Genesis 35:1-29

December 18, 2016

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

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The sermon starts at 17:13 in the audio file.

Or, Jacob’s Return to the God of Bethel

Genesis 35 is the end of the longest sub-book in Genesis. We’ve been reading Book 8, “the toledot of Isaac” according to Moses’ divisions, since Genesis 25:19. Chapter 36 is Book 9 with the generations of Esau, then chapter 37 begins the tenth and final focus on Joseph through the end of Genesis. Chapter 35 includes the last days of Isaac and is the last concentrated look at Jacob.

It is filled with ups and downs. As Job once put it, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Jacob takes a holy turn in chapter 35, the LORD points him toward a glorious future, and he also loses two of the most significant people in his life.

His life has been filled with hardship and hope, with dysfunction and triumphs, with panic and prosperity. Most recently, good times became dangerous times very quickly.

Jacob made it away from Laban, made it past the God-man who wrestled him, and made it through a reunion with Esau. He made it back into the land of Canaan after more than twenty years. But he camped too long outside the city of Shechem; he lived in Succoth and Shechem for probably around ten years. He was attracted to something he saw, just as Shechem—the man—was attracted to Dinah when he saw her. Jacob’s sons were enraged by the rape of Dinah, so two of the sons murdered all the men of the city after which the rest of the brothers plundered the goods, including women and children. Jacob knew that this would cause him to stink to the surrounding Canaanites, which is true, but his own failure to respond stunk it up in another way.

If he had moved more quickly to Bethel it is unlikely that any of this would have happened. It’s too late now. But not too late for grace, and God calls Jacob to go now. Chapter 35 finishes the focus on his story with ups and downs.

Ups (verses 1-15)

It’s mostly up in the first three paragraphs.

Repentance from Idolatry (verses 1-4)

The idolatry isn’t a positive, but turning away from false worship is heading in the right direction.

The turn begins with hearing God’s word. God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” God refers not only to His provision of protection but to His promise of protection from twenty years ago. Jacob could look back on every mercy, including the recent ones, such as the LORD delivering him from Esau again in chapter 33, as evidence that God fulfilled His word. It also reminds Jacob of the vow he made, a vow he has not fulfilled.

Jacob responds, but with a surprising instruction. He said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments.” Better late than idolatry, but when did Jacob let all this idolatry into his house? Those who were with him could include the women of Shechem, but his household describes his family. Was Rachel worshipping the figurines she stole from her father? Had they picked up other gods along the way? Superstition and idolatry are like darkness, always creeping in. But it is a sign of repentance that Jacob finally has the conviction to call for an end to it. Fathers should not allow it.

Jacob called for repentance as part of the worship. There can be no other gods before God. ”Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” God said to go and build, the repentance was necessary to step toward obedience. God can be depended on, He answers in trouble; He is dependable, with me at all times.

So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under t[...]