Genesis 35.27-29-Jacob Arrives at Hebron and the Death of Isaac
Sunday October 15, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 35:27-29-Jacob Arrives at Hebron and the Death of Isaac
Lesson # 221
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 35:23.
This morning we will complete our study of Genesis 35 by noting verses twenty-seven thru twenty-nine, which presents to us the record of Jacob arriving at Hebron and the death and burial of Isaac by his twin sons, Esau and Jacob.
Genesis 35:27-29 completes the eighth book in Genesis, which began in 25:19.
The eighth book of Genesis presents to us the family history of Isaac and in particular Jacob whose name was later changed by the Lord to “Israel” who would carry on the line of Christ and be the progenitor of the nation of Israel.
Genesis 35:23-26, “Now there were twelve sons of Jacob: the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan and Naphtali; 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.”
Genesis 35:27, “Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.”
The name “Kiriath-arba” means, “the city of Arba” and was older name of “Hebron” according to Judges 1:10, Joshua 14:15, and 15:13.
“Hebron” was located nineteen miles southwest of Jerusalem, on the way to Beersheba and was 3,040 feet above sea level, dominating a beautiful and fruitful area and ancient oaks (terebinths) filled the area.
“Mamre” was located in “Hebron” as indicated by the phrase “that is, Hebron” and received its name from its owner, Mamre, who was a chief of the Amorites who sought security in an alliance with Abram and was blessed because of Abram (cf. Gen. 14:13, 24).
The “oaks of Mamre” evidently were a grove of terebinth trees that was owned by Mamre, which was the location of Abram’s encampment when he came up from Egypt according to Genesis 13:18, 14:13 and 18:1.
The word “sojourned” is the Hebrew verb gur (rWG) (goor), which refers to a specific legal status of a person who lives as a resident alien and is in a dependent legal status and is not a native.
The verb gur, “sojourned” signifies Jacob’s status as a “resident alien” meaning that while he lived in the land of Canaan he possessed neither land nor clan ties and was without traditional tribal legal support and protection and was vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by the Canaanites.
Genesis 35:28, “Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
Genesis 35:29, “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.”
Isaac outlived his father Abraham by five years since Abraham died at one hundred seventy-five years of age according to Genesis 25:7 and Isaac also outlived his half-brother Ishmael by forty three years since Ishmael died at one hundred thirty-seven years of age according to Genesis 25:17.
“Breathed his last” is the verb gawa (uw^G*) (gaw-vaw), which pictures the act of drawing one’s last breath.
“Died” is the verb muth (tWm) (mooth), which denotes the general act of dying.
The expression gathered to his people” is always used with reference to believers (Abraham in Genesis 25:8; Ishmael in Genesis 25:17; Isaac in Genesis 35:29; Jacob in Genesis 49:33; Aaron in Numbers 20:24, 26; Deuteronomy 35:20).
The fact that Isaac was said to be “gathered to his people” does “not” refer to his death and burial because he was not buried with his ancestors but rather it refers to his life after death with those who before him died in faith such as Adam, Eve, Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham.
Prior to the ascension of Jesus Christ, which is recorded in Acts 1:9-11, Old Testament saints when they died went to a compartment of Hades, which the Lord Jesus Christ referred to as “Abraham’s bosom” in Luke 16 and called “Paradise” when He spoke to the thief on the Cross.
“Paradise” or “Abraham’s bosom” is known as “Sheol” in the Old Testament and “Hades” in the New Testament and the Scriptures reveals that it contains four compartments:
(1) Paradise: the place of the departed souls of believers before the resurrection of Christ (Lk. 23:39-43; Eph. 4:8-9) who were transferred to heaven after the resurrection and ascension of Christ (Eph. 4:10).
(2) Torments: the temporary fire for the souls of unbelievers from all dispensations (Lk. 16:19-31) who will be transferred to the Great White Throne Judgment that concludes human history and from there will be cast in the Lake of Fire forever (Rev. 20:11-15).
(3) Tartarus: the abode of the fallen angels of Genesis 6 who had sex with women in order to corrupt the human race and prevent the incarnation of the Son of God (1 Peter 3:18-22; 2 Peter 4; Jude 6).
(4) The Abyss: the place of imprisonment for the demons who violated certain rules for angelic creation and will be released during the Tribulation (Lk. 8:30-31; Rom. 10:7; Rev. 20:1-3).
Prior to the resurrection, ascension and session of the Lord Jesus Christ, Old Testament saints when they died did not go to the third heaven but rather to Paradise.
These Old Testament saints such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ascended with Jesus Christ into heaven as part of our Lord’s triumphal procession as victor in the angelic conflict and were part of the booty from our Lord’s victory that was accomplished through His death and resurrection.
Ephesians 4:8, “Therefore it says, ‘WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.’”
“He led host a host of captives” refers to Old Testament saints that were temporarily residing in the second compartment of Hades called Paradise (Lk. 16; 23:43).
Like his father Abraham, Isaac is said to have “died in a ripe old age” (See Genesis 25:8 and 15:5), which emphasizes that both men lived a long life and thus died at an elderly age.
Isaac’s death like the death of every human being is the sovereign decision of God based upon the integrity of God and omniscient knowledge of all the facts.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, “There is an appointed time for everything, a time for everything under heaven. There is a time to be born and there is a time to die.”
Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”
Ecclesiastes 7:1b, “The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”
The death of a member of the human race is not ruled by chance or fate but according to the providence of God, which expresses the fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God.
“Physical” death is the separation of the human soul (and in the case of the believer, the human spirit also) from the body (Matt. 8:22; Rom. 8:38-39; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:20-21; 2:27, 30).
At physical death, the unbeliever’s soul is separated from his physical body and goes to Torments, a compartment of Hades (Luke 16:19-31).
The unbeliever’s physical body goes to the grave but is raised up at the Great White Throne Judgment (Dan. 12:2; Rev. 20:11-15) and their ultimate destiny is the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:12-15).
The believer’s physical body goes to the grave at physical death and his soul and human spirit go to be face to face with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
2 Corinthians 5:2, “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.”
2 Corinthians 5:3, “inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.”
2 Corinthians 5:4, “For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”
2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.”
2 Corinthians 5:6, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:7, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:8, “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
The believer will receive a resurrection body at the resurrection of the church, which is called by theologians, the “rapture” of the church.
1 Corinthians 15:51, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:53, “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
1 Corinthians 15:54, “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.’”
1 Corinthians 15:55, “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”
1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”
1 Corinthians 15:57, “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross has freed us from the fear of death.
Hebrews 2:14, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
Hebrews 2:15, “and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Physical death cannot separate the believer from the love of God (Rom. 8:38-39).
Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers.”
Romans 8:39, “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Death was designed by God to be your greatest testimony for the Lord in the pre-historic angelic conflict.
The Lord promises to wipe away every tear from our eyes caused by the death of loved ones.
Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.”
Revelation 21:5, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
We should carry a fragrance of memories of those who have died and gone home to be with the Lord.
A funeral is designed to celebrate God’s victory over death, to pay our last respects to a loved one and is a reminder of the shortness of time on this earth.
Life hangs by a very fine thread that can be snapped at any moment, which should motivate the believer to use the remainder of his time on earth to execute God’s plan for his life to become like Christ.
Romans 14:8, “For if we live, we live because of the Lord and if we die, we die because of the Lord therefore whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord.”
Every funeral should have: (1) Decision (2) Gospel (3) Victory (4) Guidance for those left behind. (5) Conclusion to emphasize the importance of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone and executing God’s plan.