Genesis 36:24–31
And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. The children of Dishan are these: Uz, and Aran. These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir. And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

There is a little line in this section that says a lot more than you might think at first reading. Edom had kings before Israel ever had a king.

Now the flesh loves that kind of thing. The flesh loves to say, “Look at us. We got there first. We are ahead of the game. We are more advanced. We are more organized. We are further along than everybody else.” That is just the way the flesh talks. It boasts in what it can produce, what it can build, what it can point to, what it can accomplish in its own strength.

That is Esau all over again.

Edom came from Esau, and Esau is always a picture of the flesh. So it does not surprise me at all that when you read about his descendants, you find structure, power, chiefs, kings, and all the outward signs of success. The flesh always wants to look impressive. It wants something visible. It wants something now.

But just because something comes first does not mean it has the favor of God on it.

That is important.

Because if you only looked on the surface, you might think Edom was ahead and Israel was behind. Edom had kings. Israel did not. Edom looked established. Israel looked delayed. Edom looked strong. Israel looked unfinished.

But God was not late with Israel.

He was working.

You see, the Lord was doing something deeper with Jacob and his descendants than simply giving them an early throne. He was forming a people. He was teaching them dependence. He was showing them what it meant to be led by Him. And that kind of work usually takes longer than the work of the flesh.

The flesh can build something fast.

The Lord builds something right.

There is a big difference between the two.

A man can get out ahead of God and have something to show for it. A title. A platform. A name. A little kingdom of his own making. And other people may look at it and say, “Wow, he must really have it together.” But if it was born of the flesh, it will not carry the life of the Spirit.

It might be early.

It just will not be eternal.

That is what I see here.

Edom had kings before Israel. Fine. But where is Edom now? And where is Israel in the story of redemption? One line boasted in visible achievement. The other line carried the promise of God.

That is the difference.

And I think there is a word in that for all of us, because we live in a world that constantly pressures us to get somewhere faster. Do more. Build more. Become more. Get ahead. Stay ahead. Be first. Be seen. Be established.

But the child of God cannot measure life that way.

Sometimes the Lord will let you be in a season where it looks like everybody else is moving ahead of you. They are getting their kings, so to speak. They are getting their recognition, their opportunities, their visible successes. And you are still waiting, still praying, still walking, still trusting.

Do not confuse delay with denial.

And do not confuse flashy progress with spiritual fruit.

Some things ripen quickly and rot just as fast.

Some things take time because God intends for them to last.

So if the Lord has you in a slower season, do not despise it. If you feel like you are behind, do not panic. If everybody around you seems to be building their own Edom, do not envy them.

Just stay with the Lord.

Because I would rather be late in the eyes of men and right in the will of God than early in the eyes of men and out on my own. The flesh is always in a hurry. The Spirit is never frantic.

God knows what He is doing.

And when He builds, He does not just build for show. He builds for keeps.