Treasure in the Scraps - Genesis 35

©September 8, 2019 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

One of the difficulties I had in High School was I didn't see much relevance to some of the things I was studying. Therefore, it really didn't interest me. The same was true for some introductory classes in college. It seemed to me like worthless information. Consequently, I did not get good grades in High School or, for that matter, in the first year of college. And this is why I have to work at issues of grammar in writing, am not good in science, can do only rudimentary algebra, and have not read some of the classic books of literature.

As I look back on those early days in school, I wish I had paid more attention to what was being taught. Looking back, I now see there was value in those classes I had trouble staying awake in. The problem was, I did not see it immediately.

For me, the same thing happens with Genesis 35. We have been looking at the story of Jacob in the middle section of the book of Genesis. For the most part the stories have been engaging and I hope interesting in their relevance to our lives. Then we hit chapter 35. One author called it a section of "fragmentary excepts." I hear this and immediately start yawning. Is this really just a passage that ties up some of the storylines that have come in the life of Isaac and Jacob? Or are there valuable truths here we don't immediately see? Since we are looking at this text, you can probably guess I have concluded there are things we can learn from even these fragmentary excepts.

Promises Matter to God

The first thing we learn is: Promises Matter to God. Back in Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream of a stairway leading up to Heaven. After the vision and God's promise in that vision Jacob made a vow promising if God provided for Him and protected him, he would return to Bethel and offer him a tenth of all he had been given (20-22).

Now Genesis 35 begins,

Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” 2So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. 5As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.

God had been faithful to fulfill everything he had promised to Jacob. God was now calling Jacob to remember the faithfulness shown to him and honor the Lord as he promised. This has practical implications for the promises we make to each other and to God. We declare promises to God in marriage, business, on legal documents, to the church, and even when talking to our friends. Every promise we make as a child of God, He expects us to keep it because we bring His name and character to that promise.

Jacob remembered his vow and headed to Bethel to worship the Lord. He did not do so casually. The people were to get rid of all foreign gods because Jacob knew God is Holy and will not stand rival gods. Where did these idols come from? It seems likely this was contraband taken from Shechem when some of the sons of Jacob deceived the people of Shechem and then attacked them (as recorded in Genesis 34).

Jacob gives a powerful testimony to the faithfulness of God. He said the Lord had been with him wherever he went. The fact of God's presence and blessing in our lives should be our foremost motivation for worship. We come to Him because He deserves and has EARNED our worship. A Christian who has even partially grasped the magnitude of the blessing we have received by the grace and mercy of God, will sprint to worship.

Jacob understood the need to prepare the hearts of the people for worship. It is a serious business to step into the presence of the Almighty God. If you were coming into a job interview you likely would not go right into the interview from the hog lot. You would not come in unprepared (unless you really didn't want the job). You would not constantly be looking at your watch or checking your phone during the interview. All these things would likely end the interview on a very negative note. Hopefully, we all understand this. Should we not approach God with the same manner of preparation and respect?

We worship God with the right heart when we make worship a priority, when we prepare our hearts, when we sing to God and talk with Him instead of just going through the motions. We are prepared for worship when we come eager to listen to what God has for us.

The Lord is El-Shaddai and Can Be Trusted With Everything in Our Lives

Beginning at verse 11 we read,

11Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! 12And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” 13Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.

14Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

God reminded Abraham several times that "nothing was too hard for the Lord." Now He reminds Jacob that He can be trusted to do what He has promised to do. In fact, this is one of the reasons God expects us to keep our promises: because this is what God does.

We constantly question God's faithfulness whenever there is a difficulty that comes our way in life. God reminded Jacob that in spite of all the problems in his life (which were the result of the sinfulness of men . . . including Jacob himself), God had been faithful and always would be.

This is a theme repeated in the Bible. These are but a few illustrations,

God said, "I will never leave you or forsake you" (even though He knew all the people would forsake Him). (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Before returning to Heaven Jesus said, "I am with you always . . . even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

Jesus said, " And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40)

There are times in all of our lives when things happen that cause us to say, "God, where are you when I need you?" However, if we listen carefully you can hear Him whisper, "I'm here."

Do you remember a story about Elijah? He was victorious in a great battle against the prophets of Baal and then Queen Jezebel set out to kill him. Elijah ran for the hills (literally). He was worn out, discouraged, depressed. God made sure he rested and had some food and then told Elijah it was time to talk. Elijah heard the thunder and came to the entrance of the cave. There was an earthquake, a wind, a fire but no voice from God. Then in the quiet he heard God's whisper. This is how God strengthened Elijah for the remaining time of his ministry.

The statement, "The Lord will never give you more than you can handle" is not true. There are certainly times the Lord gives us what we cannot handle so we will turn to Him and see how capable He is of handling these things. In other words, trying times are actually great opportunities to see El-Shaddai (the Lord God Almighty) clearly.

Are you in one of those times right now? Don't throw up your hands in despair, turn to the Lord God Almighty! Remind yourself that NOTHING is too hard for the Lord. Cling to Him with everything you've got and ask Him to strengthen your grip on Him. the question you must ask yourself again and again is this one: "Do you trust Him or don't you?"

Blessing From God Does Not Mean and Absence of Heartache on Earth

The next account in these snapshots from the life of Jacob starts in verse 16,

16Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. 17After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” 18Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). 19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.

This is a sad and simple account. We can only imagine how excited Rachel was to be pregnant again. Any time there is a death at a birth it is an extremely painful time. It is worsened by the emotional whiplash from the quick shift from the anticipation of new life to that sudden crushing reality of death.

In times of sudden heartache, we immediately look for someone to blame. We blame the Doctor, we blame ourselves, we blame a drug company, or we blame God. Our brains look for some kind of explanation for what happened. We think if we can blame someone, it will make the grief easier to handle.

We have the notion that if God loves us, everything will turn out OK. As we read this story it is apparent this is not true. Jacob was chosen by God. God declared His blessing on Jacob and reaffirmed His promise to him . . . and yet his beloved Rachel died.

It seems Rachel knew she was dying which is why she wanted to name her child Ben-oni or "son of my sorrow." I wonder, was Jacob sitting at her bedside? Did they have that last opportunity to say good-bye through their tears? Either way, this was a severe gut punch to Jacob. Once again, let's remember these are real people going through the real-life crisis times.

Jacob changed the babies name. Instead of "Son of my Sorrow" he named him "Son of My Right Hand" or Benjamin. Perhaps this is Jacob's way of acknowledging that Benjamin is now the treasure he has after the loss of the woman he loved so dearly. Instead of fixating on the loss (as so often happens), Jacob looks at the blessing of the life that has gone on.

It wasn't that Jacob didn't miss Rachel. I think he had come to believe there was something more to life than what we see and know here on earth. And while, he would not see Rachel again in this life . . . he had this wonderful gift that would remind him of here always.

I have watched people at the time of the death of their loved one, in many ways stop living. They fixate so much on the death that they alienate everyone else they love. It is normal for this to go on for a time, but when it is years, it becomes a major problem. Every conversation turns to the one who is gone so much so that the people who remain feel like they don't matter, when in reality they should matter more than ever. They begin to pull away. The grieving person is left to grieve in isolation.

When a person we love dies, they would want us to pay dividends on the investment they made in our life. We can only do that by taking what we have learned and moving forward. Remember them well, but keep living, believing, and loving. It is the best way to honor their memory.

Actions Have Consequences

The next snippet seems totally insignificant but was actually extremely significant.

21Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. 22While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it.

What is happening here is a political act that was an attempt to snatch his father's leadership and power. It is like the Prodigal son who asked for his inheritance before his dad had even died! This is worse because he doesn't ask for his inheritance (Reuben was the firstborn son. Is it possible he thought he would be passed over like Ishmael and Esau?) Reuben took what belonged to his father and treated it as his own. In this case, the "what" is a "who."

We can't know exactly what Reuben was thinking. What we do know was this was an act of extreme disrespect for his father. It was a breach of character.

When it came time for Jacob to give his blessing and hand over the leadership of the family household and the blessing of God, he said to the first three sons in line:

3“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the child of my vigorous youth.

You are first in rank and first in power. 4But you are as unruly as a flood,

and you will be first no longer. For you went to bed with my wife;

you defiled my marriage couch.

5“Simeon and Levi are two of a kind; their weapons are instruments of violence.

6May I never join in their meetings; may I never be a party to their plans.

For in their anger they murdered men, and they crippled oxen just for sport.

7A curse on their anger, for it is fierce; a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel.

I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob;

I will disperse them throughout Israel. (Genesis 49:3-7)

To son number four, Judah, he said,

“Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck.

All your relatives will bow before you. 9Judah, my son, is a young lion

that has finished eating its prey.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,

until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.

(49:8-10)

Here is what we need to see: actions have consequences. The reckless behavior of the first three sons of Jacob (Reuben took his father's concubine. Simeon and Levi massacred the people of Shechem) resulted in their loss of the father's blessing and they forfeited their position of blessing! Judah (son #4) became the one who would be the ancestor of King David and ultimately, our Lord Jesus! (We will see, Judah had his own issues, but we all do.)

You hear people say all the time: "It doesn't matter what I do!" YES, IT DOES. Others say, "I never considered the consequences of what might happen." YOU NEED TO CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES! Many have been killed or changed forever because of one reckless choice! This is a call to be wise and thoughtful in all we do.

Some Christians justify their reckless behavior saying, "It's OK, God will forgive me." God DOES forgive us if we repent (change) and head in a different direction. Forgiveness restores our relationship with God, but it doesn't erase the other consequences of our sin. The scars remain. The debt is still there. The police record is not erased. The scars you inflicted on another continue to be painful. The debts still need to be paid. Making good choices makes life much easier.

Conclusions

In this scattered text here are some of the lessons:

Promises Matter to God

The Lord God Almighty (El-Shaddai) can be trusted with the hard times in life

Blessing from God does not mean an absence of heartache

Actions have consequences

These ARE seemingly random pictures from life. They don't seem to make sense together. There is no overarching theme . . . or is there? Isn't this life? It is moments (random fragments) we try to live faithfully before the Lord. Jesus came into the world to save us from our sin. He tells us to trust Him and then to follow Him. God does not ask most people to do great things . . . He asks us to do ordinary things in a faithful way. He asks us to be faithful in all the random fragments of life. He asks us to love the people who cross our paths daily. He commands us to tell these people about Jesus. He tells us to do everything is our life as if it was an offering before God. His will is for us to be faithful in ordinary things.

So, if I had it to do over again, I would pay more attention in school in the classes that seemed irrelevant at first. I would remind myself there was a reason for what I was being taught, even if I don't immediately see it. And now, it is my goal to live each day for His glory, even though it may seem like I'm not doing anything significant, at all. You see, it is not about what significant thing I can do for God. It is what significant things He can do through the ordinary fragments of my life and yours.