Session 9 Assurance God assures His followers, reminding them of His faithfulness. GENESIS 35:1-15 We want to know we are on the right path in our lives. Getting off track is easy, especially with the twists and turns life can present. The good news is God helps us stay on the path, if we will follow Him. The Lord delights in helping us find our way. To whom or what might people turn for help in this life? How important is their track record when it comes to deciding whom or what to trust? 82 Date of My Bible Study:
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT GENESIS 34:1 36:43 During his meeting with God at Bethel, Jacob made a vow that he would return to Bethel and the land of his father (Gen. 28:20-21). Following his meeting with Esau (33:1-17), Jacob returned to his homeland and settled outside the Canaanite town of Shechem. Shechem was located in the hill country of Ephraim, approximately thirty-one miles north of Jerusalem. He purchased land outside of the city where he pitched his tent and erected an altar for his worship of God (Gen. 33:19-20). Jacob s purchase of land indicated he intended to stay in the area. His family had roots in Shechem since it was the site where God first promised to give Canaan to his grandfather s descendants (12:6). Surrounded by wicked Canaanites, Jacob and his family fell into disrepair spiritually. The son of Hamor, the region s chieftain, raped Dinah, Jacob s daughter (34:2). Abdicating his parental responsibility, Jacob left the matter in the hands of his sons (34:13). Dinah s fullblooded brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed all the males in Hamor s household, plundering their possessions and enslaving the women and children (34:25-29). Fearing retaliation from nearby Canaanite communities, and in obedience to God s command, Jacob and his family migrated to Bethel (35:1-14). Before leaving, Jacob purged his family and his servants of all idols. At Bethel, God again revealed Himself and recounted the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob erected a monument to commemorate the event. In Genesis 35:1-15, we discover four fundamental actions that will get us back on track when we get off God s path. From Jacob s example of hearing and answering God s call on his life, we learn no situation is hopeless. God remains faithful. Observe what God told Jacob (Gen. 35:1) and how Jacob responded (vv. 2,14-15). How would you characterize God s directive and Jacob s response? Session 9 : Assurance 83
EXPLORE THE TEXT PURIFY YOURSELF (GEN. 35:1-4) 1 God said to Jacob, Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. 2 So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone. 4 Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem. VERSES 1-2 Seeing Dinah s broken heart, Simeon and Levi s wicked deed, the potential destruction of Jacob s family, and Jacob s eroded spirituality, God spoke to Jacob. If ever a man needed a decisive word from God, it was Jacob the morning after the Shechem massacre (34:25-29). Get up meant inaction was not an option for Jacob. The Lord told him to go to Bethel and settle there, fulfilling His promises made earlier at Bethel (28:15). The Lord then directed Jacob to build an altar there. God connected the construction of an altar at Bethel to Jacob s earlier experience there (28:10-22). Approaching his fractured and hurting family, Jacob charged them with three duties. First, they must get rid of everything that hinted of idolatry. Only the worship of the one true God would be tolerated. During their time in Shechem, they had blended in with their culture. The servants undoubtedly worshiped the deities of their native lands. Even Jacob s beloved Rachel possessed numerous household idols (31:34). Second, they must purify themselves. The ceremonial purification usually involved the complete washing of one s body and clothing in water. It symbolized the cleansing of all sin from their lives, preparing them for their encounter with God. Third, they must change clothes. That is, change their identity and assume a new life. Their old clothes typified their old failures and lifestyles. Probably their old clothes matched that of their pagan neighbors. New clothes represented a departure from that culture and 84 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
a readiness for a new way of life. Before returning to Bethel, Jacob knew drastic changes were necessary. These actions portrayed both cleansing from defilement and consecration of the heart to the Lord. What actions might a person take today in preparation for meeting God? What things show that a person is purifying his or her life? VERSES 3-4 Jacob informed his family they must get up and go to Bethel. Their exploits in Canaan demonstrated their devotion to God had waned. The answer Jacob had found at Bethel the first time was the answer he needed now. He must revisit the place where his faith began. More than a place, Jacob needed God in his life. Although Jacob knew God had never left him, he had left God. At Bethel, Jacob would build an altar to the God who had not only answered his cry of distress, but who promised Jacob that He would protect, provide, and be with him. Jacob s family turned over all their foreign gods and their earrings. The earrings were perhaps thought to be magical charms, or they may have contained pagan depictions. Jacob took these items and buried them under an oak tree. Jacob prepared his family by removing all traces of idols before beginning their journey. Likewise, believers should purge themselves of things that contend for our devotion to God. BIBLE SKILL: Use a Bible atlas and Bible dictionary (print version or on the Internet) to locate and learn about places mentioned in Scripture. Find the locations of Bethel, Paddan-aram, and Shechem. (Tip: Check the atlas index or search on the Internet.) Then use a Bible dictionary to learn more about these places. What are some facts about each site that may have impacted Jacob s choices? Session 9 : Assurance 85
OBEY GOD S DIRECTIVES (GEN. 35:5-8) 5 When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob s sons. 6 So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and called the place El-bethel because it was there that God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 8 Deborah, the one who had nursed and raised Rebekah, died and was buried under the oak south of Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth. VERSES 5-7 Fearful that the surrounding communities were plotting revenge for the Shechem disaster (Gen. 34:30), Jacob s worries proved inconsequential because God made a terror to fall on Jacob s potential pursuers, keeping them from attacking Jacob and his family. Notice the protection of God came only after Jacob set out in obedience. Arriving at Bethel, Jacob obediently built an altar, calling the place El-bethel, which means the God of Bethel. Jacob wasn t just coming back to a place but to the one true God who manifested Himself there. Through this act of worship, fulfillment of his vow, and renaming the site, Jacob reconfirmed his allegiance to God. We can learn from Jacob s example. When God speaks, we must respond by obeying His directives. When we do, we can depend on God s provision and protection. Which is more difficult obeying God in the big stuff or in the small stuff? Explain. VERSE 8 In the midst of Jacob s revival, tragedy struck. Deborah, his mother s nanny and nurse who helped raise her from birth, died (Gen. 24:59). Following Rebekah from her homeland of Mesopotamia when she married Isaac, Deborah had very likely been Jacob s nursemaid. Since she was with Jacob now, he must have taken her into his own family 86 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
after his mother died. The insertion of her death here primarily serves as notification that the older generation was passing away. The biblical narrative would soon move to the next generation. KEY DOCTRINE: God To God, we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience (Ex. 20:1-3). REMEMBER GOD S PROMISES (GEN. 35:9-13) 9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddanaram, and he blessed him. 10 God said to him, Your name is Jacob; you will no longer be named Jacob, but your name will be Israel. So he named him Israel. 11 God also said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed an assembly of nations, will come from you, and kings will descend from you. 12 I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac. And I will give the land to your future descendants. 13 Then God withdrew from him at the place where he had spoken to him. VERSES 9-13 Proving He was not only a promise maker but also a promise keeper, the Lord brought Jacob back safely from Paddan-aram. In his first Bethel experience, Jacob saw God and the angels in a dream, but now the Lord appeared to Jacob while he was fully awake, reaffirming His promises made at Bethel (28:13-15) and Peniel (32:24-32). These blessings included the promise of His presence, protection, and provision, including a new identity for Jacob and his ancestors. Although Jacob may have forgotten these promises or taken them for granted, God still remembered His word. Because Jacob had not acted consistently with his new name, God reminded Jacob that he was no longer Jacob ( he cheats or he supplants ), but Israel ( he strives against God or God rules ). The new name, Israel, stresses God s role in the transformation of Jacob. Knowing Jacob wrestled with fear (fearing his brother, Laban, and the people of Shechem), God explained He was not only Elohim, the supreme God. He was El Shaddai, God Almighty Session 9 : Assurance 87
more powerful than Jacob s fears. God s power always accompanies His promises. The sources of our fears are no match for the power of our God. As Jacob grew older, he realized the necessity of relying on God s power alone, passing this legacy on to His children. Joseph, Jacob s son, demonstrated this legacy when all of Egypt learned that it was his God that saved them from starvation. God s power always accompanies His promises. The sources of our fears are no match for the power of our God. God s blessing wasn t a new blessing but a continuation of the covenant God had given Abraham and then Isaac. Restated a second time for Jacob (see 28:13-15), God added that Jacob s descendants would be kings, referring to the future nations of the twelve tribes of Israel that would arise from Jacob s sons. At this time, Jacob had only eleven sons, but God would give him one more son, Benjamin, and abundantly bless all of them and increase their number. After reviewing His promises, God withdrew from him, as He had with Abraham (17:22), indicating this was a real visit, not just a dream or a vision. All God s promises upon which Jacob could depend were still intact because they rested on God s unbreakable word. Life can be challenging, even frightening. In those moments, we can keep fear at bay by trusting God s promises. His Word is an unshakable bond, reliable for all the seasons of our lives. What are some promises that God has made to you in His Word? How do these promises influence your daily life? TREASURE GOD S PROMISES (GEN. 35:14-15) 14 Jacob set up a marker at the place where he had spoken to him a stone marker. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. 15 Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. In an act of worship and commitment, Jacob did as he had done twenty years before at Bethel: he commemorated the occasion by 88 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
setting up a stone marker. Jacob poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. A drink offering symbolized the worshiper s life poured out before the Lord in dedication. The marker at Bethel was Jacob s way of establishing a means for future reflection on the promises given him by God. Just as God reconfirmed Jacob s new name, Jacob reemphasized the name of this sacred place as Bethel, emphasizing not just the location but his divine encounter with God. In this beautiful but solemn service of dedication and remembrance, Jacob treasured the promises of God. As God intended, Jacob s life would never be the same. From this day forward, he would be Israel. In the days ahead, Jacob would draw strength from his time in Bethel. As usually happens, when we have a mountaintop experience, tragedy follows. Though unpleasant, these crises of faith test us, giving us opportunities to demonstrate that our faith is real and sincere. Jacob s first test was the death of Rachel, his beloved wife, who died while giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob s last child (35:16-20). Shortly afterwards, Jacob s father, Isaac, died (35:27-29). The greatest privilege in life is discovering and treasuring the Lord s precious promises. Just as Jacob used the marker in Bethel to reflect on God s promises, God s people need to reflect on God s promises found in His Word, seeking to understand and properly respond. Receiving God s assurance is the result of finding, knowing, and applying the promises of God. Unfortunately, we neglect to study our Bibles and, as a result, forget or are not aware of what God has for us. The greatest privilege in life is discovering and treasuring the Lord s precious promises. As we purify ourselves, obey His directives, and remember and treasure His promises, we can trust God s faithfulness. What are some ways people commemorate significant spiritual commitments today? How do these compare to the actions taken by Jacob? Session 9 : Assurance 89
IN MY CONTEXT Believers are to purge themselves of things that contend for their devotion to God. God expects believers to obediently follow His directives. Believers can find assurance by focusing on God s promises and faithfulness. God s people need to reflect on God s promises found in His Word, seeking to understand and properly record them. List things that get in the way of your strengthening your relationship with God. What steps do you need to take to remove these things from your life? What are some things God has directed you to do but you have either refused or have not carried them out? Confess your disobedience to God and ask Him to help you be obedient in those areas. Reflect on Genesis 35:11. Focus on the way God identified Himself. Memorize this verse as a reminder of God s power. Share with others in the group cherished promises of God. Record the promises shared. How can the group remind each other of these promises in the days ahead? Prayer Needs 90 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide