God promised Abram that his children and grandchildren would multiply. Here’s the proof!
We won’t linger longer on Genesis chapters 35 and 36. They are largely genealogies, beginning with a restating of Jacob’s dozen, since Benjamin, the last, has finally been added. The chapter ends with Jacob and Esau meeting again, this time at the funeral of their father, Isaac, and his burial with the other patriarchs—and matriarchs—in the cave of Machpelah at Hebron. Chapter 36 now sets aside Esau and his line from the focus of God’s unfolding plan in the same way that Ishmael was set to one side in chapter 25. Genealogies might not seem very important to us, reading like an old phone book—do you remember phone books?—with a great cast but not much plot. But these genealogies are vital! Let me give a few reasons. First, they show how meticulous God is in noticing the individual. You might not care about “Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran” (v 26), but God does! If God attends the funeral of every sparrow, and He does (Mt 10:29), don’t forget “you are of more value than many sparrows” (v 31). The second reason for the importance of Bible genealogies is to show the historicity of these vital documents. These are not fairy tales. Unlike other religions, the message of the Word of God is rooted in history. When Jesus comes, His credentials must be proven, that He is “the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Mt 1:1), and therefore has the right to fulfill the covenants made to them regarding the seed, the land, and the throne. The same overlapping genealogies can be found throughout the Bible, corroborating that the New Testament record matches the ancient Hebrew Scriptures carefully preserved by the Jewish people. Yes, the Jews are the stewards of His Messianic claims!