Jacob’s Sorrows
Genesis 34-50
When you here, they lived happily ever after, what do you associate that with? Yes, a fairy tale. Everything will work out just fine. You read that story to a child and with that ending you close the book feeling good.
The Bible does not give us a, they lived happily ever after. This was not the reality for Jacob even though in many ways he was a very blessed man. For Jacob there is grief, stress, heartache that comes.
Jacob had his share of troubles as a young man. Even as a baby he came out of the womb on the heals of his twin brother Esau. His name Jacob means one who grasps the heal. Figuratively Jacob’s name meant deceiver.
Esau said, 'Isn't he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!' Then he asked, 'Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?' (Genesis 27:36)
Esau was so furious with Jacob for deceiving their father Isaac and taking his blessing that Jacob fled his home with nothing but a staff. Jacob went to sleep after fleeing Esau with nothing but a stone pillow. Jacob met God there in what we know as Jacobs Ladder experience. He set up an altar using his stone pillow. He vowed to serve God and become a giver for this rest of his life.
Twenty years later Esau forgave Jacob. It was when Jacob fully let God work in his life that God blessed him. Jacob was under huge duress before meeting Esau. The night before Jacob met Esau, he wrestled with God all night. The Lord changed his name from Jacob, meaning grabber, to Israel, meaning one who contends with God and man.
Jacob became Israel. His twelve sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. Then did Jacob live happily ever after? No. Then came sorrows, grief, heartache in his later years of life. His troubles were many and very severe.
Maybe it seems that Jacob had more sorrows than any one person could bear. His troubles are spread over 17 chapters of the Bible (Genesis 34-50). But Jacob lived by the promises of God to bring him through.
Yes, there was tremendous stress when Jacob met his brother Esau who was waiting for him with 400 men. But it was Jacob’s experience meeting God just prior that brought him through.
Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” (Genesis 32:20)
One of the tragedies of Jacob’s life is recorded in Genesis 34. It tells of his daughter Dinah being raped in Shechem. The situation became compounded by the way his sons took revenge on the people responsible for raping their sister. Some versions say Shechem slept with her, and other versions say he raped her. All the versions say what was done was an outrageous and disgraceful thing.
Meanwhile, Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with Jacob's daughter--a thing that should not be done. (Genesis 34:7)
Shechem wanted to marry Dinah and Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully.
They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. (Genesis 34:14-15)
Jacob’s sons surprise attacked Shechem’s city after they fell into the trap. All the men were circumcised to become acceptable for Shechem to marry Dinah. Then Jacob’s sons killed all the men while they were defenceless and plundered the city.
Jacob told his sons, you have brought trouble on me, making me a stench to the Canaanites. If they join forces, they will wipe out Jacob’s family. Just this chapter alone tell us of troubles, anger and grief for Jacob.
The next chapter (Genesis 35) tells us about 3 funerals of significant people in the life of Jacob.
Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth. (Genesis 35:8) the Bible note on this verse says: Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping.
His mothers nurse died, and he buried her under the oak tree he called oak of weeping. His grief is evident at the death of his mother’s closest friend.
The great love story of the Bible is Jacob and Rachel. Jacob has great sorrows at the death of his wife Rachel, especially as she died giving birth to their son.
Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb. (Genesis 35:16-20)
Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. She named him son of my trouble and Jacob renamed him Benjamin, son of my right hand. Jacob buried his wife Rachel in Bethlehem.
The next funeral for Jacob was his father, Isaac. He and his brother Esau buried him.
Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. (Genesis 35:27-29)
The pain of losing lived ones is severe. For Jacob in the midst of the grief were events that brought even greater sorrow to the heavy heart of Jacob. There was moral failure, dissention and hatred that occurred in his own home. His own son was sleeping with the mother of his children Dan and Naphtali.
While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. (Genesis 35:22)
To Ruben he said: Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it. (Genesis 49:4)
When Jacob gives a blessing for his oldest son Rueben, he did not receive the blessing of the messianic promise. Nor did Simeon or Levi who by their sward killed and plundered. The blessing of the messianic line went to the 4th oldest son Judah.
The scepter, the ruler’s staff would not pass from Judah. Jesus Christ is foretold. Even Judah had moral failure. Judah’s daughter in law disguised herself as a prostitute and he got her pregnant. As you already may know Jesus genealogy shows how God uses fallen man. In Matthew it is mentioned that Judah and Tamar give birth to Perez in the family tree of Jesus.
Above all this what saddened Jacob the most was the hatred between ten of his sons and Joseph the dreamer. They brought the coat of Joseph to Jacob after they dipped it in blood and led Jacob to believe his son was dead, when actually they sold him into slavery. At this Jacob declared he would go down to his grave in mourning.
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him. (Genesis 37:34)
Our circumstances distort our perspective. Troubles come on everyone. They came on Jacob; they will come on us. We can easily lose perspective and make things seem worse than they really are. Jacob vowed to go down to the grave mourning Joseph and Joseph was not even dead. Jacob could not see the big picture of what God was doing in the circumstances.
Jacob was thinking the worse. Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!” (Genesis 42:36)
In reality Joseph was alive, Simeon was alive, and he would not lose Benjamin. All things were working together for the good. If only Jacob was able to see things from God’s perspective. It was a glorious time in the history of God’s people. God was bringing them to Egypt to prepare to teach his people about deliverance.
Faith carried Jacob through many difficult times. The time of Jacob’s Ladder, the time he wrestled with God. His perspective is restored because of his faith. In sorrow we are often feel closest to God. We experience an inexpressible joy.
Our faith will help us remember how small our suffering is compared with eternity with God. When Jacob found out Joseph was alive he was was stunned, his spirit was revived.
They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. (Genesis 45:26-27)
Jacob had the joy of seeing his son Joseph alive and hugging him. He regained the right perspective then.
Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.” (Genesis 48:15-16)
Even in the difficulties God was leading and guiding. His footsteps were there. He was carrying you.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:9-10)
Jacob was buried in the promise land because he believed on the promises of God. He can deliver Jacob. Jacob can see the hand of God the great shepherd guiding him. If you are willing to trust God to such an extent when sorrows come, your faith will carry you through.
