Genesis 35-36
Notes
Transcript
Background
We are back in Genesis, picking up where we left off. So far, we have observed in Genesis the creation of the heavens and the earth, and mankind on the earth. We watched man fall from grace through rebellious sin. We’ve seen God judge fallen man, flooding the earth and destroying all life except for Noah and those on the ark with him.
We were introduced to Abraham, the father of many nations. Abraham was promised that he would be the father of God’s chosen nation Israel through his son, Isaac, who was born to him when he was 100 years old. Sarah, his wife, was 90 years old when she bore Isaac. We saw Abraham’s faithfulness when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, but instead provided a substitutionary sacrifice in his place.
We observed Isaac’s life with Rebekah, and the twins that were born to them, Esau and Jacob. Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and his blessing, and fled to Rebekah’s family in Paddan-Aram. There he met Rebekah’s brother Laban, and married his 2 daughters Leah and Rachel. He worked for Laban 20 years and was given 12 sons and a daughter by his 2 wives and their 2 maids. Jacob left Laban with his household and returned to the land of Canaan, reuniting with his brother Esau.
In the previous chapter, Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped by the local prince of Shechem. Through trickery, 2 of Jacob’s sons killed all the men of Shechem and recovered their sister. Now we will see what comes next in their story.
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments;
3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.
5 As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.
7 He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.
MAP
MAP
God again communicates with Jacob, and guides him where to go next. Jacob would recognize this place as the first place God spoke to him in ch. 28, where he saw the ladder up to heaven.
This would be the fulfillment of Jacob’s vow he made so many years ago.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear,
21 and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.
22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
Jacob now is making good on his vow, and making the LORD his God.
This is why he instructs his household to remove all foreign gods and religious objects from their presence, and to purify themselves.
Recall the incident of Rachel stealing her father’s household idols.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
21 ‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation,
The foolish nation is us, Gentiles.
19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
God alone is worthy of worship, and is jealous for His people.
God alone is worthy of worship, and is jealous for His people.
Remember that originally, only the Jews were inheritors of the blessing.
12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
As a result of Jacob’s faithfulness, God protected him and his household as they traveled by striking the surrounding peoples with fear.
It may be that word had spread about how Shechem was laid to waste by Jacob’s household.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household.”
Jacob arrived at Luz (the original name of the city), built and altar to God (for a second time here), and renamed the place “house of God.”
As an aside, it is mentioned that Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died and was buried here. There is some debate as to the timing and significance here, but Deborah was potentially with Rebekah since leaving Haran.
9 Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him.
10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel.
11 God also said to him, “I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you.
12 “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you.”
13 Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.
14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.
15 So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.
This is another significant interaction between God and His chosen family. He had a similar interaction with Abraham.
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
2 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
6 “I have made you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.
7 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
Israel can mean “God will rule/prevail/contend,” but essentially it conveys that God is in command.
This is significant because God has been with Jacob this entire time, and Jacob recognizes this.
Similar promises are given/reiterated.
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor.
17 When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.”
18 It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
20 Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
21 Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
Israel continued on towards his father, and on the way Rachel went into labor.
**Experience of labor.
This was extremely tough; so tough in fact that it cost Rachel her life.
Her midwife tried to encourage her by saying her second child was a son - recall the competition.
Rachel wanted to name her son “sorrow,” most likely due to her impending death, but Israel named him “son of right hand,” indicating favor.
This was Israel’s last son born to him.
22 It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now there were twelve sons of Jacob—
23 the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun;
24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin;
25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali;
26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.
28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.
29 Isaac breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
Jacob was able to arrive back home to his father’s household before Isaac died.
God is faithful to uphold His promises.
God is faithful to uphold His promises.
Esau was present for Isaac’s burial.
1 Now these are the records of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).
2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
3 also Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.
4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel,
5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush and Jalam and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6 Then Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters and all his household, and his livestock and all his cattle and all his goods which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to another land away from his brother Jacob.
7 For their property had become too great for them to live together, and the land where they sojourned could not sustain them because of their livestock.
8 So Esau lived in the hill country of Seir; Esau is Edom.
Recall Esau took Canaanite wives which grieved his parents, instigating to plot for Jacob to leave.
There will be significance between Edom and Israel in OT.
Gen. 36:9-43
**Genealogy of Esau and his descendents.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
God alone is worthy of worship, and is jealous for His people.
God is faithful to uphold His promises.
Next week, we will continue through the book of Genesis.