Genesis 35:2

In Genesis 35:1 God made it clear that He was going to protect Jacob once again. Of course, God was going to protect Jacob again. God had made great promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Those promises had to do with the eventual coming of the Messiah who is Jesus Christ. God always keeps His promises, and God always takes care of His children. In order to protect Jacob, God told him to move to a different part of the land of Canaan. The Bible says in Genesis 35:2-7, “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: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; 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. 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. 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. So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 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.”

Jacob said to his family in Genesis 35:2-3, “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel.” Jacob obeyed God, but at the same time Jacob realized that he and his family needed to make some improvements in their lives. Jacob said, “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.” Every Christian should learn to take account of their own lives and look for things that need to be repented of. It says in First Corinthians 11:31-32, “For if we should judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” You cannot serve God unless you are daily confessing your sins. You cannot walk in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ unless you are daily confessing your sins. It says in First John 1:8-9, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus does not bless us because of how good we are. Jesus blesses us because of His grace that is given freely when we put our trust in Him. But we must look at our own lives on a regular basis and cleanse out anything that has crept in that should not be there. We must examine our thoughts and actions on a regular basis, and put away anything that is displeasing to God because Jesus is a holy God. Righteousness cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness. It says in Second Corinthians 6:15, “What concord hath Christ with Belial?”

The Bible says in Genesis 35:8-15, “But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. 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. 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; 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. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 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. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.”

It is important to notice that in these verses God re-states His promises to Jacob. We all need to hear God’s promises frequently. Can God keep His promises? The answer to that is found in the statement that God made to Jacob: “I am God Almighty.” God can do anything. He can fix any problem. He can protect from any danger. He can supply any need. That is the message that Jesus presented to His disciples. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.” Jesus also said in Matthew 19:26, “With God all things are possible.”

God promised Jacob, “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.” God’s promise had to do with what God would “give” to Jacob. God is a gift-giver. He is the greatest of gift-givers. It says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son…” It also says in Romans 3:23, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God promised, and He also commanded. He gave Jacob something to do. God said to Jacob, “be fruitful and multiply.” There is also something for each person in the world to do to be able to enter into the promise of eternal life from Jesus Christ: believe in Jesus. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

There is a lesson to learn from the fact that Genesis 35:14 says, “And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone.” God had just spoken to Jacob and God had just re-stated His great promises to Jacob. Jacob set up a pillar of stone in memoriam to what God had just said. In other words Jacob found a way to remember God’s words. Every time that Jacob looked up and saw that pillar of stone, Jacob would remember what God had said. We also need to find ways of remembering the great and precious promises that God has given to us. As we go about our busy schedules each day, we can sometimes forget to bring God’s promises into the way that we think about our daily situations. Learn to develop habits that will help you remember. One good way to do that is to set aside a task in which you open God’s Word and read it. Or set aside a place in your mind where you go to think about and to remember God’s promises. The more we read and mediate upon God’s word, the more we will be reminded of His great promises.

The Bible says in Genesis 8:16-29, “And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. 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. 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. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. 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: The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: 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. And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 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.”

In this passage of scripture we see how much Jacob’s life changed. He moved once again: this time to the same place in Canaan where Abraham and Isaac had lived. And Jacob’s life was touched by one of the harsh realities of life: death. Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel, died before her time in childbirth. And Isaac, Jacob’s father, died “being old and full of days.” Everyone will die eventually, and of course, some will die early in life. It says in Hebrews 9:27, “And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” That is why the things of this life are unimportant compared to the things of eternity, and that is why the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is so very important. Everyone will one day sooner or later and stand before God. Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Jesus also said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” Anyone who repents of his sins and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ will find eternal life: the free gift that only Jesus Christ can give. When such a believer leaves this life, he or she will enter into the glories and the beauties of heaven. Death will not be the end, but the beginning of the way that life was meant to be.

Genesis chapter 36 is an interesting chapter. It goes into great detail about the descendants of Esau. Esau was one of the sons of Isaac. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. But Esau was one of the sons of Isaac, and God had made great promises to Isaac. Even though the twelve tribes of Israel did not come through the linage of Esau, and the Messiah Jesus Christ did not come through the linage of Esau; Esau still had a great prosperity. The Bible says in Genesis 36:1-8, “Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth. And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel; And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan. And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.”

From a material standpoint Esau and his numerous descendants show the greatness of God to keep His promises to Abraham and to Isaac. But from a spiritual standpoint Esau will forever be an example of the terrible consequences of putting material needs above spiritual needs. It says in Hebrews 12:16, “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.” Esau is mentioned 111 times in the Bible, and Edom is mentioned 128 times. Many of these references refer to a people and to a land that had become the enemies of the people of God, and that therefore will receive final judgment from God. For example, it says in Second Chronicles 28:17, “For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.” The land of Edom will get its much-deserved judgment in the last days. It says in Obadiah 1:8, “Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau?” Sin is a terrible thing. Its consequences can last for generation after generation. Sin is a shame to the sinner. Sin is an insult to a holy God. Sin nailed the holy and innocent Son of God to the cross of Calvary. We should hate sin. We should run from it. We should repent of sin and turn to Christ, before the terrible consequences of sin bring sorrow upon sorrow to all of us now and in the future.

The descendants of Esau are listed in the rest of Genesis chapter 36. It concludes this list of descendants by saying in Genesis 36:40-43, “And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth, Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.”

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