(THE BIRTH OF BENJAMIN; THE DEATH OF RACHEL;
THE DEATH OF ISAAC)
35:1 AND GOD SAID UNTO JACOB, ARISE, GO UP TO BETH-EL, AND DWELL THERE: AND MAKE THERE AN ALTAR UNTO GOD, THAT APPEARED UNTO THEE WHEN THOU FLEDDEST FROM THE FACE OF ESAU THY BROTHER.
A.The two brothers had met, and parted in peace; Esau went back to his home in Seir or Edom; Jacob crossed the Jordan and continued a slow journey toward the south.
B.After the incident with Dinah, God tells Jacob to leave Shechem and continue south to Bethel, where 20 or more years before he had seen the vision of the ladder, and where he had vowed he would return - Gen 28:22.
35:2 THEN JACOB SAID UNTO HIS HOUSEHOLD, AND TO ALL THAT [WERE] WITH HIM, PUT AWAY THE STRANGE GODS THAT [ARE] AMONG YOU, AND BE CLEAN, AND CHANGE YOUR GARMENTS:
A.ALL THAT WERE WITH HIM: Perhaps Shechemite captives.
B.Rachel had stolen her father's idol images, and from that time to the Captivity Israel had trouble with idolatry.
C.Here is an effort by Jacob to clear it away from his family.
35:3 AND LET US ARISE, AND GO UP TO BETH-EL; AND I WILL MAKE THERE AN ALTAR UNTO GOD, WHO ANSWERED ME IN THE DAY OF MY DISTRESS, AND WAS WITH ME IN THE WAY WHICH I WENT.
35:4 AND THEY GAVE UNTO JACOB 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.
A.This was quite an effort to get rid of all the figures, earrings, and other trappings of idolatry.
B.But it was not gone altogether from Israel; We will see it rise and grow - cf 1Pe 5:8.
35:5 AND THEY JOURNEYED: AND THE TERROR OF GOD WAS UPON THE CITIES THAT [WERE] ROUND ABOUT THEM, AND THEY DID NOT PURSUE AFTER THE SONS OF JACOB.
35:6 SO JACOB CAME TO LUZ, WHICH [IS] IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, THAT [IS], BETH-EL, HE AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT [WERE] WITH HIM.
35:7 AND HE BUILT THERE AN ALTAR, AND CALLED THE PLACE EL-BETH-EL: BECAUSE THERE GOD APPEARED UNTO HIM, WHEN HE FLED FROM THE FACE OF HIS BROTHER.
**EL-BETH-EL: "The God Of Bethel."
35:8 BUT DEBORAH REBEKAH'S NURSE DIED, AND SHE WAS BURIED BENEATH BETH-EL UNDER AN OAK: AND THE NAME OF IT WAS CALLED ALLON-BACHUTH.
A.DEBORAH: She was quite old, as she was old enough to leave Haran with Rebekah to go to Isaac about 150 years before; How or when she came to be in Jacob's household we do not know.
B.ALLON-BACHUTH: "The Oak Of Weeping."
35:9 AND GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN, WHEN HE CAME OUT OF PADAN-ARAM, AND BLESSED HIM.
A.God appeared to Jacob as he was going into Padan-Aram, and now He appears as he comes out of Padan-Aram.
B.The Promises of the Covenant are now renewed to Jacob.
35:10 AND GOD SAID UNTO HIM, 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.
A.JACOB: "Supplanter."
B.ISRAEL: "Prince Of God."
35:11 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 THY LOINS;
**BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY: Abraham and Isaac had each had only one son of Promise, but now the time had come for increase in the family which was to become a nation.
35:12 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.
**TO THY SEED AFTER THEE WILL I GIVE THE LAND: The time of their entering into the possession of the land had been specified to Abraham as being in the fourth generation, and after bondage in a foreign land - Gen 15:13-16; We assume the four generations are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
35:13 AND GOD WENT UP FROM HIM IN THE PLACE WHERE HE TALKED WITH HIM.
35:14 AND JACOB SET UP A PILLAR IN THE PLACE WHERE HE TALKED WITH HIM, [EVEN] A PILLAR OF STONE: AND HE POURED A DRINK OFFERING THEREON, AND HE POURED OIL THEREON.
**Jacob shows his spirituality as he worships Jehovah.
35:15 AND JACOB CALLED THE NAME OF THE PLACE WHERE GOD SPAKE WITH HIM, BETH-EL.
**BETH-EL: It had originally been called Bethel (after the vision of the ladder - Gen 28:19); Then it was called El-Beth-El - Verse 7 above; Now the first name is restored.
35:16 AND THEY JOURNEYED FROM BETH-EL; AND THERE WAS BUT A LITTLE WAY TO COME TO EPHRATH: AND RACHEL TRAVAILED, AND SHE HAD HARD LABOUR.
35:17 AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN SHE WAS IN HARD LABOUR, THAT THE MIDWIFE SAID UNTO HER, FEAR NOT; THOU SHALT HAVE THIS SON ALSO.
**This would be her second son, and Jacob's twelfth.
35:18 AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS HER SOUL WAS IN DEPARTING, (FOR SHE DIED) THAT SHE CALLED HIS NAME BEN-ONI: BUT HIS FATHER CALLED HIM BENJAMIN.
A.When Rachel's soul left her, she was dead - cf Jas 2:26.
B.BEN-ONI: "Son Of My Sorrow."
C.BENJAMIN: "Son Of My Right Hand."
35:19 AND RACHEL DIED, AND WAS BURIED IN THE WAY TO EPHRATH, WHICH [IS] BETH-LEHEM.
A.WHICH IS BETHLEHEM: By the time of the writing of Genesis, this was the name of the town.
B.Later it would be the birthplace of David (1Sa 16:18), and then of Christ (Mt 2:1).
35:20 AND JACOB SET A PILLAR UPON HER GRAVE: THAT [IS] THE PILLAR OF RACHEL'S GRAVE UNTO THIS DAY.
35:21 AND ISRAEL JOURNEYED, AND SPREAD HIS TENT BEYOND THE TOWER OF EDAR.
35:22 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]. NOW THE SONS OF JACOB WERE TWELVE:
A.Reuben was later cut out of the rights of the first-born, and this act of incest is given as the reason - Gen 49:3-4.
B.ISRAEL HEARD IT: The break, the discontinuity, suggest that he was dumbfounded, he was speechless.
C.The twelve sons are now listed with their respective mothers.
35:23 THE SONS OF LEAH; REUBEN, JACOB'S FIRSTBORN, AND SIMEON, AND LEVI, AND JUDAH, AND ISSACHAR, AND ZEBULUN:
35:24 THE SONS OF RACHEL; JOSEPH, AND BENJAMIN:
35:25 AND THE SONS OF BILHAH, RACHEL'S HANDMAID; DAN, AND NAPHTALI:
35:26 AND THE SONS OF ZILPAH, LEAH'S HANDMAID; GAD, AND ASHER: THESE [ARE] THE SONS OF JACOB, WHICH WERE BORN TO HIM IN PADAN-ARAM.
35:27 AND JACOB CAME UNTO ISAAC HIS FATHER UNTO MAMRE, UNTO THE CITY OF ARBAH, WHICH [IS] HEBRON, WHERE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC SOJOURNED.
A.Jacob is reunited with his father in a land which is already becoming quite historic.
B.Next is the death of Isaac at 180 years, and his burial by his two sons, Esau and Jacob.
35:28 AND THE DAYS OF ISAAC WERE AN HUNDRED AND FOURSCORE YEARS.
35:29 AND ISAAC GAVE UP THE GHOST, AND DIED, AND WAS GATHERED UNTO HIS PEOPLE, [BEING] OLD AND FULL OF DAYS: AND HIS SONS ESAU AND JACOB BURIED HIM.
A.GATHERED UNTO HIS PEOPLE: He was buried with Abraham and Sarah in the family burial place, the Cave of Macpelah - Gen 49:31 (which Verse also says that Rebekah and Leah were buried there); Jacob later would be buried there - Gen 50:13.
B.HIS SONS...BURIED HIM: Death is a divider, but it is also a uniter -- When we stand at the border of eternity, feelings of hatred and revenge subside, and feelings of love, forgive-ness and brotherhood arise with the tears.
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