Thursday, December 31, 2015

Acts 13:47-52

A new year comes in the morning, a fresh start. Use this time as a marking place for letting go of any rejection and hurt letting the Triune Godhead turn them instead into good. Relish the joy that comes with accepting the precious life of Jesus Christ and His salvation. Dwell instead upon the victories that He has given you, knowing that God is good and a rewarder of those who place their trust in Him. Let go and let God.

Each day has its own share of good and bad but JOY in  your salvation covers you and them with His love….giving you strength in all situations to move forward with confident hope.

Acts 13:47-52
47 For so the Lord has commanded us:
‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 
Isaiah 49:6

32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 
Luke 2:32

11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 
2 Timothy 3:11

14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 
Matthew 10:14

And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 
Luke 9:5

22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. 
John 16:22

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 
Acts 2:4

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 

Acts 4:31

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Daniel 3:19-25

In our fiery trials here on earth we never walk alone. In them we learn to trust God even when we do not understand them. We praise Him for all that He does for mankind and are grateful that He is patient, kind and loving to all His creation…even those who do not acknowledge His existence. He withholds judgment so that all who will may come to repentance and accept the salvation in Jesus Christ planned before the coming of man to earth.

The enormous number of bricks demanded in Babylon required kilns large enough to permit people to walk in them. The fire burned off the men’s bonds, but did not hurt them.

Daniel 3:19-25
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 
Psalm 91:3–9

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 
Isaiah 43:2

7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 

Psalm 34:7

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Galatians 5:16-22

In a world that votes Pope Francis and Donald Trump tied for the two most admired people in the world….what does this say about us?

We no longer judge those who say that they are Christian by their merit but by popularity. We, as proclaimed Christians, are torn by the way of the Spirit and the way of the world.

We live in dangerous times. One man  living in CHRIST and the other living his life against everything that Christ taught. Keep in mind that the anti-Christ will be popular or he would not be able to deceive so many of God’s people!


God will not be mocked…pray for the world!

The works of the flesh include, but go well beyond, destructive contentions and jealousies. Where there is such behavior, it is positive proof that the person is not living in the power of the Holy Spirit but is being energized by Satan and his hosts.

Galatians 5:16-22
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 
Romans 8:5

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 
Ephesians 5:11

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving,unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 
2 Timothy 3:2–4


Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 

Philippians 2:3

Monday, December 28, 2015

Ezekiel 21:25-27

Judgement will come. It is delayed because of God’s great love for man but there will come a day when the sins of the world not covered with the Blood of the Lamb will be judged. Salvations comes in Jesus but it up to us to humble ourselves and accept our need of a Savior to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Overthrown means “wrecked” or “ruined” and is used three times consecutively in the Hebrew text to underscore the comprehensive and intensive nature of the destruction. 

The priestly and kingly offices would not return until the coming of Him whose right it is—the Messiah.

Ezekiel 21:25-27
25 ‘Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, 26 thus says the Lord God:
“Remove the turban, and take off the crown;
Nothing shall remain the same.
Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.
27 Overthrown, overthrown,
I will make it overthrown!
It shall be no longer,
Until He comes whose right it is,
And I will give it to Him.” ’

13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. 
2 Chronicles 36:13

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 
Luke 1:52

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 
Genesis 49:10

32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 
Luke 1:32

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 
Jeremiah 23:5


6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 

Jeremiah 23:6

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Obadiah 1:19-21

The Savior, Jesus Christ, came from God’s Kingdom to save those who by faith accept the redemption that He alone can provide. He will once again return to judge the living and the dead and of His Kingdom there will be no end. All people of the earth are invited to the supper of the Lamb…Spread the Good News!

These were Obadiah’s last words against all human arrogance, pride, and rebellion. Edom had thought itself indestructible; but the Lord humbled that nation and restored the fallen Judah. Many people are tempted to consider themselves beyond the reach of God. But God will bring them low, just as He will lift those who humble themselves before Him. And one great day, He will establish His just rule over all.

Esau was also known as Edom, the progenitor of the Edomites who were established to the south of the Israelites. They were an enemy nation of Israel. The minor prophets, such as Obadiah, claim that the Edomites participated in the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. Exactly how the Edomites participated is not clear. (Psalm 137) suggests merely that Edom had encouraged the Babylonians: The Lord is asked to "remember against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said 'raze it, raze it to its foundations'" (Psalm 137: 7). But the prophecy of Obadiah insists on the literal "violence done" by Esau "unto your brother Jacob" when the Edomites "entered the gate of my people..., looted his goods..., stood at the parting of the ways to cut off the fugitive,... delivered up his survivors on his day of distress" (Obadiah 10:13-14). By the intertestamental period, Edom had replaced Babylon as the nation that actually burned the Temple.Long after this, when the descendants of Jacob came out of Egypt, the Edomites remembered the old quarrel between the brothers, and with fierce hatred they warred against Israel.

Obadiah 1:19-21
19 The South shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Shall possess the cities of the South.
21 Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.


12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the Lord who does this thing. 
Amos 9:12

14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. 
Daniel 7:14

9 And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be “The Lord is one,” And His name one. 
Zechariah 14:9

20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. 
James 5:20

15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 

Revelation 11:15

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

1 Corinthians 5:12

It is not up to us to judge non believers God does but it is up to us judge the actions of those who are. We are to be as wise as serpents but as gentle as a dove. Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter into His Kingdom but those who are doers and not just hearers of His Word.

This passage opens a very slippery slope for Christians. Jesus deplored sin but always forgave the sinner calling them to sin no more. He also sternly called to account self righteous believers who judged others but were guilty of the same sins. The church’s responsibility is to discipline its members while trusting the Lord to judge the world.

Correction is always to be filtered through love with the ultimate goal…..change! Love covers a multitude of sin.

1 Corinthians 5:12
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 

1 Corinthians 5:2

Monday, December 21, 2015

Matthew 1:17-24

Transition is hard for humans. Man made traditions are just as hard. In our search for Christ we need to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit searching for God’s wisdom in all of our decisions. 

Merry CHRISTmas!

Succession to a throne is often a time of conflict and uncertainty. David’s son Absalom tried to usurp the throne. Solomon’s choice of successor lost more than half the kingdom to a traitor. Menahem assassinated his predecessor in Israel. Royalty is a dangerous business.This is no less true when the heir is the King of kings. If ever there was a high-stakes succession, this was it. A Man claims to be Israel’s own Messiah; of course all Israel sits up and takes notice. Of course He must prove His credentials: Who wants an impostor? The Book of Matthew presents Jesus’ credentials. It presents Jesus as the King, but King of a totally different kingdom—the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew’s writings bridges the gap of Jewish traditions and Scripture pointing to the  One and Only begotten Son of God. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:17-24
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.


6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
Isaiah 9:6

5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 
Jeremiah 23:5

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. 
Isaiah 7:14

42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” 
John 7:42

30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 
Acts 2:30

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 
Luke 1:27

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” 
Revelation 22:16

Friday, December 18, 2015

Jeremiah 18:7-11

It is never too late to return to God. Our nation, our state, our city, our family, ourself… can at any given time turn from hatred, greed and violence to the way of peace in Christ Jesus. This season of remembrance of the birth of our Savior is the perfect time to return. Love God above any and all persons, places or things and share that love with all the people of the world. 

He will keep in perfect peace those who place themselves in His hands.

If a nation threatened with destruction would turn from its evil, God would relent of the promised disaster. God the Potter was more than willing to forgive the iniquity and stubborn rebellion of Judah. Unfortunately, the people continued in their stiffnecked ways.

Jeremiah 18:7-11
The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

11 “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.” ’ ”

21 But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 
Ezekiel 18:21

45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies. 
Psalm 106:45

13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. 
Joel 2:13

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. 
Jonah 3:10

16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 18“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 
Isaiah 1:16–19

20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. 

Acts 26:20

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Mark 3:13

God calls whom He wills to do His will. Some He calls from a very young age and others much later. It is up to the Father to call us and up to us to listen closely to the Holy Spirit who will instruct us. When we work in unity every part of the Body of Christ is utilized for His good and the good of His Church.

All believers are followers of Christ and we all have a calling.

Jesus had a large group of followers. Even after the Twelve were appointed, He still had a large and continual following. Later Jesus sent out an additional 70 disciples.

Mark 3:13
13 And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 

10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 
Matthew 10:1

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. 
Mark 6:7

9 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 

Luke 9:1

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Malachi 1:2-5

Ancient hatreds between brothers led to those same types of hatreds we see in our world today. It is not in man to admit their failings and to forgive without God and ultimately it will play out in His hands. Forgiveness is not an option for Christians… it is commanded. The sins of others or those that we commit are festering wounds if we hold onto them. We need to turn them over to God asking for His will not ours. In doing so His name alone will be exalted among all nations of the earth. God is in total control and does not need our directions He only needs our submission.

Edom was a nation descended from Esau, and they shared Esau’s unbelief and self-confidence. Destruction made Israel reexamine her relationship to God. But destruction for Edom resulted only in continued pride and self-effort.

This final book of the Old Testament is about the error of forgetting the love of God. When people forget God’s love, it affects their attitudes, home, and worship. With God’s love and loyalty in doubt, sacred commitments no longer remain sacred. God sent Malachi to rouse the people from their spiritual stupor and to exhort them to return to the living God. But the Book of Malachi reveals a people who question the reality of their sin and the faithfulness of God, a people hardened through and through. Thus the book ends on a poignant note, a confrontation between a disappointed God and a disappointed people. In a sense, the Book of Malachi shows that the Old Testament comes to a chasm, with the bickering voices of the people on one side and the stern warnings of God on the other. Only the Lord Himself could provide a way out of this impasse. Malachi looks forward to this deliverance, for he speaks of the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. The promised Messiah was the only One who could bridge that widening chasm between the people and their God.

Malachi 1:2-5
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
“Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the Lord.
“Yet Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”
4 Even though Edom has said,
“We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,”
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They may build, but I will throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’

but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 
Deuteronomy 7:8

8 “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. 
Isaiah 41:8

3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. 
Jeremiah 31:3

15 As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ 
Ezekiel 35:15

16 Your fierceness has deceived you, The pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord. 17 “Edom also shall be an astonishment; Everyone who goes by it will be astonished And will hiss at all its plagues. 18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah And their neighbors,” says the Lord, “No one shall remain there, Nor shall a son of man dwell in it. 
Jeremiah 49:16–18

27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” 
Psalm 35:27

4 And He shall stand and feed His flock In the strength of the Lord, In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great To the ends of the earth; 
Micah 5:4

Esau was also known as Edom, the progenitor of the Edomites who were established to the south of the Israelites. They were an enemy nation of Israel. The minor prophets, such as Obadiah, claim that the Edomites participated in the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. Exactly how the Edomites participated is not clear. (Psalm 137) suggests merely that Edom had encouraged the Babylonians: The Lord is asked to "remember against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said 'raze it, raze it to its foundations'" (Psalm 137: 7). But the prophecy of Obadiah insists on the literal "violence done" by Esau "unto your brother Jacob" when the Edomites "entered the gate of my people..., looted his goods..., stood at the parting of the ways to cut off the fugitive,... delivered up his survivors on his day of distress" (Obadiah 10:13-14). By the intertestamental period, Edom had replaced Babylon as the nation that actually burned the Temple.Long after this, when the descendants of Jacob came out of Egypt, the Edomites remembered the old quarrel between the brothers, and with fierce hatred they warred against Israel.

ESAU
e'-so (`esaw, "hairy"; Esau):

Son of Isaac, twin brother of Jacob. The name was given on account of the hairy covering on his body at birth: "all over like a hairy garment" (Genesis 25:25). There was a prenatal foreshadowing of the relation his descendants were to sustain to those of his younger brother, Jacob (Genesis 25:23). The moment of his birth also was signalized by a circumstance that betokened the same destiny (Genesis 25:26).

The young Esau was fond of the strenuous, daring life of the chase-he became a skillful hunter, "a man of the field" ('ish sadheh). His father warmed toward him rather than toward Jacob, because Esau's hunting expeditions resulted in meats that appealed to the old man's taste (Genesis 25:28). Returning hungry from one of these expeditions, however, Esau exhibited a characteristic that marked him for the inferior position which had been foretokened at the time of his birth. Enticed by the pottage which Jacob had boiled, he could not deny himself, but must, at once, gratify his appetite, though the calm and calculating Jacob should demand the birthright of the firstborn as the price (Genesis 25:30-34). Impulsively he snatched an immediate and sensual gratification at the forfeit of a future glory. Thus he lost the headship of the people through whom God's redemptive purpose was to be wrought out in the world, no less than the mere secular advantage of the firstborn son's chief share in the father's temporal possessions. Though Esau had so recklessly disposed of his birthright, he afterward would have secured from Isaac the blessing that appertained, had not the cunning of Rebekah provided for Jacob. Jacob, to be sure, had some misgiving about the plan of his mother (Genesis 27:12), but she reassured him; the deception was successful and he secured the blessing. Now, too late, Esau bitterly realized somewhat, at least, of his loss, though he blamed Jacob altogether, and himself not at all (Genesis 27:34, 36). Hating his brother on account of the grievance thus held against him, he determined upon fratricide as soon as his father should pass away (Genesis 27:41); but the watchful Rebekah sent Jacob to Haran, there to abide with her kindred till Esau's wrath should subside (Genesis 27:42-45).

Esau, at the age of forty, had taken two Hittite wives, and had thus displeased his parents. Rebekah had shrewdly used this fact to induce Isaac to fall in with her plan to send Jacob to Mesopotamia; and Esau, seeing this, seems to have thought he might please both Isaac and Rebekah by a marriage of a sort different from those already contracted with Canaanitish women. Accordingly, he married a kinswoman in the person of a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:6, 9). Connected thus with the "land of Seir," and by the fitness of that land for one who was to live by the sword, Esau was dwelling there when Jacob returned from Mesopotamia. While Jacob dreaded meeting him, and took great pains to propitiate him, and made careful preparations against a possible hostile meeting, very earnestly seeking Divine help, Esau, at the head of four hundred men, graciously received the brother against whom his anger had so hotly burned. Though Esau had thus cordially received Jacob, the latter was still doubtful about him, and, by a sort of duplicity, managed to become separated from him, Esau returning to Seir (Genesis 33:12-17). Esau met his brother again at the death of their father, about twenty years later (Genesis 35:29). The land in which he established himself was "the land of Seir," so called from Seir, ancestor of the Horites whom Esau found there; and called also Edom from Esau's surname, and, it may be, too, from the red sandstone of the country (Sayce).


"Esau" is sometimes found in the sense of the descendants of Esau, and of the land in which they dwelt (Deuteronomy 2:5 Obadiah 1:6, 8, 18, 19).