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There are several fascinating clues in scripture and ancient tradition that suggest that Job may have been the descendant of both Esau and Ishmael. The clues come in Genesis 36, which gives the family tree of Esau and his wives. Jobab was a son of Zerah (Gen. 36:33), who was a son of Reuel (Gen. 36:13), who was a son of Esau & Mahalath-Bashemath who was Ishmael's daughter (Gen. 36:3). The Family Tree of Jobab looks like this: Ishmael > Mahalath-Bashemath (Gen. 36:3) Esau & Mahalath-Bashemath > Reuel > Zerah > Jobab It's this Jobab that is listed among the kings of Edom in Genesis 36. Many believe he is the same person as Job. Here are a few connections: Two of Job's friends are Eliphaz the Temanite who was a descendant of Esau, and Bildad the Shuhite who was a descendant of Abraham (see their Family Trees here) Job's story takes place in the Land of Uz, which is often connected to Edom, the land of Esau's descendants. The Book of Job never mentions the 12 Tribes of Israel, Law of Moses, the Exodus, Tabernacle, or the Priesthood. Yet Job is presented as a man who worships the one true God. This fits well with a descendant of Esau and Ishmael, but not a descendant of Jacob-Israel. Job is listed as very wealthy; Jobab as king of Edom would have also been wealthy Most interesting of all, at the end of the Book of Job in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament dated to the 3rd century BC), Job is positively identified with Jobab, descendant of Esau. So was Job a descendant of Esau and Ishmael? This topic has been discussed for years by scholars and commentators alike. The evidence is worth exploring. What do you think?

Did you know that King David purchased the land for the Temple because of a plague? When King David took a census against the Lord’s command (see 2 Sam. 24; 1 Chr. 21), a devastating plague came upon Israel. In just three days, 70,000 Israelites from Dan to Beersheba died. But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem, the Lord stopped the plague right at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (Canaanite). So David went to Araunah and offered to purchase the threshing floor. Araunah offered to give it to the mighty and powerful king for free, but David refused: “I will not sacrifice to the Lord burnt offerings which cost me nothing.” David paid for the land, built an altar, and the plague was stopped. Then David declared: “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.” 1 Chr. 22:1 He immediately began making preparations for a temple to be built on that very spot. For 1,000 years, that threshing floor became the site of the Temple of the Lord. Today, we know the location as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on top of Mount Moriah. What began as a place where judgment was stopped became a place of worship, sacrifice, and covenant. The place where Jerusalem was spared became holy ground. Did you know?