Genesis 37.34-35-Jacob Mourns the Loss of Joseph
Tuesday November 7, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 37:34-35-Jacob Mourns the Loss of Joseph
Lesson # 234
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 37:2.
This evening we will continue our study of Genesis 37, which contains the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers.
By way of review of Genesis 37, we have noted the following:
Genesis 37:2 presented the account of Jacob’s sons as well as Joseph giving his father Jacob a slanderous report of his brothers.
In Genesis 37:3a, we noted that since the name “Israel” is divine in origin and was used in the context of the unfair treatment that Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers, that these events were a manifestation of the providence of God, which refers to the fact that Joseph’s life was not ruled by chance or fate but by God.
In Genesis 37:3-4 we saw Israel favoring Joseph over his other sons because he was the son of his old age, which led to Joseph’s brothers resenting him.
Then, in Genesis 37:5-11 we saw Joseph having two prophetic dreams, which he relates to his brothers resulting in Joseph being the object of his brother’s hate and jealousy, which eventually led to their plotting to kill Joseph.
In Genesis 37:12-24, we read the account of Joseph’s brothers attempting to kill Joseph but are restrained by Reuben who suggests an alternative plan to throw Joseph into a cistern and let him die by natural causes.
However, Reuben’s real intent was to buy time so he could deliver Joseph at a more opportune moment when his brothers were not around.
In Genesis 37:25-28, we read of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery.
On Sunday, we studied Genesis 37:29-33, which records for us Jacob’s sons deceiving him into believing that Joseph was dead when in reality he had been sold by them into slavery.
We will continue this study by noting Genesis 37:34-35, which records Jacob mourning over Joseph since he has been deceived by his sons into thinking that Joseph was killed by a wild animal when in reality his sons sold him into slavery to the Midianites.
Genesis 37:2, “These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.”
Genesis 37:3, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.”
Genesis 37:4, “His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.”
Genesis 37:5, “Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.”
Genesis 37:6-7, “He said to them, ‘Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
Genesis 37:8, “Then his brothers said to him, ‘Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”
Genesis 37:9, “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, ‘Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’”
Genesis 37:10, “He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?’”
Genesis 37:11, “His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”
Genesis 37:12, “Then his brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem.”
Genesis 37:13, “Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.’ And he said to him, ‘I will go.’”
Genesis 37:14, “Then he said to him, ‘Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.’ So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.’”
Genesis 37:15, “A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’”
Genesis 37:16, “He said, ‘I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.’”
Genesis 37:17, “Then the man said, ‘They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.”
Genesis 37:18, “When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.”
Genesis 37:19, “They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer!’”
Genesis 37:20, “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
Genesis 37:21, “But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, ‘Let us not take his life.’”
Genesis 37:22, “Reuben further said to them, ‘Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him’ -- that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.”
Genesis 37:23-24, “So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.”
Genesis 37:25, “Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.”
Genesis 37:26, “Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?’”
Genesis 37:27, “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened to him.”
Genesis 37:28, ‘Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they (Joseph’s brothers) pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels (word “shekels” not found in original Hebrew text) of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
Genesis 37:29, “Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.”
Genesis 37:30, “He returned to his brothers and said, ‘The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?’”
Genesis 37:31-32, “So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, ‘We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son's tunic or not.’”
Genesis 37:33, “Then he examined it and said, ‘It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!’”
Genesis 37:34, “So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.”
Like Reuben, Jacob tears his clothes to express his extreme grief over the perceived death of Joseph.
He also wraps himself in sackcloth, which was a coarse black cloth made of goat’s hair as a public demonstration of grief over the death of Joseph.
“Mourned” is the verb `aval (lb^a*) (aw-val), which refers to outward or public expressions of grief for the death of a loved one including the shedding of tears, wearing sackcloth, sprinkling with ashes, lying on the ground and shaving of the head or beard.
These actions were considered appropriate signifying anguish in the ancient world in the days of the patriarchs.
Mourning for the dead began immediately at death, went on as the body was carried to the tomb, was observed at the tomb and lasted at least seven days after the burial.
Jacob’s grief is compounded in that there is no body to bury and therefore, no closure.
Jacob is said to have mourned Joseph for “many days,” which expresses the intensity of his grief.
Genesis 37:35, “Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, ‘Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.’ So his father wept for him.”
Jacob is inconsolable more than likely out of guilt for sending Joseph alone on such a dangerous mission in the first place.
Just a few short years before, Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel died giving birth to their second child Benjamin and now he had lost their firstborn, Joseph.
Like God, Jacob had big plans for Joseph since he had intended to give the birthright to Joseph, which was in agreement with God’s will according to 1 Chronicles 5:1-2.
Jacob’s statement “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son” expresses his determination to grieve publicly for Joseph until the day he died.
The term “sons” does “not” refer to the sons Jacob fathered, which would include Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun but rather it refers to his grandsons.
The term “sons” is the noun ben (/B@) (bane), which does “not” always refer to a boy that a man fathers himself but rather it can also refer to a grandson as well.
The context will determine, whether a son or a grandson is in view.
In our particular context, the term ben refers to Jacob’s grandsons.
If you recall, when Joseph’s brothers sold him to the Midianites they were located in Dothan, which was approximately 15 miles north of Shechem.
According to Genesis 37:14, Jacob was located in Hebron when he sent Joseph to check on the safety of his sons who were in Shechem.
As we noted Sunday in Genesis 37:32, Joseph’s brothers did “not” personally delivered Joseph’s bloody coat to their father in Hebron but rather sent the coat via a messenger.
This is clearly indicated since in Genesis 37:32, the phrase “they sent” is the verb shalach (jl^v*) (shaw-lakh), which refers to “persons who are sent by other persons such as the action of sending messengers.”
So therefore, Simeon, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun did “not” comfort their father when he examined Joseph’s bloodied coat and determined that Joseph had been torn to pieces by a wild animal.
Genesis 46:8-26 lists the grandchildren of Jacob and many of these children are the ones who comforted Jacob when he received the bloodied coat from his sons.
The noun bath (tB^), “daughters” refers to all the females in Jacob’s household, which would include his only daughter Dinah, his daughters-in-law as well as granddaughters.
The term bath can be used to describe a “granddaughter” or a “daughter-in-law” and not just a “daughter.”
“Sheol” is the noun she’ol (lw)av+) (sheh-ole), which in the New Testament is called “Hades” and refers to one of four compartments called in Scripture “Paradise,” which prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ contained the departed souls of believers.
A comparison of Scripture with Scripture reveals that “Sheol/Hades” 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 woman 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 (See Ephesians 4:8).
Therefore, “Sheol” is the place that the souls of Old Testament believers like Jacob departed to at physical death.