Introduction

Good day to you all! Let us turn to Genesis, chapter 36. This chapter presents something of a challenge. Even now, I am not entirely sure what the Bible intends to convey to us with these accounts. Yet, within it lies a fascinating phenomenon. Even after Esau forfeited his birthright, does he not appear to have fared rather well? So, let us delve into the story of this Esau, seemingly under a curse.

Is This a Curse?

In this chapter, we read of Esau's descendants who became prominent and established families. Just as the Israelites produced Joseph, who became a vizier in Egypt, Esau's descendants also achieved similar positions. Before Israel even had a king, Esau's lineage had already produced kings, and seemingly more successful ones than those of Jacob. God blessed Jacob with numerous offspring, yet Esau's descendants seemed even more numerous. Furthermore, Esau's line produced many kings and chieftains. Is this a curse? It is truly perplexing!

I have come to realize that those who choose to follow Esau's path often have a rigorously structured logical system and appear to live quite well, showing no apparent signs of adversity. Recall that Esau approached Jacob with four hundred men, ostensibly to welcome him, but with an underlying motive to harm him. In terms of numbers, Esau's forces outnumbered Jacob's. In wealth, Esau was richer. In business acumen, Esau surpassed Jacob. And in land, Esau possessed more territory than Jacob. By all accounts, this does not resemble a curse. It is indeed puzzling!

In truth, there are many things in this world that can cause one to be perplexed. How is it that some people, who seem to have everything, meet a bad end? Or that some, who appear wicked, live to a ripe old age? Or that those who seem vile ascend to positions of power? How can such unscrupulous individuals build such vast empires? If you listen to what I have to say and then observe those around you, you might feel as though I am leading you astray. Where is this curse? It is nowhere to be seen. Indeed, one might even desire to be in Esau's position, if that is what a curse entails. I suspect many would share this sentiment. Fundamentally, what one believes is a matter of choice. Some choose democracy, believing that democracy and freedom are inherently good – that is a choice. Others find autocracy quite agreeable too. One can cite countless examples of the ills of autocracy, just as one can list numerous shortcomings of democracy. Humanity is prone to confusion in these matters.

So, returning to the question, are Esau's descendants cursed? I find no evidence of a curse in this chapter. In Esau's life, no one witnessed any demonic activity. It is often said that the spiritual realm is real, but where is the evidence of its reality in Esau's life? Instead, the temporal world seems very real! And Jacob does not appear to have fared particularly well either. Where is the fulfillment of the prophecy that the elder would serve the younger? Esau serving Jacob is nowhere to be seen.

It is problematic if one solely uses worldly success as the yardstick for determining spiritual standing. Belief, or the lack thereof, is a choice, and either path can appear appealing. So, which will you choose – blessing or curse? Do not claim that Esau's family does not live long lives. That is simply untrue; many of his descendants live to a hundred years. We must not view things this way, or we will become increasingly confused. Perhaps the Bible is designed to confound us. If one focuses solely on the temporal aspects of life, one will be filled with bewilderment. It is God's intention is to perplex us, and the root of this bewilderment lies in belief and unbelief.

The effects of faith and disbelief are often difficult to discern with the naked eye. If growing bean sprouts, one can see the results in three days to a week. But spiritual outcomes take time to manifest, whether blessings or curses. The span of a human life, seventy or eighty years, or even a hundred, is often insufficient to see the full picture. Jacob's strength lies in his choice, a choice that seems irrational from a human perspective. By human logic, Jacob's life was less desirable, while Esau's appeared quite prosperous.

However, as the saying goes, time proves everything. If one views these matters from the perspective of eternity, the difference becomes vast. Without that eternal perspective, one will be plagued by confusion: the wicked living to a hundred years, while the righteous die young. Anything can happen. Looking at Jesus through worldly eyes, being crucified in his thirties seems like a tragedy. If one pursues only earthly existence, these earthly decades will be filled with confusion. But if one seeks an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, that is a choice, and it offers a completely different perspective. Some ask if I have truly seen this eternal weight of glory. No, I have not. But I believe.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

If we insist on seeing is believing, we are focusing only on the visible. But if you believe in the invisible, you will focus your attention on the invisible. Your focus determines your perspective. A generation goes and another generation comes, to and fro, all is meaningless. Without an eternal hope, life is devoid of meaning; we live, and then we die.

If you find life meaningful, it's akin to a dog on the street or a pig in a pen awaiting slaughter. They too find life meaningful, although the pig may end up as a varied delicacy on the dining table the next day. Without an eternal pursuit, one lives a substantial life, similar to animals on the African savanna. Whether you accept it or not, you live and then you die. The conclusion to be drawn is that whether life is good or bad is not the standard of measurement.

Wealth, Status, Do Not Reveal Spiritual Condition

Observing the events of the world, some say God blessed them with a good job, but some without God have better jobs. Some say they have recently been promoted, but those who do not believe are promoted faster and with higher pay. Others say their business has recently improved, but the businesses of unbelievers have long been thriving. Focusing on these matters can be perilous. A person's wealth or status does not indicate their spiritual condition. Life is not about abundance, and if you insist on judging someone's spiritual condition based on their wealth, you will certainly be a confused person.

In this world, we cannot judge from the perspective of wealth and poverty, the height of status. Esau was richer than Jacob, and Esau's status was higher than Jacob's. Esau's descendants produced kings early on, and there were many kings and chieftains. The result is perplexing. When the Israelites in the wilderness heard Moses speak about Esau and his descendants, would they have looked with disdain, wondering why they could not see Esau as cursed, thinking Moses was speaking nonsense?

This is why Korah and his followers rebelled against Moses in the wilderness, and 600,000 Israelites died. Only Joshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land. The rest perished in the desert because they did not believe, dismissing it all with disdain. By human standards of status and prestige, Korah would certainly have been elected. But it was Moses whom God had chosen. Both Moses and Korah were Levites. Moses was to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, but instead, the Israelites died in the wilderness. How confusing!

The people's votes all went to Korah, but God opened a great pit and swallowed him up. After Korah's death, the Israelites claimed that the earth could not have opened a pit on its own. It must have been Moses who dug a trap and buried them alive, saying that Moses had killed God's people. Korah undoubtedly had more power than Moses. This world is often this way: the worldly will always persecute the spiritual, and the worldly will always prosper more than the spiritual.

If you desire such prosperity, then go ahead and prosper, strive for it. If you want to be like Esau, then strive to be like Esau. Perhaps in the future, you and your descendants will all be prominent families, but you may not live to see that day, to witness that prosperity. Of course, the spiritual will not see it either, but the difference is vast when viewed through spiritual eyes in the spiritual realm. Although I have not been to that place, today, belief and unbelief are our own choices.

When some of our brothers and sisters receive newcomers, they try their best to explain, but I often gesture to them from afar, wanting to tell them not to explain. It is inexplicable. Belief and unbelief are a choice; they cannot be deduced through logic and reason, because they are two separate systems. One system is worldly, living and then dying; the other system is spiritual, also living and then dying. It simply cannot be explained clearly. Let's save ourselves the trouble; we cannot persuade them. Belief and unbelief are the rules set by God, designed to filter out those who do not believe.

In fact, people have long been chosen in eternity, which may sound a bit hopeless. But what is somewhat hopeful is that we do not know if a person is chosen by God. As for ourselves, we do not choose to believe in God after logical reasoning; we simply decide to believe. As for why we believe, we say that believing in God is good, but after explaining for a long time, we cannot articulate why it is good; it is simply our own personal choice.

Once you choose, at the moment you choose an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison, you will see God with you. How wonderful it is to see God with you, with signs and wonders following. But these signs and wonders are not to make your family wealthy, they are to lead you into the eternal glory that God has prepared for you, all because of belief and unbelief. When we live, we choose to believe, so we diligently observe and follow God's word. But if we are filled with confusion when we see these phenomena, we do not believe and pursue earthly glory. This life is a choice, and eternal life is also a choice. Look at how people live in this world today. If the goal of a person's life is placed in the logic of this life, how confusing it can be. As time passes, I gradually grow, and the more I grow, the more clearly I see things.

Everyone must dismantle the worldly logical system one by one, because we choose to believe that humans have eternal life; it is that simple. We must not care about this life; we must care about eternal life. So when I see worldly logical systems in some of my brothers and sisters, the words they speak are full of confusion.

For example, a sister saw that her grandparents' living environment was like a garbage dump and chose to do a good deed for her grandparents by cleaning up the garbage. But her grandparents would not let her clean it up; to them, the garbage was treasure. This is confusing. We do not know the reason, but they live in that kind of logical system, and you cannot help them. You think garbage is bad, they think garbage is good. I want to tell you that living and then dying is a person's choice, and you cannot make that choice for them. It is not a big deal, and there is no need to be sad; everyone has their own choice.

Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob, and they each had their own choices. Neither could persuade the other. Esau thought he was living well, but he lived under a curse. Jacob thought he had received a blessing, but from our perspective, it seems full of confusion. So from now on, we will no longer use a person's money or status to proclaim God's deeds. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob never gave such testimonies, such as becoming rich as soon as they believed in God. We have never heard of such a thing.

One Generation Passes, Another Comes

Never use wealth, status, or the well-being of children to explain God's grace to oneself. It seems that God bestows more grace on those who do not believe. There have always been such records in the Bible. Genesis chapters 5, 11, and 36 all record how many years a person lived and then died. After their death, someone continued to reign, and then they lived and died. In the future, I will live and die, and if you are only in your twenties now, you will live a few years longer than me, but in the end, it will not be too different; we are all the same.

I will create a confusion for you: wealth or status cannot be used to judge a person's spiritual condition. But you cannot tell if a person is wealthy, but you can certainly see if they are poor. Everyone must know one thing: in the entire vast world, there is such a rule that you cannot tell if a wealthy person is spiritual; some are spiritual, and some are not. Nor can you tell from a person's high or low status whether they are spiritual. Some people with high status may not seem spiritual, and those who are not spiritual may also have high status.

But if a person lives like scum, penniless and haunted by ill-fortune, unable to succeed in anything, even struggling to eat, then that is certainly not spiritual. In other words, one must clearly see that living in this world is a spiritual matter. Both the spiritual and the worldly eventually die. Some spiritual people are wealthy, but many worldly people are also wealthy—that is a fact. So how can poverty be a telltale sign? People like Esau, who are cursed, create a great deal of confusion. But if some among us are cursed, living in turmoil and suffering, then that is certainly not spiritual.

If you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to observe all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you will listen to the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the offspring of your body, and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:1-6)

The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you undertake; and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. (Deuteronomy 28:8)

Your barns and granaries are blessed, and your bank accounts are blessed. But it has never been said that being rich makes you a blessed person. A blessed person is blessed coming in and blessed going out. The offspring of your body and the offspring of your livestock are blessed—that is where the difference lies. Many people are somewhat unfamiliar with logic. For example, a white horse is a horse, and a black horse is also a horse; they are both horses. But the problem is that white and black are not the same. Thus, through a person’s financial situation after believing in the Lord, one can discern whether they are spiritual. It is not about whether they are wealthy, but about whether they are impoverished.

One generation passes away, and another generation comes. Whether it is Esau or Jacob, how is it that Esau serves Jacob? Because God creates a world where people like Jacob, who belong to God, appear to be successively born. But Jacob lives in eternity, while Esau lives in destruction. That is to say, whether we will have a pursuit and longing for eternity, whether we live life with a fleshly system or a spiritual system. If you live with a spiritual system, you will certainly see God’s presence with you. But if you live with a fleshly system, you may not even see the presence of demons. Because demons do not reveal themselves to you, they simply play with you until they destroy you.

I find this world quite interesting. In the end, it is all a matter of choice. Believing or not believing is not a matter of logical deduction; it is a choice in how one views things. Whether you use a spiritual perspective or a worldly logical system to view problems, it all seems reasonable, but the premises are different. Therefore, from a worldly perspective, one cannot see the truth, while from a spiritual perspective, one must judge the development of things through belief or unbelief. If you ask me how I know about the eternal weight of glory, it is simply because I choose to believe. Therefore, because of faith, I believe I should choose to be a vessel of honor.

Now you all know the difference between belief and unbelief, right? Belief or unbelief cannot be persuaded or convinced; it is about what one chooses for oneself. If you choose death, then choose death; if you choose life, then choose life. If you choose the worldly logical system, then choose worldly logic; if you choose God’s logical system, then choose God’s logic. Genesis 36 is well-written because it presents things very straightforwardly. Esau is just such a choice. He sees one generation die and another born, repeating endlessly, yet he feels nothing. If you are like him, then so be it.

God Will Blot Out the Name of Amalek

God's intention to blot out the name of Amalek is written in other chapters of the Bible. In this chapter, Esau's sinfulness has not yet reached its peak, and his worldly logical system has not yet fully developed. By the time the Amalekites have gone through generation after generation, producing countless variations, God will blot them out from under heaven. God will not only blot out the name of Amalek but also the name of Esau. There are no descendants of Esau left; they have been wiped out.

God will send people into the land of Canaan because He will destroy the people of Canaan due to their wickedness reaching its full measure. The evil of worldliness, caused by these carnal people, fills the earth with violence. Some violence is overt and visible, while some is subtle—all driven by the pursuit of worldly gain. In other words, Jacob is one type of person, and Esau is another. The Amalekites are one type of people, while Moses and Joshua are another. The Amalekites and Israelites are enemies throughout the generations, meaning that the carnal and the spiritual are generational enemies. It all depends on which type of person you choose to be.

No matter which you choose, both logical systems are reasonable. The difference lies only in that one system is based on this life, while the other is based on eternity and eternal life. A nation that is at enmity with God will surely be blotted out from under heaven. This world will eventually pass away, but God and His people will endure forever. If your pursuit is in this life, it is not surprising—those corrupt officials and merchants live for this life. So, brothers and sisters, will you choose to be at enmity with God, or will you choose to be at enmity with the devil? If a person chooses to be at enmity with God, they will certainly see many tragedies in this world, although Genesis 36 does not detail those events when it recounts the descendants of Esau.

Conclusion: Ultimately, It's All a Choice

Esau, who was under a curse, chose to live by that logical system, surviving by his sword, constantly fighting and killing. Jacob, relying on God’s blessing, prevailed in wrestling with both man and God—these are two completely different logical systems. Ultimately, which system you choose is your own destiny; no one can convince anyone else. It is normal for some people to live and then die in this world, without it being a significant issue.

For example, if you preach the gospel to your grandparents and they listen, they listen; if they do not, so be it. You cannot force it. Their deeply ingrained worldly logical system—what you think is good, they do not, and what you think is bad, they find quite appealing. No one can convince anyone else; what can you do? Especially when people get old, their inherent concepts are even more difficult for others to shake.

We should no longer use reasons to prove things to people to make them believe. If someone tells us to pray for them and serve them until they are healed, and then they will follow us and believe in the Lord, I think I do not need them to follow me like that. Other Christians may preach the gospel to them and think that if they follow and believe, they are saved with them. But it is not easy to fool me. If they follow me, I do not really gain anything. If I had to say, I would be getting a pile of dogshit. This is a person’s own choice; stop using persuasion to preach the gospel—it is useless.

Today, as we walk this path, I myself find it strange—how did I end up like this because of faith? In the end, I do not even know what choice I made. As the road gets longer and longer, my faith grows stronger and stronger. Seeing God's presence with me so clearly, I realize I made a wise choice.

May God bless everyone!

Genesis Chapter 36

36:1 These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).
36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
36:3 also Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.
36:4 And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; Basemath bore Reuel;
36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
36:6 Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
36:7 For their property had become too great for them to dwell together. The land where they were sojourning could not support them because of their livestock.
36:8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.
36:9 These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.
36:10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah, the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau.
36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
36:12 (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
36:13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
36:14 These are the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: she bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36:15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
36:16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Adah.
36:17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
36:18 These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.
36:19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.
36:20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were settled in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister was Timna.
36:23 These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
36:24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father.
36:25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.
36:26 These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
36:27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
36:28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
36:29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
36:30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their clans in the land of Seir.
36:31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:
36:32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah.
36:33 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.
36:34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
36:35 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith.
36:36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
36:37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.
36:38 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
36:39 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.
36:40 These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
36:41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
36:42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
36:43 Magdiel, and Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land they possessed. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.