Genesis 36:1-37:1 Genealogy
Joel Miles • January 2, 2026
Genesis 36:1-37:1 Genealogy
Speaker: Joel Miles
Date: January 4, 2026
- Read Genesis 36:1-8 together. When you come across genealogies like this in Scripture, what is your usual response? Why do you think passages like this are included in the Bible?
- Verse 31 notes that "these were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned." If God's plan was to bless the world through Abraham's chosen line, why would he allow Esau's line to flourish so much faster?
- The sermon suggested that if God had included both Ishmael and Esau in the chosen line, things would have moved much faster — Abraham's descendants could have been "like the stars of the heavens" before Exodus even begins. Why doesn't God seem interested in moving quickly?
- By the end of Genesis, Esau has tribes, land, chiefs, and kings — while Jacob's family is about 70 people heading into Egypt. What is surprising or even troubling about this contrast?
- Where did Esau's wives come from, and where did he settle? How do these choices contrast with what God had called his people to do?
- Hebrews 12:16 describes Esau as "unholy" because he "sold his birthright for a single meal." What did Esau gain by doing this? What did he lose? In what ways does our culture encourage us to be like Esau — to take what we want now rather than wait for what God promises?
- Consider what Israel had to endure to receive what Esau simply took: Jacob worked 14 years for his wives; the nation spent 400 years in slavery; they wandered 40 years in the wilderness. Why would God lead his people through such a difficult path?
- The sermon acknowledged that following Jesus is "a better life" but also "often a harder one." How have you experienced this tension? Why doesn't "better" always feel better in the moment?
- The sermon asked: "Why wait?" and answered: "Only because in the end, eventually, what you get is Jesus." How does this answer sit with you? Is it enough?
- The sermon asked, "How good are you at waiting?" Be honest — where in your life right now are you most tempted to stop waiting on God and just take what you want?
- Are there ways you have been expecting God to work quickly or dramatically, when he may be calling you to a "long obedience in the same direction"? What would it look like to trust him in that?
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