Roy got a Sports Illustrated magazine in the mail last month with the cover story, “Where are they now?” Inside, the feature article showcased lots of athletes from the late 1900’s in their current-day circumstance. Some, like Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, were rich and famous (not necessarily a good thing) while others, like Super Bowl icon William “Refrigerator” Perry, were found at the bottom of a spiral.
For the past few weeks, we’ve focused on the descendants of Abraham who inherited God’s Covenant Promise: Isaac and then Jacob. But have you ever wondered what happened to the other guys: Abraham’s firstborn son, Ishmael; the sons of Abraham’s wife Keturah; and Esau—the brother swindled out of the firstborn’s blessing? Here’s an overview…
What About Ishmael?
God was very clear about His plans for Ishmael. Though His Covenant would be fulfilled through Isaac, God would still bless Ishmael abundantly:
“God said…‘as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.’” Genesis 17:19-20 (emphasis added)
Later in the story, when Abraham dies at age 175, Ishmael and Isaac come together to bury him. At that time, Scripture gives us a glimpse of what Ishmael’s life has become:
“These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth…, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years…His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt…in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.” Genesis 25:13-18 (emphasis added)
What is on the eastern border of Egypt today? The Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia. Think about the constant hostility in those lands, and know that God’s Word is true and accurate.
Also, keep in mind that our Scriptures today were recited orally in the days of Abraham, sung word-for-word. Isaac would have repeated Ishmael’s heritage to his children each time the story of Abraham’s death was told. Why? Because it was a testimony of God’s faithfulness to be guarded for and by coming generations.
What About the Sons of Keturah?
Scripture tells us that Abraham took another wife. The placement of this news comes after Sarah’s death, so many believe he waited until Sarah was gone to do so.
“Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.” Genesis 25:1-6 (emphasis added)
Seems rather dull, doesn’t it? A list of random names of random sons from a random concubine of Abraham. But God isn’t random in either the hardships or blessings He allows His people to endure. Let’s take a closer look at just three names in the list of Keturah’s sons:
- MIDIAN – It was Midianite merchants that purchased Joseph from his brothers and sold him into slavery in Egypt (Gen. 37:28); Moses escaped to the land of Midian after murdering an Egyptian slave master and then married a Midianite woman (Ex. 2:15).
- SHUAH – Bildad, the Shuhite (a descendant of Shuah), was one of Job’s friends that came to “console” him during his suffering (Job 2:11; 8:1).
- SHEBA – The descendants of Sheba became a wealthy nation partly due to the spices grown in their region, and an exceptionally wealthy “queen of Sheba” made a famous treaty with King Solomon (1Kings 10:1).
Even those who weren’t chosen as “Covenant Bearers” were VITAL to other aspects of God’s story.
What About Esau?
I’ve always felt a little sorry for Esau, getting swindled by his own mom and little brother. But we can stop the Woe Is Me violin solo for Isaac’s firstborn. He’d made some lousy decisions BEFORE Jacob stole his blessing.
“When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” Genesis 26:34-35
AFTER Jacob stole the blessing, Esau made an even poorer choice—a spiteful one:
“Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife…[and] commanded him, ‘Do not marry a Canaanite woman,’…Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” Genesis 28:6-9 (emphasis added)
What a goober, right? But some of Esau’s descendants actually had some redemptive qualities.
“These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz…The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath…Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah…” Genesis 36:10-11,13,33 (emphasis added)
Many commentators place this section of names as contemporary with the events in the Book of Job. “Jobab” is thought to be Job himself. Eliphaz, listed as one of the men who came to comfort Job, would have been Job’s great-uncle and Esau’s firstborn. “Zepho” may be Zophar, another of Job’s comforters, and would be Job’s cousin.
After reading only a few words from Eliphaz, Zophar, and Job in Job’s book, we see that each man had a deep knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—as did Bildad, the descendant of Keturah’s son—proving again that though they weren’t of the Covenant lineage, God had still revealed Himself to them.
Esau had another famous descendant—this one in the New Testament.
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” Matthew 2:1-2 (emphasis added)
The Herods were Idumeans, another name for Edomites—descendants of Esau. What an interesting twist that the brother whose blessing had been stolen was eventually given the title, “King of the Jews.” This Herod was responsible for killing countless babies in Bethlehem. Another Herod—thirty years later—would have a part in killing the Son of God.
Everyone, whether a Covenant-bearer or not, plays a role in history—in His-story. If you’re reading these words right now, you are chosen to play a part in God’s plan right where you are. In your family. In your work place. In your church. In your community. You’re called to be His partner in the plan whether you’re the main character or simply playing a supporting role.
Tweet-A-Licious!
- Our Scripture today was recited orally in the days of Abraham, sung word-for-word.
- God is not random in either the hardships or blessings He allows His people to endure.
- Everyone, whether a Covenant-bearer or not, plays a role in history—in His-story.
Today’s Question:
- Was there anything in today’s post about the “un-chosen” that surprised you?
Comments 21
What a cool post, Mesu! All of it was surprising even though I’ve read the Bible through, I’ve never looked for the “lost brothers.” One thing that really surprised me was that I always thought Job was a Jew. How interesting that God considered Job a righteous man and gave him a blessing, even though he wasn’t one of His chosen people.
Just makes me wonder how those lines connect to the other volatile countries in the Mid-East
Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
Author
Hooray! So glad you learned something new and it made you stop and “hmmmm.” Love that! Blessings, gal!
Mesu, you always challenge a ‘hmmmm’ moment from me. It does get tedious reading through the lists of descendants but they are there for a reason. I loved this thought…God is not random in either the hardships or blessings He allows His people to endure. Awesome post. As Angie said, ‘thanks for the thought-provoking post!’
Wonderful post! Putting history in such connecting way.. yes, it’s easy to read over all those names without much thought and not knowing the connection to others maybe more important. Wow, thanks for all you research and thought provoking words… It is making these characters – ALIVE. And with purpose. Thanks.
After reading about Jacob & Esau today I was really wondering what happened to Esau after everything was stolen from him. So glad I found this post! Thank you so much for filling in the gap for me 🙂
So glad I could help fill in the gaps! Blessings, dear one!
I do not understand how Esau who lost his blessing is called “king of the jews”
Is it not the edomites who were, it seems related to Herods’ did they not kill jesus?
Author
Hi Terri! I hope you didn’t think I was calling ESAU the king of the Jews. It was Herod, a descendant of Esau, who was an Idumean (thought to be Edomites) and was appointed by the Romans as the King of the Jewish “state.” He was considered the King of the Jews–which is why it was so offensive that the sign nailed to Jesus’ cross said, “king of the Jews.” I was pointing out the irony that Esau and his descendants, who lost the Covenant blessing to his brother Jacob, eventually exacted their revenge by killing many of Jacob’s descendants when Herod ordered the deaths of many Jewish babies when the Magi from the East came to bring gifts to Jesus. I hope this helps clarify.
Jesus Andrews,
I am looking for scriptures that relate the story of Esau’s death. I am only interested in Bible accounts and no other books. Help!
Thanks
Author
Hi Elodie!
The most comprehensive biblical account of Esau is found in Genesis 35:29-36:43. He returned home to Hebron to help Jacob bury their father Isaac (35:29) and then ch. 36 gives the full accounting of Esau’s family. Unfortunately, Esau’s death is not recorded in Scripture. Here’s a snippet of info from the Jewish Encyclopedia: “Esau’s death is not mentioned in the Bible. The Rabbis supply the information that it was brought about in an altercation with Jacob’s sons over their right to bury their father in the cave of Machpelah (Soṭah 13a). The “Sefer ha-Yashar” gives full details of the dispute.” http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5846-esau
Hi Mesu,
Thank you for your prompt reply. I read about Esau’s altercation at Jacob’s burial site in a book called The Book Of Jasher, but I didn’t like reading such negative ending of Esau and his brother Jacob. I read that book like a non-scriptural book.
I like how the Bible tells the account of when the twins come together, bury their father and Esau forgives and embraces Jacob and they both rejoiced. That is why I asked about Esau’s death accounts in the Bible, because I couldn’t find any. Thank you for the information.
The Book of Jasher is actually referenced in the Bible as a historical record, but I also use it as history—not accepting its information with the same authority I give Scripture. Unfortunately, we simply don’t know about how Esau and Jacob left their relationship. To be clear, Gen. 35 doesn’t portray the brothers as rejoicing or even friendly after they bury Isaac. It simply says they buried him. Period. When Esau and Jacob we’re reunited at the Jabok, Jacob promises to meet Esau in Seir—and never did. My guess is their relationship remained strained, but we can only guess! 😘
That is sad about the twins…thanks for the link you sent…I just read it…there are parts I had never read before…so I thank you for that…
I appreciate intense research you do when writing and the all information you provide…thank you…
I was referring to Genesis 33:4 when Esau meets Jacob on the road, embraces him, kisses him and they wept. It’s been a while since I read it, so I stand corrected, they didn’t rejoice. But I take it to mean things were right with them at that point. I can only assume. Thanks..
Author
Hi Elodie!
You’re absolutely RIGHT about the brother’s reunion, and I’m with you–hoping their relationship was mended at that meeting. Perhaps we’ll ask them together some day, sweet sister. I always love to “chat” with a serious student of the Word. Blessings on you!
I typed Mesu Andrews and it took it as Jesus, sorry about that
Author
I’ve seen some interesting auto-corrects for my name, but that’s a first! LOL! 😉
Jesus has a sense of humor…I bet He liked it. 🤗
before esau and jacob were born God said that the oldest will serve the youngest. then God also said esau i have hated and jacob i love. i really struggle with this as no matter what esau will do he was destine to serve his brother as it was Gods plans for their lives.
Author
I also struggled with the “Esau I have hated and Jacob I loved” thing, Jerome. But I’ve tried to change my questions from “why” to “Who,” and my struggles get easier. I try to remember WHO God is, what I know to be true of Him. He is all-knowing. He is infinite–not bound by time–present in the “now”, the future, and the past. At the point in time God declared, “Esau I have hated,” He already knew every decision Esau would ever make. Did God force Esau to make those decisions? I don’t believe so. Did God force Jacob to be a deceiver. Again, I don’t believe God can make anyone sin because sin is contrary to His nature. But God KNOWS ALL. And He is already present at all times. The choices He allows us to make are so that we will come into relationship with Him–or not–and by those choices send out ripples of consequences that affect other lives…who will or won’t choose to live in relationship with Him. When I ask the question, “Who is this God that patiently offers human choice when He could wipe us out with a single breath?”–I’m faced with an even bigger struggle. Who is this God that loved me enough to send His Son to pay my debt? Awe replaces doubt. Gratitude replaces suspicion. I still don’t understand this infinite God, but the things I do know about Him grant me peace to accept the things I can’t grasp.
Hi.
I read an interesting article today and am quoting:
Genesis:25:21-23
confirms Malachi one. God tells Rebekah, pregnant with twins: “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” Clearly this is not about Jacob and Esau as individuals, but the nations and peoples descended from them! Otherwise, it would have been a false prophecy. Esau never served Jacob, but the nation Edom became subject to the people of Israel. The Bible does not teach that God predestined Jacob for heaven and Esau for hell!
From Berean Call – August 2007