Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.
We have seen what I call a roller coast effect in the life of Jacob. If we were to chart it on the board it would look like this. First he is with Laban. Not really listening to the Lord just being his own self. Then the Lord takes him to Penial. Here he wrestles with the Lord. He holds onto him until he blesses him. This seem to be great. Everything was going along good. But you could still see that he was not totally there. It reminds me of a Christian who has not been sanctified. What is sanctification? Sure he has accepted the Lord in his life. He wants to follow the Lord but he must first deal with the old man. Until the old man is crucified and taken away then he will never truly be committed. Jacob was here. Dealing with sin. Making ungodly decisions like staying at Schechem. Then we see the trouble that happens and the hurendous slaughter. So he is back on the bottom. Here we come to chapter 35. Now let us look and see as Jacob takes another ride with the Lord. Lets see what direction he will go.
Genesis 35
1. And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
Note also: Jacob said in Genesis 28:21 "So that I come again to my father’s house in
peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 22 And this stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely
give the tenth unto thee.
Jacob has been in this land for around 7-8 years and he has forgotten Bethel. Bethel "the house of God"
How many people do I know who has forgotten Bethel. Who has forgotten that promise that they made to the Lord that when they returned to this land they would remember Bethel.
Ecclesiastes 5:4. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he
hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Jacob deferred payment for 8 yrs. Now it is time for the Lord to collect.
(What is the meaning of the word Bethel? the house of God. What happened to Jacob at Bethel? Jacob’s ladder. So it is time to go back and return to this place the God made the promise. Oh if we could only return to where we were. If we could go back. Remember the experience that you had at Bethel. How I hear about the old time. How I hear about the spirit moving. What is the difference? What is the change? Maybe we need to get back to Bethel.
But how do we prepare to get there? let us look at verse 2.)
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that [were] with him, Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
What a dirty family this must have been? Idols, habits, dirty in sin, the blood of Shechem on the hands of Levi and Simeon. They must be cleaned.
(Now let us look at this. What is it that must happen before they can return to Bethel?
1) "Put away the strange gods that are among you"
Remember someone in the camp who brought a god from Laban. Who was that? Now we see it has infested the camp. It had gotten all over and now it seems that a lot of people were participating. Enough for Jacob to speak to his whole house hold.
I want us to note also that it would appear that Jacob already knew about these god’s before his talk with the Lord. He had to know about their worship. But he never did anything about it. But he had an experience with the true God he had no doubt now so he takes the lead and begins to get rid of the idols.
Oh if our church people could get rid of their idols. If they could put them away. The money, the pleasure, the pride, oh how much better we would be. How we could truly have revival.
2) Be clean.
You are dirty. You stink with the odor of sin and now it is time for a spiritual washing. " be clean". It is time to confess. It is time to come forth and be clean.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
[our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
He is willing only if we are willing. He is waiting on us. We must be clean.
3) "change your garments"
What do you think he meant by this? Garments are habits. Habits of lifestyle. Habits of dress. It is time to change the habits. It is time to change the ruts of this life. It is time to renew and refresh the old with the new.
Let people see that we are followers of the Almighty.)
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
Must be pure and clean before you can go to Bethel. Before God can arrive you must prepare your hearts.
(An altar. "I will make there an altar unto God" Remember God the one who answered me during my times of homesick and disdain with my family. The one who blessed our family at Labans house. He was with me. Now it is time to return to that place the place of Bethel.
How much time did Jacob waste by not turning to the Lord the first time? probably around 20-30 yrs. Wasted. How many years did the Israelites waste in the wilderness before they went into the promise land? 40 yrs. Why do people waste time?)
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which [were] in their hand, and [all their] earrings which [were] in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which [was] by Shechem.
And look where he buries these idols and things. Away from the camp to be left behind.
(I like this. The family follows Jacobs lead and gives up the strange Gods. All things associated with it. Earrings were associated with worship. Today jewelry sometimes is associated with worship. Worship of money or beauty. Where did he bury all this at? In Schechem. Why? because he was leaving and it would stay. They were not put away but they were left.)
5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that [were] round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
6. So Jacob came to Luz, which [is] in the land of Canaan, that [is], Bethel, he and all the people that [were] with him.
Here is a strange turn of events. When Jacob was away from the Lord he was afraid of the people around him but when Jacob is with the Lord then people are afraid of him. People truly know God and they shake they just don’t accept him. There are no atheists but those who try to be. There will be no atheists in hell. They will believe in God there.
So he makes it to Bethel. Known to the world as Luz
"Bethel should be our house for the Lord and not our inn for the Lord"
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
So Jacob builds that altar. What a testimony. Now if El means God then what do you think that Elbethel means,"God of the house of Bethel"? Not just the house of God any more but now God is in this house. God is the God of the house. You see the altar would have been important. The cermonies of the Lord are important but what is more important is when God is the Lord of the house. He is a part of it. He presence is now known and felt. Oh if this could be our testimony to be Elbethel. God of the house of God
8 But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.
You see. We can assume that Rebekah is dead and Deborah her nurse brings the news to Jacob. Jacob never got to see his mother again.
Allonbachuth means "oak of weeping".
9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.
He appeared to him again in Bethel. Picking up where he left off. Now Jacob is ready to be blessed. He wasn’t ready but now he is.
Listen the promise he made.
10 And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
He has already told him this early in chapter 32 but Jacob did not accept it. Now he is ready. Now it is time and we will see this.
11 And God said unto him, I [am] God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
Two promises: 1. You can be fruitful and multiply, you shall be a great nation.
Same words that God told Abraham in chapter 17, "I am God Almighty". El Shaddai-God all sufficient. God has everything that we will ever need in this life and the life before us.
12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
2. The land, one day, shall be yours.
Finally the land is promised to Jacob or Israel and the covenant has been established again.
13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.
14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, [even] a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.
15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.
In recognition of God’s promise Jacob makes an offering. Here it is a drink offering. He builds a reminder of the Lords promise. Here in Bethel, the house of God.
How we need the remberance of the places where God spoke to us. If we could only rely on these and make new ones. Then we could hold on.
16. And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
Benoni means the "son of my sorrow". But Benjamin means the" son of my right hand". Benjamin was born at the death of Rachel but Jacob wanted him to be his helper and his right hand man.
19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which [is] Bethlehem.
20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that [is] the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.
21. And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.
22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard [it]. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
The sin of incest. It seems that most of the sons except Joseph and Benjamin has sinned. We see Jacobs rebuke and ruling on this in:
Genesis 49:3 Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of ower:
4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my couch.
23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and
Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:
24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:
25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:
26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these [are] the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.
27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which [is] Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.
28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.
29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, [being] old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
It would seem that there were four deaths in this chapter. Deborah servant of Rebekah. Which would make us assume Rebekah is dead. Then we see Rachel and finally Isaac.
We see the change and relationship between Esau and Jacob still flourished. God changed these two men. They went from dire enemies to now friends and true brothers.
