Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (22.2)

The Book of Genesis

Genesis Chapter 35, 36 & 37:1 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

The Return to Bethel and Confirmation Of God’s Blessing

v.1 God summons Jacob back to Bethel to fulfill his vows (cf. 28:20-22).  The command “Arise, go up to Bethel” is also topographically accurate because Bethel is approximately 1000 feet more above sea level than Shechem.  In reminding Jacob of how he had once fled to Bethel to escape “from the face of Esau”, Jacob was assured of the LORD’s protection in his return to Bethel in the face of the trouble that his two sons, Simeon and Levi, had stirred up.

v.2-3 The preparation for completing the vows included a process of purification.  Israel’s family belonged to the LORD and so they had to “put away the strange gods that are among [them]” (v.3) before they could worship the LORD.  This was not a part of God’s direction to Jacob but he knew, in his spiritual maturation, that the presence of such “other gods” will be a barrier preventing a true worship of God, and they are irreconcilable with the intimacy of a walk with God.   Christians who seek to worship and serve God have likewise to put away everything in their life that may have taken the rightful place of God in their heart in any way.  Jacob’s direction to his family to “change your garments” would be an outward expression of the inward moral transformation in the necessary steps of consecration when one approaches the LORD to worship Him.  Jacob called God whom they are approaching to worship the One “who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went” (v. 3).  This description is an accurate summary of the picture of God, which has emerged from the Jacob narratives – Jacob was in constant distress; yet in each instance God remained faithful to his promise and delivered him.

v.4-5 The family submitted to the godly leadership of Jacob and surrendered to him “all the strange gods…and all the earrings” (v.4) and Jacob buried all these under an oak tree.  The protective hand of God ensured a safe journey of the family of Jacob to Bethel.  “The terror of God…upon the cities that were round about them” (v.5) immobilises any potential threat of danger from the Canaanites in retaliation for the sack of Shechem.  Again, it may be observed that it was neither by the strength of the human arm nor by the ingenuity of the human mind that God’s people were delivered from danger.  It is the gracious hand of God in behalf of His people that ensured their protection and survival in the times of danger.

v.6-7 Once Jacob arrives at Bethel (v.6), he “built there an altar, and called the place El-bethel” (v.7).  The new name “El-bethel” appears to be connected with Jacob’s earlier vow – “then the LORD be my God” (28:21).  El-bethel (“God of the House of God”) thus recalls the God Jacob encountered there, who has indeed blessed him, rather than recall the place as a holy site (Bethel means “House of God”).

v.8 On the journey to Bethel, “Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died”.  This death was a sorrowful loss for Jacob.  She was buried at the base of an oak tree and the naming of the tree (“it was called Allonbachuth”) shows that this person was sorely missed.  A long era (two patriarchs) was bridged by her life, and her death reminded the people of the era that ended with the return of Jacob to Bethel.

v.9-10 In appearing to Jacob, God blessed Jacob (v.9) as He had done earlier (cf. 32:30).  The blessing God pronounces over Jacob recalls his encounter at Peniel (cf. 32:28).  For a second time, we read that God announces to Jacob the patriarch’s name change from Jacob to Israel (v.10).  There is no explanation given of the repeated bestowal of the name but perhaps this second naming after he is reconciled with Esau suggests that reconciliation with his estranged brother is a necessary prelude to his becoming truly “Israel”.  After the disastrous experience at Shechem, Jacob is reminded that he returns to Canaan not as Jacob but as Israel.  He is not only to bury the foreign gods but he is to bury what has become for all practical purposes a foreign nature – a “Jacob” nature.  He who earlier instructed the people to change their garments must live up to his own change of name.

v.11-13 The importance of God's promises to Jacob cannot be overemphasized. First, God's words “be fruitful and multiply” (v.11) recalled clearly the primeval blessing of Creation (cf. 1:28) and hence showed God to be still at work in bringing about the blessing to all mankind through Jacob, in spite of all the failures and tragedies that have taken place.  Second, for the first time since 17:16, the mention is made of royalty (“kings shall come out of thy loins”) in the promised line again. Third, the promise of the land, first given to Abraham and then to Isaac, was renewed here with Jacob (v.12).  The primeval blessing of mankind was renewed through the promise of a royal offspring and the gift of the land to Jacob upon his return to Bethel after his exile from the land of promise. Even the description of how the revelation was concluded (v.13, “And God went up from him”) is the same with that which took place between God and Abraham (cf. 17:22), which stresses the continuation of the blessing of God from Abraham to Jacob now.

v.14-15 In response, Jacob stood up the stone for “a pillar” (v.14), poured “a drink offering thereon,” anointed it with oil, and named the place “where God spake with him, Bethel” (v.15).  The only appropriate response of the believer to the gracious dealings of God is to bow in worship to Him.

Continuing Trials of Faith – Birth, Death, Incest, Death

v.16-20 Jacob and his family are between Bethel and Ephrath, still a good distance away from Ephrath, when Rachel starts heavy labour (v.16).  Rachel experiences extremely painful childbirth and the consolation of the midwife, “thou shalt have this son also” (v. 17), suggests that she is aware of Rachel’s prayer for another son (cf. 30:24).  The birth of Benjamin completed the number of tribes in Israel but it took the life of his mother (v.18).  The name Ben-oni may mean “son of my misfortune” but Jacob renamed him “Benjamin,” which could mean “son of good fortune”.

Ironically, Rachel, who earlier had proclaimed she would die if she had no children (cf. 30:1), and who gave to her firstborn the name, “Joseph” (i.e. may He add another son), dies at childbirth (v.19).  She was buried at Bethlehem, and “Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave” (v.20) to commemorate the death of his beloved wife.

v.21-26 As Israel settled in the region “beyond the tower of Edar” (v.21), he faced another disturbing experience.  Reuben, Israel’s eldest son born to Leah, “went and lay with Bilhah” (v.22), the maidservant of the late Rachel, the mother of Reuben’s half-brothers Dan and Naptali.  Israel restrained himself but he took note of the offense and that figured prominently in his final words, when the birthright passed by Reuben (cf. 49:3-4).  It is likely that Reuben’s incest was a premature attempt to replace his father as the patriarch by some pagan custom of taking over the concubines (cf. 2 Sam. 16:15-23) as an announcement of the successor to a deceased king.

The account has shown how the first 3 oldest sons of Jacob disqualified themselves because of their horrendous conduct – the violence of Simeon and Levi (chapter 34), and here, the misconduct of Reuben.  As the genealogical list that follows shows (v.23-26), the next brother in line was Judah, the son of Leah.  With the disqualification of the older sons, the stage is then set for the development of the line of Judah.

v. 27-29 The end of the Jacob story, not his life, is marked by the death of his father, Isaac.  This record serves the purpose of demonstrating the complete fulfillment of God's promise to Jacob (cf. 28:21).  According to Jacob's vow, he had asked that God watches over him during his sojourn and return him safely to the house of his father.  Thus the conclusion of the narrative marks the final fulfillment of these words as Jacob returned to the house of his father, Isaac, before he died.

Chapter 36

Further Trials of Faith – The Prosperity of Esau’s Descendants

v.1-8 According the generations of Esau, who is Edom, Esau had 3 major wives – Adah, Oholibamah, and Basemath (v.1-2).  It seems that Esau had several wives (cf. 26:34; 28:9) but only the important ones are named here.  From these wives, Esau had 5 sons (v.4-5).  Esau left for the East and greener pasture (v.6) because “the land…could not bear them” (v.7).  This great prosperity was part of God’s blessing on Esau (cf. 27:39-40).  Thus, Mount Seir became the country of the Edom (v.8).

v.9-19 This section gives the generations of Esau as the father of the Edomites in Seir.  Once the family moved and conquered Seir, a new record was kept with a new starting point, even though it continued the family history of Esau.  The sons of Esau also had sons – 6 from Eliphaz and 4 from Reuel.  Esau thus had 5 sons and 10 grandsons, and 13 of them are chieftains (“dukes”).  This term “duke” speaks of organisation – they are not just sons but heads of tribes.

v.20-29 The sons of Seir the Horite, who are the inhabitants of the land, are listed here.  These are native Seirites conquered by Esau (cf. Deut. 2:12), and they then formed part of the Edomite kingdom.  Seven sons became chiefs (“dukes”), and from these seven came 21 sons and daughters.  Thus, a picture of Esau as a powerful overlord is emerging.  Not only did his own sons become chiefs of clans, but clans in the land were subjugated to him.

v.31-39 This 4th list gives the kings of Edom.  There are 8 names in this line of kings, and they ruled over the kingdom of Edom, which had grown rapidly from families to tribes to form a nation.  This development in Edom preceded the development of Israel as a kingdom (v.31).

v.40-43 The final section adds the list of chiefs who came from Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names.  Eleven names appear here and they seem to be districts.  The record of the genealogy of Esau closes with the reminder that “Esau is the father of the Edomites” (v.43).