Growing While Stuck

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When I read Genesis 36, sandwiched between Jacob’s life and Joseph’s story, I was surprised by the detailed account of Esau’s descendants.

It is a long chapter full of names, clans, chiefs, kings, and places. At first glance, it feels repetitive. Esau had descendants. Those descendants had descendants. They became chiefs. They settled in Edom. Eventually, they had kings.

But then one verse stood out to me.

“These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites.”
Genesis 36:31

Esau’s family seems to become established quickly. They have land. They have leaders. They have structure. Genesis even tells us that Edom had kings before Israel did. The author pauses the story, propels us into the future to show what becomes of Esau’s descendants, then abruptly dials time back to pick up the story again with Joseph as a teenager.

While Edom is establishing itself, Jacob’s family is heading in a very different direction.

They are about to end up in Egypt.

They will grow there. They will become numerous. But they will not be free. They will not be settled. They will not be able to organize themselves as a nation. Their growth will happen under pressure, under slavery, and under someone else’s power.

Meanwhile, Esau’s descendants become an established nation. I find that interesting, given that Esau had given up his birthright to Jacob and then been tricked into losing his father’s blessing.

So far in Genesis, the promise of becoming a great nation has been focused on the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the fulfilment of that promise takes a long time.

I find that hard to ignore.

Sometimes growth does not look like progress.

Sometimes we are growing, but still stuck.
Growing, but not free.
Growing, but not established.
Growing, but not where we thought we would be.

Edom marched ahead. Israel was delayed.

But delay is not abandonment.

God had not forgotten Jacob’s family in Egypt. Their time there would become part of the story. Painful, yes. Unjust, absolutely. But not wasted.

Genesis 36 reminds me that visible progress is not always the best measure of God’s faithfulness. Some people seem to settle faster. Build faster. Advance faster. Meanwhile, others are still waiting, wandering, or simply surviving.

But God’s promise does not depend on how quickly things appear to move.

Israel was growing while stuck.

And sometimes, so are we.