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Be nice to them.
“Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother.” Dt.23:7
Kill them.
“And he [Amaziah] did that which was right in the sight of the LORD.... He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand.”
2 Kings14:3, 7
"I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it." Ezekiel 25:13
“Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom.... Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.” Obadiah 1
“Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount
of Esau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by
slaughter.” Obadiah 8-9
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For this problem, we must first look at the forefathers of the lands, which were Esau and Jacob. They were twins of their
mother Rebekah and father Isaac. Esau was the older brother who was the father of the Edomites, and Jacob was the father
of the nation Israel. In this sense, the Israelites were brothers of the Edomites.
From the beginning of the twins’ lives, God favored Jacob over Esau. Here is what God said about them and their descendants:
“I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith
the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They
shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD
hath indignation for ever.” (Malachi 1:2-4)
But why does God hate Esau and his progeny so much? It began with Esau’s biggest mistake-- he sold his birthright as
the oldest sibling to his brother Jacob for a cheap bowl of pottage. As a result, God let Jacob also steal his blessing.
Esau never sought after the ways of God; he was sensual man who did not admire the higher precepts of God. Thus, God hated
Esau and loved Jacob.
Yet, the Israelites were told not to “abhor” the Edomites because they should exhibit a brotherly love. The Apostle
Paul’s words fit here nicely:
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18)
Unfortunately, the Edomites also made themselves odious to God. When the children of Israel were first freed from their slavery
imposed by Pharoah(the Exodus), they came in contact with the Edomites on their journey. Moses, under the direction of God,
wanted to pass through Edom. Here is what transpired:
“But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; Then Israel sent messengers
unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto.
And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.” (Judges
11:16-17)
Hence, when God wanted to punish Edom, He used His people, Israel, to do it. Yet at all other times, the Israelites were
not to be provoking to Edom. This kinship was also exhibited in the fact that Edomites were friends with the Israelites even
after King Saul’s first conquest of them(1 Samuel 14:47), as Doeg the Edomite was in Saul’s court. But treacherously,
Doeg killed the priests of the Lord. (1 Samuel 22:18)
The bottom line is: it was okay for God to exert His wrath on the Edomites due to the affronts by them, but He wanted the
Israelites to be a peaceable people who would not seek war at every turn. The children of Israel must always look to God
for counsel in times of conflict.
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