Genesis Chapter 35 Deep-Dive: Jacob Returns to Bethel, The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

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GEN 35

1God 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.” THAT’S WHERE JACOB WAS SUPPOSED TO GO WHEN HE FIRST LEFT LABAN … BETHEL, WHERE JACOB SPENT HIS FIRST NIGHT AFTER LEAVING ISAAC AND REBEKAH, WHERE HE SAW THE LADDER / STEPS / ZIGGURAT OF GOD AND MADE THE COMMITMENT TO TITHE TO THAT GOD 2So 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. A CLEANSING 3Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me PRESENT TENSE in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4So 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.  TEREBINTHS ARE MENTIONED ELSEWHERE IN SCRIPTURE, THEY’RE A SHRUB TYPE OF TREE THAT GIVES GOOD SHADE BUT THERE IS MOST LIKELY NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS BEING A TEREBINTH.

5And 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. JACOB WAS CORRECT ABOUT THAT CONCERN BUT GOD INTERVENES … SIMILAR TO THE WAY HE WILL WHEN HE BRINGS THE NATION OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT IN THE EXODUS.  6And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel GOD OF BETHEL, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother JACOB’S FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH GOD WHEN HE HAD THE DREAM OF THE ZIGGURAT / PYRAMID / MOUNTAIN OF GOD. 8And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.  OAK OF WEEPING.  IT’S UNCLEAR HOW REBEKAH’S NURSE ENDED UP IN JACOB’S HOUSEHOLD … AT THIS POINT HE’S NOT THAT FAR FROM ISAAC’S HOUSEHOLD, HE MAY HAVE TRAVELLED TO SEE ISAAC AND BROUGHT HER BACK WITH HIM.

9God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram WHERE LABAN WAS, and blessed him. 10And 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. GOD IS REINFORCING THE NAME HE GAVE JACOB WHEN JACOB WRESTLED WITH GOD AFTER LEAVING LABAN 11And 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. 12The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. SO, GOD APPEARED IN HUMAN FORM AGAIN … THE ANGEL OF THE LORD / JESUS 14And 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. 15So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. HOUSE OF GOD … JACOB LEARNING TO TRUST GOD AFTER HE’S MADE A MESS OF THINGS FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE … REBEKAH’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY STIRRING THINGS UP AND RUNNING SCAMS, STARTING WITH HER!

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel JACOB’S BELOVED FAVORITE WIFE went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; (SON OF MY STRUGGLE) but his father called him Benjamin. (SON OF MY RIGHT HAND) 19So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. 21Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it.  BUT APPARENTLY DID NOTHING ABOUT IT AND REUBEN CONTINUED TO LIVE IN JACOB’S HOUSEHOLD.  SO, REUEBEN WAS JACOB’S FIRSTBORN AND LOST THE BLESSING BECAUSE OF THIS.  SIMEON AND LEVI WERE NEXT IN LINE BUT THEY LOST THE BLESSING BECAUSE THEY MURDERED THE MEN OF SHECHEM … WHO WAS NEXT IN LINE?  … JUDAH, JACOB’S 4^TH SON, WHO DID RECEIVE THE BLESSING

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. LABAN’S COUNTRY

27And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.  RECONCILED AT THE END, JUST AS ISAAC AND ISHMAEL BURIED ABRAHAM.

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