God the Father is not very fond of the Canaanites and will ultimately require that Israel destroy that nation. This is where many non-believers attempt to corner the Christian with the age-old query, “Why would a loving God desire to destroy an entire nation of people?” The answer is a simple one: these people were incarnate wickedness.
God would in fact give them four hundred (400) years to change their malevolent ways, but in the end they reject and snub Him. Essentially they became the rabid dog of biblical history that had to be destroyed–their fate was inevitable; God purely opted to speed-up the process for the sake of His Kingdom. This is why God warns Israel later on (in Deuteronomy 7:3-6) not to marry into these families. The principle carries over into the New Testament as well
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14
Esau: a Picture of the Flesh
Esau is a picture (or type) of the flesh and much can be learned from his life and genealogy. His downward spiral accelerates has he partners with a condemned people and we see that secreted away in his genealogy. Again, if you are one that believes Bible genealogies are tiresome catalogs that have little or no meaning, I would ask that you re-think that position. Sometimes the seemingly most boring regions of the Bibles contain the most wonderful nuggets of truth and gems of wisdom if we elect to dig around a little.
Changing the Name
Let’s spotlight Esau’s three wives. As we read the text and compare it with Esau’s ancestry (as recorded elsewhere in the Bible), we discover something very interesting: Esau changes the names of each of his wives. Adah will become Basemath, Basemath (his cousin) will become Mahalath, and Aholibamah will become Judith. Why all the name changes?
Esau’s first wife Adah was a Hittite-heathen (a Canaanite) and surely marrying her would have made Isaac and Rebekah very unhappy. He chooses for her the name of his cousin Basemath (Uncle Ishmael’s daughter) in an attempt to make her more pleasant to mom and dad. He (also) likely yearned for his cousin and why he chose the name for Adah. Ironically he eventually marries his cousin Basemath, but changes her name to Mahalath (which literally means, ‘you make me sick’) because he has also stumbled upon his soon to be third wife Aholibamah (Judith) who he would love more than all his wives. Quite dreadful.
Changing the Name Does Not Fool Anyone
When we lay it all out, it is easy to see right through Esau’s cover-up. Why then do we do the same thing? Esau is not doing anything the world hasn’t grown accustom to doing—changing names to fool ourselves (and others) attempting to make the original more palatable and acceptable.
Think about it—we don’t call it adultery; we call it an affair or having a fling (until we wind-up in divorce court—then we call it by the real name). Fornication sounds repulsive, so we change that to ‘hooking-up’ and liken it to rounding the base path. And nobody calls a sodomite by their rightful name, we call them gay. All these changes are a ruse; an attempt to disguise the things we know in our hearts to be sin.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
When We Are Guilty
Acting fleshly and sinful are inevitable, but as the Christian grows in faith, understanding, and gratitude these behaviors diminish. Nevertheless we still sin, so where is our hope? Please read and allow the Lord to etch upon your heart this familiar Bible passage.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:1-5
God says that, “The righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, ” not ‘by’ us…Praise be to God.
He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 