Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read Genesis 36. Consider the original audience (the nation of Israel) in their context of hearing this (in the wilderness, after the exodus, before entering the promised land). As you read, look for why Moses would’ve recorded this genealogy here. (Also see Deut 2:1-8)
• What phrase in v. 1 stands out (also see v. 9, 19)? Where have we seen this phrase before? What might it be pointing us to here? Note the repeated phrase in v. 8.
• Who were Esau’s wives? What were their origins? (Specifically see v. 25 concerning Oholibamah) Why is this significant?
• Why are vv. 6-7 so significant in light of the promises God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and most notably Jacob as recent as Gen 35:12?
• Why would Moses include the genealogy of Seir in vv. 20-30? Why would he include the list of kings in vv. 31-39, and the chiefs in 40-43?

Prayerfully Meditate

• Consider the promises God had made to Jacob. What threat did Esau still pose to those promises?
• What was the result of Esau’s intermarrying with the Canaanites around him? How do you see this play out in these verses?
• What do we learn about Esau’s disregard for God’s promise, and God’s treatment of Esau in this chapter?
• In what ways does this chapter highlight Esau’s prosperity? What does this teach us about prosperity’s relationship with the blessing of God, knowing God, and salvation?