THE RETURN TO BETHEL GENESIS 35:1-29

1 THE RETURN TO BETHEL GENESIS 35:1-29

2 Text: THE RETURN TO BETHEL 1. Then God said to Jacob, Go up at once to Bethel and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. 2. So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3. Let us go up at once to Bethel. Then I will make an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress and has been with me wherever I went. 4. So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem 5. and they started on their journey. The surrounding cities were afraid of God, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6. Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7. He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel because there God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 8. (Deborah, Rebekah s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named Oak of Weeping.) 9. God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 10. God said to him, Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name. So God named him Israel. 11. Then God said to him, I am the sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply! A nation even a company of nations will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants!

3 12. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants I will also give this land. 13. Then God went up from the place where he spoke with him. 14. So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 15. Jacob named the place where God spoke with him Bethel. 16. They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, Rachel went into labor and her labor was hard. 17. When her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, Don t be afraid, for you are having another son. 18. With her dying breath, she named him Ben Oni. But his father called him Benjamin instead. 19. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20. Jacob set up a marker over her grave; it is the Marker of Rachel s Grave to this day. 21. Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22. While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with Bilhah, his father s concubine, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons: 23. The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. 25. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel s servant, were Dan and Naphtali. 26. The sons of Zilpah, Leah s servant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram. 27. So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 29. Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. He died an old man who had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. (NET)

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5 Commentary: Jacob s life had already been difficult and now he must move again. His daughter Dinah had been seduced by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite. Shechem wanted to marry her but her brothers took revenge and killed all the men, took their wives and children and plundered their goods. Jacob told his sons Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land. This trouble might have come because Jacob did not completely obey God when He said, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. (Genesis 31:3) He did return to the land but he failed to go back to his family. He was living on the border of the Promised Land. Now he must move again, but where will he go? He cannot go back to Laban and he has chosen to avoid Esau, his father and other family members. God settled the matter as to where to go, 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. (Genesis 35:1) We could avoid many problems in our life if we would hear God and obey His will. Jacob recognized that it was time to get rid of all foreign gods, be purified and go to Bethel and worship the true and living God. He used this time as an opportunity to get his family closer to God. As Jacob and his family made their journey to Bethel God protected them by putting the fear of the Lord in the hearts of those who might have done them harm. At Bethel Jacob could remember the closeness that he had felt with God at that place. In Bethel, God renewed His covenant with Jacob. Genesis 35 is filled with sad events: (1) Deborah Rebekah's nurse had died and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak, (2) Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, (3) Reuben, Jacob s oldest son went in and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard it, and (4) Isaac, his father died. In Genesis 49, where Jacob gives blessing to his sons, Reuben, Simeon and Levi do not receive blessings, but rather curses. Judah was the first to receive a blessing. Genesis 35 closed with Jacob doing what God had commanded him to do much earlier. He went to

6 Isaac his father at Mamre. He was with him until his death. He and Esau his brother buried their father. All the hatred between these brothers seemed to have been buried also. Jacob returned to Bethel and worshiped God -- Genesis 35:1-15: The Canaanite people looked upon Jacob and his family as a band robbers and murderers. Therefore, it became necessary for them to move because of the evil deeds of his sons. God gave Jacob a very simple command, 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. (Genesis 35:1) Jacob told his family, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. Originally Jacob did not know that Rachel had the idols. (Genesis 31:32) There was a time when Jacob s family leadership was very weak. Somewhere along the way he learned about Rachel s idols, but tolerated her idolatry. He did not have the courage to confront sin in his own household. Now he took a stand against idolatry and his family gave him 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. (Genesis 35:4) As they made their journey to Bethel God made the surrounding cities fearful. They did not pursue Jacob s sons. Jacob and his family arrived safely at Luz, which is also called Bethel. Jacob built an altar there and called the name of the place Elbethel. God had revealed himself to Jacob at Bethel when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau. In the midst of this story we learn that Rebekah s nurse, Deborah died and was buried at Bethel under the oak. It is not certain whether somehow she had become part of Jacob s family or if they just came to the place where she had been buried when she died. At Bethel God again appeared to Jacob and renewed the promises that he had first made to Abraham. God blessed him and said, 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. 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

7 thy loins; 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. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. (Genesis 35:10-13) God renewed and ratified His covenant with Jacob. He identified Himself by saying, I am God Almighty that is the all-sufficient God. God is able to keep His promises when the time is right. Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place God spoke to him. He poured an offering of wine on it and oil over it. He called the name of the place where God spoke to him Bethel. Years before when Jacob was feeling from Esau we saw a very similar event to this take place at this same location. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 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. (Genesis 28:18-22) Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin -- Genesis 35:16-21: Jacob s grief was deep at the death of his favorite wife, Rachel. As they were nearing Bethlehem heavy labor came upon her. During her difficult labor the midwife tried to encourage her by telling her not to be afraid that she would have this son also. She did have the son but Rachel died in the process. God might have given her a few extra years but not giving her the child she wanted years before. At her death Rachel named the boy Benoni, which means son of my sorrow. Jacob did not accept that name for the child instead he named him Benjamin, which means son of my right hand. The death of Rachel again reminds us that we have a living soul. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, for she died (Genesis 35:18) Man has a body, but he also has a living soul that will exist somewhere in eternity. When Rachel died she was

8 buried on the road to Bethlehem Ephrath. Jacob set up a pillar or what we would call a tomb stone on her grave. This is the first time we encounter the concept of a tombstone, or a memorial marker in the Bible. This is the only place in the Bible where a tombstone erected on an individual's grave is specifically mentioned. There are several references to burials in the Bible, but none of these are accompanied by the mention of a tombstone. After Rachel s death Jacob continued his journey. Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. (Genesis 35:21) The sons who were born to Jacob -- Genesis 35:22-26: The sin of Reuben against his father was an act of abominable wickedness. In Genesis 35:22 we read, 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. This was the kind of sin that would be mostly unknown even among unbelievers. In the New Testament we read, It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. (1 Corinthians 5:1) The sin of Reuben was such a great crime that it cost him many blessing. God said of him, 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. (Genesis 49:4) God pronounced cruses upon Reuben, Simeon and Levi. He pronounced blessing on the other sons. Jacob had twelve sons. The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram. (Genesis 35:23-26) These sons became heads of the tribes in Israel. This is the first complete list of the sons of Jacob, now that Benjamin the youngest was born. This is the first time we have the names of these heads of the twelve tribes listed together.

9 Isaac died and was buried by Esau and Jacob -- Genesis 35:27-29: We do not know if Jacob had visited his father, Isaac before this or not. I pray that he had. In any case this is the first time that Jacob had taken his family to live near Isaac. Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. Isaac lived to be 180 years old. He died long after Joseph was sold into slavery. Abraham lived 175 years. (Genesis 25:7) Jacob lived only 147 years. (Genesis 47:28) When Isaac died his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Esau s heart had been changed and he no longer wanted to murder his brother. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing. Let us find our Bethel and go there and worship and serve God. Those who worship God must enjoy forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. To be forgiven of sins you must hear the gospel (Romans 10:17), believe in Jesus as the Christ (Mark 16:16), repent of all sins (Acts 17:30), confess Christ as Lord (Matthew 10:32) and be baptized for remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) After baptism remain faithful to God. (Revelation 2:10) There are great blessings that come when we are forgiven and faithful! By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street, Greenville, Alabama 36037

10 Questions on Genesis 35:1-29 1. What prompted Jacob to leave Shechem? 2. is the Hebrew word meaning house of God. 3. What did Jacob instruct his family to do in preparation for the journey to Bethel? 4. Had Rachel kept the idols she had taken from Laban?

11 5. What was Jacob s declared intention in going back to Bethel? 6. How did God continue to be with and protect Jacob as he journeyed from Shechem to Bethel? 7. What had happened to Jacob twenty (20) years earlier at Bethel? What was the vow he made to God at that time? 8. The covenant renewal included a name change for Jacob. This appears to signify a rebirth, a new beginning marking significant change for Jacob in the eyes of God. What new name did God give Jacob?

12 9. On the journey Rachel went into labor. Where did she give birth? What was the name she gave her son? To what did Jacob change his name and what did the names mean? 10. Is there any significance in the name Jacob gave his new son? Could this have influenced the actions of Reuben? 11. Three (3) of Jacob s sons have committed grievous sins. Will these sins have repercussions on their lives later? If so, in what way? 12. Jacob returned to his father Isaac who was living in Hebron. How old was Isaac when he died? Who buried him?

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