The Legacy of a Secularist: Lessons from Esau's Life
When we think about legacy, we often focus on success stories - people who built empires, achieved fame, or left their mark on history. But what about those who had every opportunity for greatness yet chose a different path? Genesis 36 tells us about one such person: Esau, Jacob's twin brother who walked away from God's promises to pursue worldly success.
Why Does God Include Esau's Story?
Genesis 36 is one of the longest chapters in Genesis, entirely devoted to Esau's family genealogy. This might seem strange since Esau rejected his birthright and God's covenant. Why would God dedicate so much space to someone who turned away from Him?
First, it demonstrates that even though Esau rejected God, God still blessed him - not because of anything Esau did, but because God is gracious and good. Second, and more importantly, this chapter serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when we prioritize earthly success over our relationship with God.
What Does It Mean to Live as a Secularist?
A secularist is someone consumed with earthly success, fleshly satisfaction, social standing, or money while ignoring spiritual matters. Esau's life warns us: if you prioritize any of these things above your relationship with God, you'll end up with a brief mention in history books, a washed-up legacy, and a Christless eternity.
The central lesson is this: Do not mistake God's kindness with God's leniency.
How Did Esau Reject God?
In His Marriage Choices
Esau married three Canaanite women - pagan women who didn't serve the true God. This directly violated his family's tradition. Abraham had specifically instructed that Isaac shouldn't marry a Canaanite woman, and Isaac gave Jacob the same instruction.
The Canaanites were pagan people who didn't serve God. This reminds us of the dangers when Christians marry unbelievers. A household where one spouse is devoted to God and the other wants nothing to do with Him will face significant challenges.
If your top priority in choosing a life partner is anything other than whether they love and serve God - whether that's attractiveness, compatibility, financial status, or common interests - you're making the same mistake as Esau.
In His Living Situation
When Esau's wealth grew too large to coexist peacefully with Jacob, he chose to leave the Promised Land entirely. He moved to Seir, southeast of the Dead Sea, which became known as Edom.
Esau didn't have to leave Canaan - there was plenty of space to expand northward within the Promised Land. But God wasn't important to him when choosing where to live. His only considerations were whether he could make money, gain power, achieve status, and get ahead in the world.
Are You Making the Same Mistakes?
Do you make life decisions - physical moves, career changes, school choices, work hours, children's activities - based purely on material benefits while ignoring spiritual impact?
For military families who move frequently, this is especially relevant. While finding a good church shouldn't necessarily be your top priority, it should be in your top five considerations when receiving new orders.
The Christian life isn't a homestead where you live independently. You cannot make it on your own without God. Without God, you don't grow spiritually, fight temptation effectively, raise holy children, receive forgiveness, overcome sin, or go to heaven.
How Was Esau Blessed Despite His Rejection?
Despite turning away from God, Esau was tremendously blessed. He had twelve male heirs (grandsons and sons) who became clan leaders, each ruling over up to a thousand people. He was like a Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk of his time - incredibly successful and powerful.
God also blessed Esau with land. His descendants conquered and intermarried with the Horites, taking over Mount Seir. God even told the Israelites not to bother the Edomites because He had given them that land as their possession - simply because Esau was related to Jacob.
This shows God's incredible goodness. He blesses people not because they deserve it, but because He is gracious. However, we shouldn't mistake God's kindness for approval of our choices or leniency toward our sin.
What About God's Judgment?
Worldly success often comes faster and appears more impressive than spiritual success. Esau's descendants had eight kings ruling in Edom before Israel even had one king. While Israel struggled through the chaotic period of the Judges, Edom appeared to be thriving with organized leadership and military power.
But there's a crucial word in Genesis 36:31 - "before." This implies there would be a time "after" when an Israelite king would rule. Eventually, King David from the tribe of Judah conquered the Edomites, and they became his servants.
The conflict didn't end there. Throughout the books of Kings, Edomites continued fighting against Israel, even allying with Israel's enemies. This was Satan's attempt to disrupt God's plan to bring the Messiah through Israel.
Ultimately, it took Jesus - the true King from the tribe of Judah - to defeat not just Edom, but the curse of sin for all mankind through His death and resurrection.
Was There Hope for Esau?
The tragic truth is that there was always a way back for Esau and his descendants. Deuteronomy 23:7 states that Edomites could enter the assembly of the Lord after three generations, because "he is your brother."
Reconciliation was always available. Esau could have returned to the Promised Land, rejoined Jacob's family, and served the one true God. But he chose to remain focused on earthly wealth and worldly success instead of eternal matters.
Why Focus on Things That Don't Matter to the Judge?
Consider Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin, who performs spectacular backflips during his routines. These moves are flashy and crowd-pleasing, but they earn him zero points from the judges. In fact, if he fails to land one, he could lose his medal. Yet he continues doing them because he loves the crowd's response.
Many people today are like Malinin, focusing on things that ultimately score no points with the Judge of eternity. Why are you consumed with making money, achieving status, building your empire, or pursuing relationships when you're ignoring what matters most - your relationship with Jesus?
There's coming a day when God's blessing will give way to God's judgment. Earthly success means nothing to the eternal Judge.
Life Application
This week, examine your priorities and decision-making process. Are you living like Esau, prioritizing earthly success over spiritual growth? Challenge yourself to refocus your heart and mind on Jesus Christ rather than rushing after temporary pleasures and worldly achievements.
Ask yourself these questions:
What drives my major life decisions - material benefits or spiritual considerations?
Am I mistaking God's current blessings in my life as approval for ignoring Him?
If I died today, would my legacy be about earthly success or eternal impact?
What "backflips" am I performing that impress people but earn no points with God?
Remember, you can always return to God. Unlike Esau, who chose to remain focused on worldly success, you have the opportunity today to prioritize your relationship with Jesus above all else. Don't let temporary earthly achievements cost you eternal treasure.