Jacob, and one name is mentioned, Joseph. Joseph. Joseph was his 11th son, born
to Rachel, his favorite wife, Joseph. And as you go on reading
in the book of Genesis, Joseph is perhaps the greatest type
of Christ in all of the Word of God. These be the generations
of Esau. That's what I want us to consider
first. Now, this chapter opens with the three wives of Esau. Their names, in Genesis 36, Esau
took wives of the daughters of Canaan. The first was named Ada,
the second was named Aholah Bama, and the third was named Bashamath. Those were his three wives of
which all these descendants came. And I think it's very interesting
what the names of these women mean. The first woman's name
means ornament. The second woman's or wife's
name means tent of the high place. The third wife's name means spice. Now, what's an ornament? It's
something that makes you appear to be beautiful or better, but
it doesn't change the inside. The tint of the high place, it
has something to do with idolatry. Spice has something to do with
making something taste better or disguising the taste. I think
that that is such a apt picture of human religion. It's an ornament. It dresses up the outside, but
it doesn't change the inside. It is based upon idolatry, false
views of the living God. And it's spice. It tries to make
something taste better to make it more appealing to the flesh. That describes human religion. Now, the Edomites, the descendants
of Esau, were the enemies of Israel. You can read in Numbers
20 how when Israel tried to pass through the land of Edom, Edom
refused passage and refused to give them water to drink. They
were the sworn enemies of Israel. Now Esau was the twin brother
of Jacob, and we read about their birth in Genesis 25. I would
like to read that to you. This is so important. Beginning
in verse 19 of Genesis 25, and these are the generations of
Isaac. Abraham's son, Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac was 40
years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethunel
the Syrian, of Paddan Aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And
Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren.
And the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah, his wife, conceived. She now had life within her. She didn't before this, but now
she does. Verse 22, and the children struggled
within her. She didn't know she had twins,
but within her, now that there was life, there was a struggle,
there was a fight. I don't know how to explain that,
but these twins were opponents to one another and struggling
within the womb. And she said, if it be so, why
am I thus? She didn't understand why this
struggle was going on within her. And she went to inquire
of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, two
nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels. and one people should be stronger
than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger. Now I want us to notice this
is not being redundant when God tells her two nations are in
thee and two manner of people. What that lets us know is that
this passage of scripture is given to teach and illustrate
two different things. Now, we know that this illustrates
election. That's how God uses it in Romans
9. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand. What is election? God choosing his people before
the foundation of the world. That is clearly taught in the
scripture. God said, Jacob have I loved. Election. The second thing this
teaches when it teaches two manner of people, it talks about the
two natures within the believer. Now the unbeliever only has one
nature, the nature he was born with. When a man is born again,
he's given a nature, a new creation that was not there before. And
there is a struggle all the days of the believer's life between
the old man and the new man. It's described in Romans chapter
7. Now, Jacob and Esau, twins, coming
from the same mother, and Jacob and Esau really represent believers
and unbelievers. The elect and the rest. The justified
and those who are not justified. The children of God, the children
of the devil. The saved, the lost. The forgiven,
those who are not forgiven. Those who are justified, who
stand before God without guilt, and those who stand in their
sins. Those who've been born from above,
those who have never been born again. Now, throughout the scripture
we have examples. Cain and Abel, Saul and David,
the Pharisee and the publican. Two men that represent all men. Now you and I are either a Jacob
or an Esau, a lover of God or one who does not love God. one of God's chosen or someone
who goes their own way and cares nothing for God. Now, the first
information we're given concerning Esau is found in this 25th chapter.
I'd like to read in verse 29, and Jacob sawed pottage and Esau
came from the field. And he was faint. He was hungry,
perhaps he'd been hunting. And he comes in from the field,
faint. And Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I pray thee, with that
same red pottage, for I am faint. Therefore was his name called
Edom. And Jacob said, sell me this day thy birthright. Now
what is this birthright all about? In Genesis chapter three, God
made this promise, the seed of woman shall crush the serpent's
head. That's the first promise of Christ
coming to crush the works of the devil. And everybody was
looking for that seed. When Eve said, behold, I've gotten
a man from the Lord, she thought that meant this is the seed.
This is the promise one that's going to crush the serpent's
head. And the seed would always come through the firstborn. Esau
was the firstborn. The Christ was to come through
him. And Jacob says, sell this privilege to me. And you know,
it just didn't mean much to Esau. It didn't mean anything to him.
He was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. That is how
unimportant the birthright was to Esau. It was everything to
Jacob. He knew he had to have it. But
to Esau, The bottom line, Christ was not important to Esau. Christ
was everything to Jacob. Jacob said, sell me this day
thy birthright. And Esau said, behold, I'm at
the point to die. And what profit shall this birthright
do to me? I'm starving to death. And Jacob said, swear to me this
day, and he swear unto him, and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he did
eat and drink, and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau despised
his birthright." That's God's testimony. Esau despised his
birthright. Now, I'd like to read the New
Testament commentary on this out of Hebrews chapter 12. The
writer to the Hebrews makes this comment, beginning in verse 15,
looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God, lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many
be defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person,
as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Profane. Esau is described as
profane. Now, when we think of profane,
we generally think of profanity, obscene language, irreverence. And that indeed is part of what
profane means, but the first meaning of profane is accessible. You cross the threshold. You
can be bought. That is what Esau was. He could
be bought. There was something more valuable
to him than Christ. And he could be bought. Now to
an unbeliever, he's got a point where he'll sell out. A believer
would never sell out on Christ in the sense that there's nothing
worth that. Christ is everything. He's all. He's altogether glorious. There's
nothing you can give me, I don't care what it is, that would equal
the value of Christ or even come close. But an unbeliever sees
no value in Christ like that, and they're willing to sell out. When somebody leaves the gospel,
when somebody leaves Christ, it's because there's something
that they see more valuable than him. But that is never the case
with a believer. Now, I'm going to read a passage
of Scripture from Romans 9, how Paul uses this same story of
Jacob and Esau. He says in Romans 9, beginning
in verse 11, for the children, being not yet born. neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might
stand. Not of works, but of him that
calleth, as it is written. Now this is always the authority,
not because this preacher says it or that denomination believes
something. Here's the only authority, for
it is written. And then Paul quotes Malachi
chapter one, where God said, Jacob have I loved. And Esau have I hated. Jacob have I loved. This is God
speaking. Now, Jacob, if you read the history
of Jacob, he was a very sinful, deceitful man full of contradictions
and God loved him. And the reason was not found
in Jacob's person. We already read for the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil. They had
no good works to recommend them. They had no bad works to disqualify
them. God's love for Jacob was not
found in some good quality in Jacob. Now, usually when people
think of that verse of scripture, they think, well, how could God
hate Esau? Let me tell you two things about
that. Number one, God's hatred is not like our hatred. Our hatred
is sinful. It's wrong. God's hatred is perfect. It is holy. It's because of his
holy character. So when it says God hated Jacob,
it was not a evil, malicious hatred like ours is. It's a hatred
with regard to righteousness and holiness. It's a holy hatred. You know, Psalm 5 says, Thou
hatest all workers of iniquity. And I can see why a holy God
would hate me. because of my own sinfulness. I understand that. When someone
asks, how could God hate Esau? They're really asking, how could
he hate me? I'm such a good person. I don't see where that would
be right for God to hate me. And we demonstrate an ignorance
of the character of God and an ignorance of our own personal
sinfulness. This is how we ought to respond
to this. We ought to be amazed by God's love to Jacob. I love
the hymn, I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene
and wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. Jacob have I loved. God didn't send his son into
the world to make a way for him to love. God sent his son into
the world because he did love. Jeremiah 31.3, and this is said
to every believer, God speaking, I have loved you with an everlasting
love, a love that never had a beginning and a love that will never have
an ending. The New Testament commentary
on that verse of Scripture, whom he did foreknow. Now, that foreknow
doesn't simply mean he knew their names or knew about them or knew
who they were or knew what they would do. Adam knew Eve. He loved her. He had an intimate
relationship with her. Whom he did foreknow, them he
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren. According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him, in love having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children. Jacob have I loved. The love of God, the saving love
of God. Now let me say this, with regard
to God's love, there will be nobody in hell that God loves. Now in Malachi chapter 1, I'd
like to read that, it's the last book in the Old Testament, and
this is what Paul quotes when he says, Jacob have I loved,
and Esau have I hated. Now Malachi says, the burden,
Malachi chapter 1 verse 1, the burden of the word of the Lord
to Israel by Malachi. And indeed, the Word of the Lord
is a burden to those who know the Word of the Lord. They're
burdened out of the fear of God, His greatness, His awesomeness,
and our fear to misrepresent Him. This thing of preaching
is a burden because I fear misrepresenting God. I fear giving my own thoughts
and my own opinions and not what God actually says. And I pray,
Lord, deliver me from that. Let me bring your message, not
my message, not my thoughts, your word. Now here's God speaking. He says, I have loved you, saith
the Lord. This is what he says to all his
people. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet you say, wherein
hast thou loved us? If you really loved us, why did
this take place? Why did that take place? If you
really love us, why does this trial come? Why does this misfortune
come? Why am I so tried? Why are things
so difficult for me? Wherein have you loved us? Now look at God's answer. Was
not Esau Jacob's brother? Now he's talking about these
two twins that we've been considering. Was not Esau Jacob's brother? And if you read the history of
Esau, Esau was a better man, humanly speaking, than Jacob
was. You think of how deceitful Jacob was in swindling his brother. Do you remember when he came
to their father Isaac and he disguised himself as Esau so
he could swindle Esau's blessing? He came with Esau's clothing,
with Esau's smell. He did everything he could to
deceive Isaac to rob his brother of the blessing. Now you can
see why Esau would greatly resent him for this. But you know what
Esau did? He forgave him. He forgave him
and he received him. And I tell you, that's very commendable
on his part. And God says, was not Esau Jacob's
brother, saith the Lord? Yet, God says, I loved Jacob
and hated Esau and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the
dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, those are
the descendants of Esau, we are impoverished, but we will return
and build the desolate places. Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
they shall build, but I will throw down. And they shall call
them the border of wickedness, the people against whom the Lord
hath indignation forever. Now God says, Esau have I hated. Esau hated God, and God hated
Esau. Now I dare say there's not one
person listening right now, and I thought this before too, how
could it be fair for God to hate Esau and love Jacob? How could that be fair? Now, I've asked that question,
and you've asked that question. Paul anticipated that in Romans
9, verses 13 and 14, when he said, Jacob have I loved, Esau
have I hated. What should we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair? He knew that's
what everybody would think. Is God unfair in loving Jacob
and hating Esau? Now, when we make that statement,
We're all of a sudden God's judge. We think we're fit to be judge
of God. And in reality, no man is able
to sit in judgment on God. Whatever God does is right. Whatever
God does is just. Whatever God does is true. And
no man has the right to sit in judgment on God and say, I agree
with this or I disagree with that. Now, religion presents
God loving all men the same. And what they're doing, they're
thinking, well, this is the way God ought to be. Therefore, this
is what we think with regard to Him. And they say something
the scripture never says, because the scripture never says God
loves all men the same. And really when we say God loves
all men the same, we're making the love of God meaningless.
We're saying He can love you and you end up in hell anyway.
That makes God's love meaningless and that makes salvation dependent
upon what we do rather than what God does. Now, the fact of the
matter is, if I present God loving all men the same, I make the
love of God meaningless. He can love somebody and they
wind up in hell anyway. It makes him mutable. He can
change. Now, I've even heard people say,
well, him loving Esau, hating Esau means he loved him less.
God can't love less. He's God. Listen to what the
scripture says. Esau, if I hated, laid his mountains
and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Well,
if Edom saith we are impoverished, we'll return and build the desolate
places. This is what we will do. I will. That's where sin begins. No word
of if God will, will do this, but this is what I will do. And
God said, I'll make sure. This does not happen. I will
throw down what they try to build, and it's going to be called the
border of wickedness forever. Now, these are the generations
of Esau, but I would like to close by looking at what the
Scripture says with regard to Jacob. These are the generations
of Jacob, Joseph. And Joseph is that great type
of Christ. Now, this is the life and times
of every believer, every Jacob, Jesus Christ. All God requires
of every believer, He looks to Christ for. And this is the history
of every believer, the person and work of Christ. And that's
why Paul said, Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in Him. So when God comes looking for
me, all he sees is Jesus Christ. Oh, that I may win Christ and
be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith. The generations of
Esau, Just a bunch of names with one event in that chapter that
is really quite boring. The generations of Jacob, every
believer, Jesus Christ. I pray this message has been
a blessing to you. May God richly bless you. To
receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send a request
to todd.neidler at gmail.com. Or you may write or call the
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