“A Tale of Two Brothers (Genesis 35 - 36)” | 6/27/2021
Genesis 35 - 36 | 6/27/21 | Thad Yessa
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
This is the opening line of Charles Dicken’s famous work, “A Tale of Two Cities” you may have guessed that I pulled my inspiration for the title of this sermon from that book. As we have continued to work through our study of the book of Genesis we are now entering into another important transitional period that sets up the rest of our study shifting from our focus on Jacob and Esau to now on Joseph. I think it will be helpful for us recount the history of these two brothers as we look at this passage. One quick note before we read the first half of chapter 35 is that we will not be reading all of chapter 36 which is the genealogy of Esau, not because it is not important, but in order to save your ears from me making a poor attempt to pronounce his descendants, but we will spend some time talking about the significance that chapter would play for the Israelites who would have heard this list as Moses wrote those names down.
Let’s Read
Genesis 35:1-15
God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob 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. 3 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.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty:] be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him.14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.
Let’s Pray...
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God continually calls after His wayward children. (Gen. 35: 1-15)
When we last read about Jacob, he had settled near the city of Shechem (Gen. 33:18–20), apparently thinking that he had fulfilled his vow to worship the Lord upon his return to Canaan (28:10–22). However, as we also saw, his stay in Shechem also produced rape and slaughter (34:1–29), indicating his decision to live there was not wise, and in fact was not the plan that God had for Jacob and his family. We saw that Jacob’s anger last week at losing his good name and not the violation of Dinah or the ruthlessness of Simeon and Levi, showed that his foolishness affected him spiritually, clouding his knowledge of the Lord’s will, and it revealed a wavering faith (vv. 30–31).
Yet we know Jacob worshiped the one, true God. Jacob not so long before had an actual direct encounter with God at Bethel, where the God of his father and grandfather truly became His GOd. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Lord compassionately intervenes to wake him from his spiritual stupor. Picking up our study of Genesis in 35:1, the Almighty appears to Jacob in Shechem and reveals that Jacob’s vow is unfulfilled until he returns to Bethel. The Lord has a plan in which Jacob plays a part, and He will not let Jacob’s dulled spiritual senses stand in the way. We should find great comfort that as John Calvin puts it “the providence of God watches for our salvation, even when it most seems to sleep,” God is not content to let those whom He has put his affection on to wander or stay the same!
God’s call to Jacob, coming as it does right near the end of his story in Genesis, leads us to view Jacob as the new Abraham. Just as Jacob’s grandfather was called to offer up a sacrifice (Gen. 22:1–19) near the end of his life, so too is Jacob commanded to go up, fulfill his vows, and worship at Bethel (35:1). God’s good pleasure to bring His sinful people back to Himself even if they have spent years in the spiritual wilderness. Today He continues to embrace His prodigal sons and daughters, calling them to return again in faith and repentance just as the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32.
Jacob takes several steps before going to Bethel that were instructive for the ancient nation of Israel and remain applicable to us today. First, Jacob orders his family to put away their foreign deities (v. 2) — always the first step for anyone who wants to serve the one, true God. Abraham abandoned the idols of his fathers, and the first commandments given to Israel after leaving Egypt involved putting away all “rival” gods (Ex. 20:1–6). Moreover, Jacob’s injunction in Genesis 35:2 showed God’s people that casting off idolatry was the prerequisite for covenant renewal. Today, new covenant believers renew their dedication to the Lord daily by abandoning the idol of self, “ Little children, keep yourselves from idols -1 John 5:21. Whenever we sin, we place our desires in the place of God’s law, and thus we make ourselves lawgivers. But in turning from sin, we admit that we are not sovereign and recognize that only our Creator sits on the throne.
Secondly, Jacob’s household should have been wholly devoted to the Lord, yet his family owned idols. Even if these gods were not worshiped, they served as good luck charms and polluted the worship of Yahweh. The presence of idols in the patriarch’s clan reminds the Lord’s people in every age to make sure their families’ devotion is to God alone. Our work of discipleship (Deut. 6:4–9) never ends, and we cannot assume our children are Christians just because we go to church each Sunday. Matthew Henry wrote: “In those families where there is a face of religion…many times there is much amiss, and more strange gods than one would suspect.”
Finally, this overarching command to forsake idols teaches us about Christ. Jesus demands our absolute allegiance in the Gospel.
18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, che gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay hishead.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Matt. 8:18–22.
This call to follow Him alone is an especially clear indication that our Savior is one with the Lord who, through Jacob, called His people to cast away any other potential rival.
When Jacob called his family to repentance in preparation for their journey from Shechem to Bethel (Gen. 35:1–3), idolatry was not the only sin that was renounced. In addition to idols, his wives and children surrendered their earrings (v. 4), which were probably part of the goods taken when Simeon and Levi led the slaughter of the Shechemites (34:25–29). Clearly, the family recognizes the wrongness of their deceit and murder, and they give up the jewelry plundered from Shechem to show their contrition.
We are four verses in and we have to wonder why does God even bother on this wayward family? Because not only is God a God of grace, but He is a God who keeps promises. Once again, the Almighty’s promise to be the guardian of His people is vindicated (28:15; 35:3) and the future Israelite conquest of Canaan foretold. Later on, Rahab would tell the Israelite spies that Jericho and its surrounding area feared the army led by Joshua (Josh. 2:1–14).
Ancient Israel could expect God to reward their obedience just as He blessed Jacob’s faithfulness on his way to Bethel. Among these blessings were fertility and success in battle, as well as the Lord’s pledge that Israel’s enemies would fear His people (Deut. 28:1–14). But can we who are God’s own today rightly expect such blessings as well, especially since so many believers face intense suffering?
The answer to this question is yes, as long as we remember the Lord’s fullest reward for our faithfulness will not come until the new heavens and the new earth. Nevertheless, as Matthew Henry comments, “the way of duty is the way of safety,” since those who perseveringly serve Christ are storing up great rewards for themselves in the future (2 Peter 1:3–11).
Through all of this God at any point in the line of Abraham could have looked and said you know what, the people I chose are so wicked that I need to find someone else, BUT He doesn’t. In fact God knew exactly how wicked you and I are and STILL sent his Son to die for us. God set the world in motion. The sky proclaims his awesomeness; creation points to his holiness. And yet he is mindful of sinful men? Yes! Before he created the heavens, he chose you. Holy, majestic, awesome God was mindful of sinful man. He wasn’t surprised when Adam and Eve sinned. He knew that one day we’d fall, and that we would continually sin against him. Still, he chose us. God’s character is just, holy, and oh so merciful.
Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for vyou have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to yEphrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and alay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
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God works through heartache. (Gen. 35:16-29)
Tragically, death once more strikes God’s people as Israel and his clan move south from Shechem to Bethlehem, the famous town located north of the city of Jerusalem. Jacob’s beautiful and beloved wife Rachel does not make it all the way to the end of this journey (v. 19).
Rachel’s death would not have been too surprising, for many women died in childbirth in the ancient world, but we feel sympathy for Jacob nonetheless. Yet the birth of Rachel’s last son in verses 16–18 vindicates again one lesson God has taught us repeatedly in our exposition of Genesis: He is faithful to His people even in the darkest of times. He enabled Abraham to rescue Lot from when he was kidnapped (14:1–16) and would not let Abimelech block Isaac’s access to water (26:17–33). With Benjamin, the Lord shows Himself true in the midst of Jacob’s sorrow.
God’s grace in all this is clear because He gives Rachel a chance to see her prayer answered just before her death. She asked for one more son when Joseph was born (30:22–24), and with Benjamin her request is granted. He starts out life as Ben-oni (“son of my sorrow”) but is renamed Benjamin (“son of my right hand”) by his father
(35:18). This highlights the joy Jacob found in this son and recalls his love for Rachel (his preferred right hand) more than the tragic circumstances of his birth.
Pain and sorrow attend his birth, but Benjamin is the last of Israel’s sons and signals a good future — a nation of twelve tribes. Showing that even through heartache that God can work to accomplish His will.
But death doesn’t stop there,Genesis 35 ends with the account of the death and burial of Isaac. However, we note once again that chronologically speaking, Isaac actually died somewhere between chapters 36 and 50 and not prior to Joseph’s descent into Egypt recorded in Genesis 37. Isaac was sixty when Jacob was born (25:26b), and he was therefore about one hundred years old when his younger son was exiled to Paddan-aram. Esau was forty (26:34–35; as was his twin brother) when his marriage to the Hittites prompted Isaac to send Jacob away. If one child was born per year after Jacob married Leah in year seven as Laban’s slave, then Joseph, Jacob’s twelfth child, was likely born after living in Paddan-aram for about twenty years (30:22–24; 31:38). Jacob would have been sixty at this point and Isaac, 120. Therefore, if Joseph went into Egypt at age seventeen (chap. 37), his grandfather Isaac would have been around 137 years old at the time, therefore living about 43 years longer before his death at age 180 (35:28).
Moses records Isaac’s death at this point in the narrative to make a point — Jacob, the primary actor in this phase of history will recede into the background so that Moses may focus on Joseph and his brothers. Esau and Jacob, who were at odds when this period began are now reconciled and able to bury their father in peace, even though Isaac does not die until after Joseph is exiled. Moses is moving on, using the space he has left to explain how Jacob’s children ended up in Egypt in the first place.
Regardless of when it happened, Isaac died without seeing his children in full possession of Canaan (26:1–5). This promise from God is a future hope to Israel’s second patriarch, just as it was for Abraham (25:1–11). Yet Isaac’s burial at Hebron in the same grave as his father, the only piece of the Promised Land the patriarchs ever owned (49:28–33), and the place where the Lord swore an oath to Abraham (13:18; 15), is significant. It shows they still trusted Yahweh to keep His word, for in laying their bones there they testified the land was their own country despite not yet fully possessing it.
Genesis 35 shows us how each generation of God’s people must trust Him to do what He says even if the full realization of His promises remains in the future. Jacob affirmed his trust in the Lord when he buried Isaac in the only piece of Canaan the family owned and when he moved to revitalize the faith of his family, calling them to put away their foreign gods. Each generation must likewise reform the church according to Scripture and trust our Father anew.
God blesses the unbelieving. (Gen. 36:1-34)
The extended genealogy of Esau in Genesis 36 is a long genealogical list that sets the stage for the final section of Genesis. Moses typically inserts the family history of the unfaithful son just before he begins to relate the history of the heirs of Abraham’s covenant. We see this happen in 25:12–18, for example, where Moses gives us the “generations of Ishmael” right before the account of Jacob’s life in 25:19–35:29. Chapter 36 tells us about Esau’s offspring, and chapters 37–50 contain the history of Jacob’s sons, especially Joseph.
Several things are notable about this chapter. First, the names of Esau’s Canaanite wives in 36:1–3 do not match the names of his wives given in 26:34–35 and 28:9. It is possible that some of Esau’s wives changed their names after they married him, thereby accounting for these differences. However, the more likely explanation is that Esau married many more wives after fraternizing with the Hittites (26:34–35) and the Ishmaelites (28:9). This squares well with the description of Esau’s sexual immorality in Hebrews 12:15–17 -
“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.”
If Isaac’s oldest son lived for the moment, forfeiting his spiritual blessing to satiate his physical hunger (Gen. 25:29–34), surely he would be capable of giving into his momentary lusts by taking as many wives as his heart desired.
Also, Genesis 36 stresses the physical blessings that came to Esau despite his sin. His sons founded the great nation of Edom (v. 8). Since they were born in Canaan, the land God gave to Abraham and his progeny (v. 5b), it is clear the blessings on faithless Esau were tied to his residence in the realm where the Lord’s work was seen most visibly. Likewise, many temporal (but not eternal) benefits come to those who profess faith and join a church, where God now shows Himself most visibly, even if they do not trust Christ.
Edom’s existence brings to pass the Almighty’s prediction that Esau will father a great nation (Gen. 25:23). And if God kept His promise for this faithless son of Isaac, we can be sure he will keep all the promises He has given His people.For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)
God is faithful to His promises to His people. (Gen. 37:1)
God is faithful to His Promise to His people
God brought them to the land that He promised to Abraham (37:1)
This passage reveals God’s omniscience, His goodness, His faithfulness; His grace, and His redemption
The goodness of God to others would remind us of His goodness to us.
The fact that God always keeps His promises to His people should remind us that He will keep His promises to us.
The fact that God kept His promises to His people despite their sin reminds me that His grace is sufficient for my sin.