Bury the Idols; Believe the Promises
Notes
Transcript
Text: Genesis 35-36
1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the 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 that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.
3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers 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 that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him,
7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.
8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.
10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel.
11 And God 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 from your own body.
12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.
15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor.
17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.”
18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem),
20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.
21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.
28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years.
29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
1 These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).
2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
3 and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.
4 And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel;
5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, 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, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock.
8 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)
9 These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.
10 These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.
11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
14 These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.
17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
18 These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.
19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.
23 These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father.
25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah.
26 These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, chief by chief in the land of Seir.
31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.
32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah.
33 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.
34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith.
36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.
37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.
38 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
39 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.
40 These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
43 Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.
bury the idols; believe the promises
Genesis 35 — Death and Life
Genesis 35 — Death and Life
Divine Sovereignty & Human Responsibility
Jacob following in the footsteps of Abraham
Receiving God’s command to leave where they are and go somewhere else
Abraham: Gen 12:1
Jacob: Gen 35:1, 7
Abandoning false gods
Abraham: Josh 24:2-3
Jacob Gen 35:2, 4
Leading their families in obedience to God’s command, motivated by faith
Abraham: Gen 12:4
Jacob: Gen 35:3, 5-6
Receiving God’s promises
Abraham (Gen 12:2-3, 7, etc.)
Jacob (Gen 35:11-12)
God gives a new name
Abraham: Gen 17:5
Jacob: Gen 35:10
Building an altar at Bethel
Abraham: Gen 12:7-8
Jacob: Gen 35:6-7
God went up from him
Abraham: Gen 17:22
Jacob: Gen 35:13
Same geographical movements: Shechem —> Bethel —> Hebron
Abraham: Gen 12:7, 8; 13:18
Jacob: Gen 33:18-19; 35:6; 35:27
So Jacob is following the pattern of Abraham, receiving and obeying God’s command, forsaking false gods, receiving God’s promises, responding in worship by building an altar, and even traveling to the same exact places in the same order. Jacob is the new Abraham, confirming to us that it will be through Jacob that God’s promises will be fulfilled and He will bring about the salvation of mankind.
4 deaths & burials
4 deaths & burials
idols, Deborah, Rachel, and Isaac
The death and burial of the idols (Gen 35:2-4)
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.
3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers 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 that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
These idols may be the ones Rachel stole from Laban, perhaps others that Jacob’s family had, and possibly ones they confiscated from Shechem in ch. 34.
Interestingly, it is also at Shechem (this same place) that Joshua tells the people of Israel to put away their foreign gods and worship only the LORD.
Jacob leads his family in commitment to worshiping only Yahweh as the true God — As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Josh 24:15).
Burying these gods under the tree in Shechem shows that these are dead, lifeless, powerless gods, and they are forsaking them to worship the true God instead.
The death and burial of Deborah (Gen 35:8)
8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.
Rebekah’s death and burial are never mentioned, and we don’t know if Jacob ever saw her again.
Rebekah’s nurse Deborah had apparently come to accompany Jacob and his family, and the weeping here seems to show how dear she was to them (Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping).
The death and burial of Rachel (Gen 35:19-20)
19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem),
20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.
Jacob’s favored wife is the first to die
She gets her wish (another son - compare Gen 30:24 with Gen 35:17), but doesn’t live to enjoy him.
She gives birth to Ben-oni (son of my sorrow), but Jacob names him Benjamin (son of the right hand)
The death and burial of Isaac (Gen 35:28-29)
28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years.
29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Isaac lived 5 years more than his father; he lived the longest of any of the patriarchs in Genesis
He thought he was going to die back in Genesis 27, but he ended up living 43 more years
Even though his death is recorded here, chronologically his death took place after Joseph was in Egypt, shortly before Joseph came to power there (similar to the mention of Noah’s death at the end of Gen 9, even though he overlapped slightly with Abraham)
Jacob’s Growing Relationship with the LORD
Jacob’s Growing Relationship with the LORD
El-bethel — now Jacob is focused on God more than the place
6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him,
7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.
El-bethel = God of Bethel — Jacob’s focus is on God rather than the place
God’s repeated and expanded promises
Confirmation of Jacob’s new name (Gen 35:10)
10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel.
Revelation of His name El Shaddai — God Almighty (Gen 35:11)
11 And God 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 from your own body.
God first revealed Himself to Abram as El Shaddai in Genesis 17:1–2 “1 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 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.””
Command to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 35:11; ties Jacob back to Isaac, Abraham, Noah and his sons, and ultimately Adam and God’s original purpose in creation)
A nation and a company [gathering/synagogue] of nations — not only Israel, but also spiritually the whole world becomes part of Jacob’s family through faith in Christ
Kings shall come — promise given to Abraham and Sarah — pointing to David and ultimately Jesus, repeated from Genesis 17:6 “6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.”
Repeated promise of land (Gen 35:12)
12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
The land promise points forward not only to the conquest in Joshua, but ultimately God’s restoration of all things in Christ in the new creation.
We need to remember as we read the OT that Israel isn’t God’s primary program, but His means of restoring humanity to Himself. God is on a mission to save the world (not just one nation). The land promise reminds us of that.
Reuben’s sin
Reuben’s sin
Reuben disqualifies himself from family leadership
22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
The CSB Study Bible notes that “By doing this Reuben was asserting his right to take his father’s place as leader of the group (2Sm 12:8, 11; 16:21–22) and perhaps seeking revenge for Jacob’s shunning of his mother Leah. His father learned of it and later cursed Reuben because of it (Gn 49:3–4).”
Jacob’s 12 Sons
Jacob’s 12 Sons
First list of Jacob’s 12 sons, in order of their mothers’ relationship with Jacob
22 … Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
Applications:
Bury the idols in your life — do away with anything that is taking God’s place in your heart (family, work, hobbies, etc.). Commit yourself to loving and worshiping God and prioritizing Him above all. What is keeping you from loving and obeying God with all your heart? Bury it.
A commitment to fight sin precedes going deeper with God and experiencing His blessing (similar to Joshua 7:12–13 “12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”” )
Trust the promises of God, and see how God’s promises find fulfillment in Christ.
Through Christ, God’s people from all nations are gathered into one (“a company of nations”) — Caiaphas, the high priest prophesied in John 11:51–52 “that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” The nations become part of God’s people through Christ, the true Israel.
Just as God promised to always be with Jacob, Christ has promised to be with us to the end of the age (Matt 28:20)
Generations come and go, but God remains faithful. The only way that this chapter makes sense and gives us hope is if there is a resurrection.
One of Benjamin’s descendants (Saul/Paul) became instrumental in the spread of the gospel to the world. Rachel died, but her legacy lives on.
You will die, but you have the opportunity to leave a godly legacy by training and discipling your children to follow God and serve Him with their lives.
Genesis 36 — Descendants
Genesis 36 — Descendants
2 sections introduced by the word “generations” (v. 1 and 9)
Verses 1-8 tell of Esau’s descendants while he lived in Canaan
Verses 9-43 repeat those names and expand with other descendants born in Edom/Seir as well as future generations. This second section expands on the first and especially emphasizes the chiefs and kings from Esau’s family.
Esau marries Canaanites
Esau moves east (Gen 3:24; 4:16; 11:1-2; 13:11; 25:6)
The records here likely go well beyond the time of Moses and into the time of the monarchy in Israel (so not written by Moses); v. 31 seems to be written during the time when Israel does have a king, hundreds of years after Moses:
31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.
This does not undermine the Bible’s inspiration or inerrancy; God likely used a later prophet or priest (perhaps Ezra?) to record these details and give the final form to the Scripture books we know today.
Connections with Job? Job was from the land of Uz and had a friend named Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11).
Gen 36:28 mentions Uz as a descendant of Esau, and the land of Uz is connected with Edom in Lamentations 4:21.
Eliphaz is Esau’s son through Adah (mentioned 6 times in chapter 36, beginning in v. 4)
Teman is the son of Eliphaz (v. 11); Teman as a city in Edom became known for its wisdom later on in Scripture.
The land of the Temanites is mentioned in v. 34.
Based on all these connections, it seems likely that this friend of Job’s (Eliphaz the Temanite) was a descendant of Esau who lived in the land of Edom and was known for his wisdom. It’s also possible that Job himself was somehow connected to the family of Esau, since he lived in the land of Uz, probably the descendant of Esau.
Esau married Canaanite women (36:2) and separated himself from the place of God’s blessing and the promised land (36:6-8); his family list and possessions are impressive, but he was missing the most important thing — a right relationship with God. This chapter is the last we hear from Esau.
By contrast, Jacob stayed in the land (37:1), showing his trust in God’s promises.
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
Applications:
More important than power and possessions and worldly pleasure is a right relationship with God. Seek to be close to God more than you value the good things the world has to offer.
Trust God’s promises and live based on His promises. Let God’s truth shape the way you think and speak and live, the decisions you make.
