Genesis 36

"For their possessions were too many for them to live together, and because of their herds, the land where they stayed could not support them."

Genesis 36:7

Esau and Jacob (or Edom and Israel).  So great were their blessings that they could no longer fit in one encampment.  Many people have a hard time understanding this because cities today have no real comparison to the townships of this time-frame.  Ultimately, these people would have lived in tents until they had settled the land enough to build huts.  Without the beauty of modern architecture, they were unable to construct the multi-story apartments and homes that so many of us are used to.

However, it's not even the lack of architectural technology that kept them from living together.  In that day, there was no such thing as a supermarket, nor even a grocery store of any kind.  There wasn't a 7-11 that Jacob and Esau could go to when they ran out of milk or bread.  They had to produce everything that they needed.  Livestock and crops both require immense amounts of space, so back then there truly was a breaking point at which a city was so big that it couldn't support itself.  There were no trucks to deliver extra food and supplies when they were needed.

Prayer of the Day

Help me to more fully appreciate the differences between modern life and the lives of biblical figures so that I may have a better understanding of Your Word.  Thank you for the abundance of blessings into which I have been born, and for the continuance of these things even though I'm undeserving!  Show me how to bring these blessings back to Your glory.  Amen.