These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned: Genesis 36:31

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 5, 2012): Genesis 36

God’s timing is not my timing. I wish it was. I want things now, but God seems to be willing to wait. And I am not sure that I quite understand it. One of the questions that I don’t like is this one – “how is your church doing?” And my response is usually something like “we aren’t quite where I wanted us to be at this point.” I don’t think that my expectations were out of line, but we aren’t where I thought we would be at this point in our existence.

And part of the problem with the question for me is that, for some reason, it takes my attention away from the fantastic things that God is doing in our church. I believe that our churches exist for a reason – we have a purpose that has been given to us by God. But it is not my job or your job to make that purpose a reality. I want it to be my job, but it’s not. God is the only one that can bring his church and his purpose together. So I am waiting on God.

God had promised that he would fulfill his purpose through Israel. God’s promise to Israel was that he would bless them so that they could bless the world. Just like my church, God’s promise would be fulfilled, but it would be fulfilled in God’s time.

So Esau moved into the hill country of Seir. And his descendants would take over the area just south of the Dead Sea. It is likely that there was already a people group living there, but God allowed Esau and his descendants to assume a position of authority in that area. And the name changed from Seir to Edom because of the presence of the descendants of Esau. Edom was Esau’s nickname. (The name actually means red and it was given to Esau either because his hair was red or because he ate red porridge.) And the truth is that there were kings that came out of the line of Esau long before there were kings out of the line of Israel. In fact, it is likely that there was a descendant of Esau on the throne of Edom while the descendants of Israel were still living as slaves in Egypt. And, at that point in Israel’s history, it didn’t seem that God was working out his purpose in the descendants of Jacob.

I don’t know where your life is right now, but I believe that God is working out his purpose in you – and in me. And yes, it is in God’s timing, but if there is a lesson to be learned from Jacob and Esau, one of them might be that while the purpose may have appeared to be worked out in Esau first, over three millennia later it is only Jacob that remains.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 37

Personal Note: The May birthday parade continues, today with my daughter Alyssa. Happy Birthday, I hope you have a great day.