Geneses Chapter 35- Jacob Finally Back Home

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Geneses Chapter 35- Jacob Finally Back Home

The Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.35.NIV

Jacob Returns to Bethel

1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” (God told Jacob to keep journey to Bethel when Jacob was cornered in Shechem. 34:30. We have to find the best possible exit/solution which is provided by God when we face difficult situation. Rom. 8:28, 1Co. 10:13)

2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. (They need to clean themselves for the final journey to the divine land.)

3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” ("We must go back to Bethel.")

4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. (They buried all those items, including Rachel's family idol (31:19), which were related to their old lifestyle before the final journey. 2Co. 5:17)

5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. (The journey was protected by God's terror. Ex. 14:24-25)

6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. (Map 28-4)

7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel(God of Bethel), because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. (They came to Bethel and remembered God's protection and provision building an altar to God.) (1, Journey Ended.)

8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth(Oak of weeping). (Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died and buried.)

9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. (The new name Israel confirmed again by God.)

11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. (Messiah promised.)

12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” (God reaffirmed His blessings, land and offsprings, for the chosen family again to Jacob.)

13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. (God departed Jacob as a completion of Jacob's journey to Paddan Aram.)

14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. (Jacob erected a pillar of rock there to commemorate God's grace.)

15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel. (It was Bethel; House of God.)

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath(Bethlehem), 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(son of my trouble). But his father named him Benjamin(son of my right hand).

19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). (Rachel died giving birth to her second son Benjamin, and was buried on the way to Ephrath.)

20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb. (Jacob set a tombstone.)

21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. (Israel moved on to Migdal Eder, Tower of the Flock, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Micah 4:8)

22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. (Reuben slept with Bilhah. Reuben lost the firstborn right due to this. 49:3-4)

Jacob had twelve sons: (Chart 30)

23 The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.

24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali.

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah: Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. (Jacob came to Mamre; the home of his father.)

28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. (Isaac was one hundred and eighty years old.)

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. (Isaac died and was buried by Esau and Jacob. No mention of the death of Rebekah.) (2. The Life of Isaac) (3. The Life of Rebekah)

(1, Journey Ended.)

from https://cafe.daum.net/k331/PeqF/48

Let us go back to the question that I asked in the beginning of this story- what was his age at his departure to Paddan Aram?

I found that many people think that he left his home in his late teens or at least a very young age.

But we see that his twin brother was forty years old even before Jacob's departure (26:34).

According to other references in the Bible, he was seventy-seven years old when he left home for his future.

You may think further about this number, but those guessed numbers- which were much younger- show us how we have been so superficial in our understanding of Jacob.

I once asked Jacob, in my spirit, what he thought about the misunderstanding of many people about him.

He replied simply without any anger or disappointment that he does not care much because God knows.

This is just my imagination, so please don't take it seriously as of the written word of the Bible.

Truth is truth by itself.

I don't know, but I have tried to be faithful to the truth.

The story may have become unnecessarily lengthened due to the "myself-claimed controversy" but it should be good if I carried out the importance of being responsible as a man of a family and of God.

It is even better if anybody has deepened his or her knowledge and understanding of the man Jacob and the Word of God because of my presentation.

Please let me learn more, however, if I got it wrong or failed to prove the point.

The almighty God is looking for a man or woman, one or many, who are willing to dedicate themselves for the cause of God regardless of their capacity or ability.

Therefore every one of us must try to be a responsible man or a woman who can be used by God for our blessing and the glory of God Himself.

(2. The Life of Isaac) (AI)

Isaac, the second of the three biblical patriarchs, was the long-awaited son of Abraham and Sarah, born in their old age as a fulfillment of God's promise. His life was marked by his obedience in the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22), his marriage to Rebekah, and his role as the father of twins Esau and Jacob. (just one marriage and one birth.)

Key aspects of Isaac's life include:

Birth as a Promise: Born to 100-year-old Abraham and 90-year-old Sarah, his name means "he laughs".

The Binding (Aqedah): As a young man, he was obediently offered as a sacrifice by his father on Mount Moriah, but was spared by God, who provided a ram instead.

Marriage and Family: He married Rebekah, who was chosen for him through divine guidance. After years of infertility, she gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob, who struggled with each other.

Life as a Patriarch: He stayed in Canaan, prospered as a farmer and herdsman despite famine, and maintained the covenant between God and his family.

Final Years: In his old age, he became blind and was deceived by Rebekah and Jacob into giving his blessing to Jacob instead of his favored son, Esau.

Isaac died at 180 years old, having lived the longest life of the three patriarchs.

(3. The Life of Rebekah)  (AI)

Rebekah, a key matriarch in Genesis, was the wife of Isaac and mother of twins Jacob and Esau. Known for her beauty and proactive faith, she left her home in Mesopotamia to marry Isaac. She experienced years of barrenness before giving birth to twins who struggled in her womb, prompting a prophecy that the younger, Jacob, would prevail over the older, Esau. She favored Jacob, eventually engineering a scheme to secure Isaac's blessing for him over Esau.

Key Details in the Life of Rebekah

The Bride Chosen by God: Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel and sister of Laban, was found by Abraham’s servant who was searching for a wife for Isaac. She was characterized by her industriousness and hospitality when she watered the servant's camels.

Leaving Home: Displaying faith and courage, she agreed to marry a man she had never met, leaving her family to travel to Canaan, where she married Isaac, bringing him comfort after Sarah's death.

Mother of Twins: After years of infertility, she became pregnant, and God told her that "two nations are in your womb," and that the older would serve the younger. She gave birth to Esau and Jacob. (just one birth.)

A Divided Household: As the boys grew, Rebekah favored the younger, quieter son Jacob, while Isaac favored the hunter Esau.

The Deception: Overhearing Isaac's plan to bless Esau, Rebekah devised an elaborate scheme for Jacob to deceive his elderly, blind father, ensuring the blessing went to him.

Final Years: While her actions fulfilled the divine prophecy, it created lasting animosity between her sons, causing Jacob to flee to her brother Laban's home. She never saw him again before she died.

Rebekah is remembered for her strength, courage, and role in directing the covenant line, even though her later actions involved deception.