Category Archives: Seeking His Kingdom Bible Study

Joseph Sold By His Brothers

Bullet Points from previous lessons:

God is sovereign.
God’s sovereignty supersedes manipulative or godless behaviors.
We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.
Living outside of the will of God is sin.
Partial obedience is disobedience.
The human heart is deceitful.
Sin has consequences and sin is always destructive.
Parental favoritism hurts family relationships.
God will finish the work He has begun in us.
God uses flawed people.
God’s blessings are not a promise of an easy carefree life.
Sanctification is an ongoing process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

This lesson includes all of the bullet points listed above.

Genesis 37:12-36 (NLT)

¹²Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. ¹³When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.”
“I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.
¹⁴“Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
¹⁵When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
¹⁶“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
¹⁷“Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
Joseph Sold into Slavery
¹⁸When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. ¹⁹“Here comes the dreamer!” they said. ²⁰“Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
²¹But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. ²²“Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.
²³So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. ²⁴Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. ²⁵Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.
²⁶Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime. ²⁷Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed. ²⁸So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.
²⁹Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. ³⁰Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”
³¹Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. ³²They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”
³³Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!” ³⁴Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. ³⁵His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.
³⁶Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 37:12-36 (NLT)
¹²Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers

Review
Who were Joseph’s brothers?

Genesis 35:21-26 NLT
²¹…
These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
²³The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
²⁴The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
²⁵The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
²⁶The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.

Exodus 1:1-7 NLT
The Israelites in Egypt
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel (that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family: ²Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, ³Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, ⁴Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. ⁵In all, Jacob had seventy descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there.
⁶In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation. ⁷But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

The 12 sons of Jacob became the heads of the twelve original tribes of Israel.

Revelation 7:1-8 (NLT)
God’s People Will Be Preserved
7 Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. ²And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, ³“Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”
⁴And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:

⁵*from Judah*	*12,000*
*from Reuben*	*12,000*
*from Gad*	*12,000*
⁶*from Asher*	*12,000*
*from Naphtali*	*12,000*
*from Manasseh*	*12,000*
⁷*from Simeon*	*12,000*
*from Levi*	*12,000*
*from Issachar*	*12,000*
⁸*from Zebulun*	*12,000*
*from Joseph*	*12,000*
*from Benjamin*	*12,000*

went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. ¹³When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.”

“I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.

Joseph obeyed his father, knowing that his brothers hated him.

¹⁴“Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.

50 miles north of Hebron

¹⁵When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
¹⁶“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
¹⁷“Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.

An additional 15 miles

Dothan was along a main trade route to Egypt.

Out of obedience to his father, Joseph traveled a minimum of 65 miles before he met up with his brothers.

Joseph Sold into Slavery

¹⁸When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.

Joseph’s brothers made plans to kill Joseph.

This is clearly premeditated murder.

What had the brothers previously done in Shechem?

Revenge against Shechem
^{Genesis 34:1} One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. ²But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.
⁸Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. “My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her. ⁹In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons. ¹⁰And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”
¹¹Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask. ¹²No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”
¹³But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and his father, Hamor. ¹⁴They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you! ¹⁵But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, ¹⁶then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people. ¹⁷But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”
¹⁸Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.
²¹“These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours. ²²But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are. ²³But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours. Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.”
²⁴So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised. ²⁵But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there, ²⁶including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.
²⁷Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. ²⁸They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. ²⁹They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.

Joseph’s brothers had a history of violence. (Genesis 34)

¹⁹“Here comes the dreamer!” they said. ²⁰“Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

Joseph’s brothers were ready to murder their brother and lie to their father.

²¹But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. ²²“Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.

Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.

Joseph’s brothers behaved in various ways. Not all of the brothers wanted to kill Joseph.

²³So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. ²⁴Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. ²⁵Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

The Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham by Hagar (16:15) and the Midianites (37:28) were descended from Abraham by his concubine Keturah (25:2). The term Ishmaelites became a general designation for desert tribes, so that Midianite traders were also known as Ishmaelites.

²⁶Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime. ²⁷Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.

Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders.

Before the time of the “law”
Private and commercial slave trading was common.

Deuteronomy 24:7 (NLT)
⁷“If anyone kidnaps a fellow Israelite and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.

Exodus 21:16 (NLT)
¹⁶“Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.

Kidnapping a fellow Israelite, was by the Law of Moses punishable by death. (The Law had not been given at this point in time, but this behavior is clearly unacceptable.)

²⁸So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

The current price of a slave.

Joseph was sold for the price of a slave.

²⁹Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. ³⁰Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”

³¹Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. ³²They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”

More lies and deception.

³³Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!” ³⁴Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. ³⁵His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “I will go to my grave (Sheol) mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.

Jacob was deceived by his sons. This deception impacted Jacob’s life for years.

Previous deception:

Genesis 27:18-29 (NLT)¹⁸So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said.
“Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you—Esau or Jacob?”
¹⁹Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.”
²⁰Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
“The Lord your God put it in my path!” Jacob replied.
²¹Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.” ²²So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said. ²³But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob. ²⁴“But are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“Yes, I am,” Jacob replied.
²⁵Then Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then I will give you my blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. ²⁶Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.”
²⁷So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord has blessed!
²⁸“From the dew of heaven
and the richness of the earth,
may God always give you abundant harvests of grain
and bountiful new wine.
²⁹May many nations become your servants,
and may they bow down to you.
May you be the master over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
All who curse you will be cursed,
and all who bless you will be blessed.”

Jacob had previously deceived his father Isaac.

³⁶Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.

Looking ahead

Genesis 50:20 (NLT)
²⁰You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Joseph’s Dreams

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Joseph’s Dreams

Genesis 37:1-11

This lesson contains more “personal commentary” than usual. Normally bulletin points are simply a paraphrase of a verse of scripture that is a part of the lesson. Personal commentary bullet points are not based on scriptures from this lesson.

Introduction:

Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NLT)
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

Proverbs 30:33 (NLT)
As the beating of cream yields butter
and striking the nose causes bleeding,
so stirring up anger causes quarrels.
(Making people angry causes trouble.)

Genesis 37:1-11 (NLT)

Joseph’s Dreams

37 So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
²This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
³Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. ⁴But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
⁵One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. ⁶“Listen to this dream,” he said. ⁷“We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”
⁸His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.
⁹Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”
¹⁰This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” ¹¹But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 37:1-11 (NLT)

Joseph’s Dreams

¹ So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.

Genesis 28:13-15 (NLT)
¹³At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

Genesis 31:3 (NLT)
³Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”

Jacob returned to the land of his father and grandfather as the Lord had instructed.

²This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old,

Eleven years had passed since he entered the land of Canaan.

he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah.

Joseph worked for his half-brothers.

Joseph was younger than all of his half-brothers. He was older than his brother Benjamin.

But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

While this may not have been wrong for Joseph to do, it would cause conflict between and his brothers.

This behavior seems to indicate the fact that he honored his father.

³Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age.

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children.

This would also cause conflict between Joseph and his brothers.

So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

The special gift made for Joseph seems to signify the owner as the one whom the father intended to be the future leader of the household, an honor normally given to the oldest son.

⁴But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them.

Joseph’s brothers hated Joseph.

More reason for Joseph’s brothers to hate Joseph.

It was wrong for Jacob to love Joseph more than the rest of his sons.

Scriptures related to showing favoritism:

Romans 2:11 (NLT)
¹¹For God does not show favoritism.

James 2:9 (NLT)
But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

James 2:1 (NLT)
A Warning against Prejudice
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

1 Timothy 5:21 (NLT)
I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favoritism to anyone.

Parental favoritism hurts family relationships.

Sin has consequences.

Parental favoritism resulted in Jacob losing Joseph for a lengthy period of time.

(Rebecca had favored Jacob and the result of this was losing him for more than 20 years.)

They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

Personal commentary: Joseph must have known how his brothers felt about him.

⁵One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.

In Genesis, God used dreams to reveal His plans (divine revelations).

20:3, 28:12, 31:10-11, 40:5-8, 41:1

God’s divine revelation was not just given to God’s chosen people (others included Abimelech, the cupbearer and the baker, and Pharaoh).

⁶“Listen to this dream,” he said.

Personal commentary: It may have been better for Joseph to keep his dreams to himself.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NLT)
… A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)
^… Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

James 3:5 (NLT)
In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.

Proverbs 21:23 (NLT)
Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble.

Proverbs 27:2 (NLT)
Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.

⁷“We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

This dream had an agricultural theme. This may have been a hint of the manner in which Joseph’s authority over his brothers would be achieved.

⁸His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

The envy and hatred of Joseph’s brothers is understandable.

Joseph was the 11^th of 12 sons. The youngest of all of his half-brothers.

The brothers did not recognize God’s sovereign choice of Joseph as a leader.

Personal commentary: Don’t set others up for failure.

⁹Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”

This dream had a celestial theme. In ancient cultures, astronomical symbols represented rulers.

This second dream reinforces the expectation that Joseph will have authority over the rest of his family.
His father – sun
His mother – moon
His brothers – the stars

¹⁰This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I

Mother refers to Leah. Rachel had already died (Genesis 35:16-19).

and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?”

At this point Jacob admonished Joseph.

¹¹But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Jacob continued to ponder (think about) the meaning of the dream.

Final thoughts:

Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NLT)
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

Proverbs 30:33 (NLT)
As the beating of cream yields butter
and striking the nose causes bleeding,
so stirring up anger causes quarrels.
(Making people angry causes trouble.)

A Brief Look at the Nation of Edom

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A Brief Look at the Nation of Edom

Genesis 36

I saw three options for Genesis 36.

Skip this chapter.

Spend a month of in-depth study.

Hit the highlights (avoid debating the baffling details).

This study is the third option.

Reminder:

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true …

Genesis 36 (NLT)
Descendants of Esau
¹ This is the account of the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom). ²Esau married two young women from Canaan: Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. ³He also married his cousin Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth. ⁴Adah gave birth to a son named Eliphaz for Esau. Basemath gave birth to a son named Reuel. ⁵Oholibamah gave birth to sons named Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan.
⁶Esau took his wives, his children, and his entire household, along with his livestock and cattle—all the wealth he had acquired in the land of Canaan—and moved away from his brother, Jacob. ⁷There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. ⁸So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
⁹This is the account of Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, who lived in the hill country of Seir.
¹⁰These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah; and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
¹¹The descendants of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹²Timna, the concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to a son named Amalek. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.
¹³The descendants of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.
¹⁴Esau also had sons through Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon. Their names were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
¹⁵These are the descendants of Esau who became the leaders of various clans:
The descendants of Esau’s oldest son, Eliphaz, became the leaders of the clans of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from Eliphaz. All these were descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.
¹⁷The descendants of Esau’s son Reuel became the leaders of the clans of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from Reuel. All these were descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.
¹⁸The descendants of Esau and his wife Oholibamah became the leaders of the clans of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the clan leaders who descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
¹⁹These are the clans descended from Esau (also known as Edom), identified by their clan leaders.

Original Peoples of Edom

²⁰These are the names of the tribes that descended from Seir the Horite. They lived in the land of Edom: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ²¹Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the Horite clan leaders, the descendants of Seir, who lived in the land of Edom.
²²The descendants of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was named Timna.
²³The descendants of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
²⁴The descendants of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. (This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while he was grazing his father’s donkeys.)
²⁵The descendants of Anah were his son, Dishon, and his daughter, Oholibamah.
²⁶The descendants of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
²⁷The descendants of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
²⁸The descendants of Dishan were Uz and Aran.
²⁹So these were the leaders of the Horite clans: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, ³⁰Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. The Horite clans are named after their clan leaders, who lived in the land of Seir.

Rulers of Edom

³¹These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites
:³²Bela son of Beor, who ruled in Edom from his city of Dinhabah.
³³When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king in his place.
³⁴When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king in his place.
³⁵When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab.
³⁶When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king in his place.
³⁷When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king in his place.
³⁸When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Acbor became king in his place.
³⁹When Baal-hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Pau. His wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-zahab.
⁴⁰These are the names of the leaders of the clans descended from Esau, who lived in the places named for them: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴²Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³Magdiel, and Iram. These are the leaders of the clans of Edom, listed according to their settlements in the land they occupied. They all descended from Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 36 (NLT)

Descendants of Esau

¹ This is the account of the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom).

A name change is not all that unusual (Jacob’s name was changed to Israel).

Esau is the ancestor of the Edomites.

Genesis 25:32-33 (NLT)
³²“Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”
³³But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.

Jacob is the ancestor of the Israelites.

This is the story of one of the two nations mentioned in Genesis 25:23.

Review:

Genesis 25:21-23 (NLT)
²¹Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. ²²But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked.
²³And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

Genesis 21:13 (NLT)
¹³But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”

Acts 17:26 (NLT)
²⁶From one man he (God) created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

God created all the nations.

Esau’s wives

²Esau married two young women from Canaan: Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. ³He also married his cousin Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth.

Esau married two young women from Canaan.

Genesis 28:1 (NLT)
So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, “You must not marry any of these Canaanite women.

Esau also married a descendant of Abraham.

Genesis 28:6-9 (NLT)
⁶Esau knew that his father, Isaac, had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to find a wife, and that he had warned Jacob, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” ⁷He also knew that Jacob had obeyed his parents and gone to Paddan-aram. ⁸It was now very clear to Esau that his father did not like the local Canaanite women. ⁹So Esau visited his uncle Ishmael’s family and married one of Ishmael’s daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife’s name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son.

Ishmael, Abraham’s son through Hagar.

Esau married women from Canaan as well as marrying a descendant of Abraham.

Esau’s sons

⁴Adah gave birth to a son named Eliphaz for Esau. Basemath gave birth to a son named Reuel. ⁵Oholibamah gave birth to sons named Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan.

Also found in 1 Chronicles 1

The genealogy of Esau is also recorded in 1 Chronicles 1. Like Genesis 36 it includes Original Peoples of Edom and Rulers of Edom.

Repetition is an indication of importance in scripture.

Esau moves to Edom

⁶Esau took his wives, his children, and his entire household, along with his livestock and cattle—all the wealth he had acquired in the land of Canaan—and moved away from his brother, Jacob. ⁷There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. ⁸So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.

Esau moved away from his brother, out of the land of Canaan.

Like Lot, Esau left for greener pastures.

Genesis 32:3 (NLT)
Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
³Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom.

Deuteronomy 2:2-5 (NLT)
²“Then at last the Lord said to me, ³‘You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north. ⁴Give these orders to the people: “You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. ⁵Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land.

Joshua 24:4 (NLT)
⁴To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

The sovereignty of God is clearly seen in this story.

⁹This is the account of Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, who lived in the hill country of Seir.

Note the repetition

¹⁰These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah; and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
¹¹The descendants of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹²Timna, the concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to a son named Amalek. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.
¹³The descendants of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.
¹⁴Esau also had sons through Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon. Their names were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

¹⁵These are the descendants of Esau who became the leaders of various clans:
The descendants of Esau’s oldest son, Eliphaz, became the leaders of the clans of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, ¹⁶Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from Eliphaz. All these were descendants of Esau’s wife Adah.

¹⁷The descendants of Esau’s son Reuel became the leaders of the clans of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from Reuel. All these were descendants of Esau’s wife Basemath.

¹⁸The descendants of Esau and his wife Oholibamah became the leaders of the clans of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the clan leaders who descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

¹⁹These are the clans descended from Esau (also known as Edom), identified by their clan leaders.

Original Peoples of Edom (also found in 1 Chronicles 1)

Esau’s descendants intermingled with the people of the land.

Rulers of Edom (also found in 1 Chronicles 1)

³¹These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:
³²Bela son of Beor, who ruled in Edom from his city of Dinhabah.³³When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king in his place.
³⁴When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king in his place.
³⁵When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab.
³⁶When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king in his place.
³⁷When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king in his place.
³⁸When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Acbor became king in his place.
³⁹When Baal-hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Pau. His wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-zahab.

More descendants of Esau (also found in 1 Chronicles 1)

⁴⁰These are the names of the leaders of the clans descended from Esau, who lived in the places named for them: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴²Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³Magdiel, and Iram. These are the leaders of the clans of Edom, listed according to their settlements in the land they occupied. They all descended from Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

Esau’s descendants have grown to a sizeable population.

Edom’s future

Obadiah 10-14 (NLT)
Reasons for Edom’s Punishment
¹⁰“Because of the violence you did
to your close relatives in Israel,
you will be filled with shame
and destroyed forever.
¹¹When they were invaded,
you stood aloof, refusing to help them.
Foreign invaders carried off their wealth
and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem,
but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies.
¹²“You should not have gloated
when they exiled your relatives to distant lands.
You should not have rejoiced
when the people of Judah suffered such misfortune.
You should not have spoken arrogantly
in that terrible time of trouble.
¹³You should not have plundered the land of Israel
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
when they were suffering such calamity.
¹⁴You should not have stood at the crossroads,
killing those who tried to escape.
You should not have captured the survivors
and handed them over in their terrible time of trouble.

Ezekiel 35:1-9 (NLT)
A Message for Edom
¹ Again a message came to me from the Lord: ²“Son of man, turn and face Mount Seir, and prophesy against its people. ³Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord:
“I am your enemy, O Mount Seir,
and I will raise my fist against you
to destroy you completely.
⁴I will demolish your cities
and make you desolate.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
⁵“Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins. ⁶As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! ⁷I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. ⁸I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your ravines will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. ⁹I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

A message from God to Edom:
“I am your enemy, O Mount Seir, and I will raise my fist against you to destroy you completely. ⁴I will demolish your cities and make you desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

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The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

A story of completion, corruption, and a new beginning.

Jacob’s travels

Rachel’s death

Reuben’s sin

Genealogy

Isaac’s death

Genesis 35:16-29 (NLT)
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
¹⁶Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. ¹⁷After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” ¹⁸Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). ¹⁹So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.
²¹Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. ²²While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it.
These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
²³The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
²⁴The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
²⁵The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
²⁶The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.
²⁷So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners. ²⁸Isaac lived for 180 years. ²⁹Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 35:16-29 (NLT)
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

¹⁶Leaving Bethel,

Jacob and his clan are in the Promised Land. (This is not new for this lesson.)

Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath (another name for Bethlehem).

That name should sound familiar.

Ephrath or Ephrathah

More about Ephrathah

Micah 5:2 (NLT)
A Ruler from Bethlehem
²But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel,
whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf.

But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. ¹⁷After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”

Another son.
A previous prayer of Rachel was to have another son. God answered this prayer.

Genesis 30:24 (NLT)
²⁴And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”

Rachel had prayed for another son.

¹⁸Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”).

The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”).

Assigning him a place of honor in the family.

A more positive name for the child who was the answer to Rachel’s prayer.

In the Bible names communicated something about the individual to other people.

Benjamin was the only son of Jacob that was born in the Promised Land.

Jacob’s family was completed with the birth of Benjamin.

¹⁹So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.

“To this day” means that the monument could still be seen in Moses’ day. The monument was about one mile north of Bethlehem.

Three other monuments are listed in 28:18, 31:45-47, and 35:14.

Rachel died and was buried near Bethlehem.

²¹Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder.

The tower of Eder
“Tower of the flock
“Between Bethlehem and Hebron
Towers for guarding flocks against robbers

²²While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it.

Other scriptures addressing this incident:

Genesis 49:3-4 (NLT)
Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons
³“Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength,
the child of my vigorous youth.
You are first in rank and first in power.
⁴But you are as unruly as a flood,
and you will be first no longer.
For you went to bed with my wife;
you defiled my marriage couch.

Ruben lost his birthright.

1 Chronicles 5:1-2 (NLT)
Descendants of Reuben
5 The oldest son of Israel was Reuben. But since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, his birthright was given to the sons of his brother Joseph. For this reason, Reuben is not listed in the genealogical records as the firstborn son. ²The descendants of Judah became the most powerful tribe and provided a ruler for the nation, but the birthright belonged to Joseph.

Genesis 48:5-6 (NLT)
⁵“Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours (Joseph), Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are. ⁶But any children born to you in the future will be your own, and they will inherit land within the territories of their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh.

Note: Ruben knew that this behavior was wrong.

Genesis 30:4 (NLT)
⁴So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

Genesis 26:9-10 (NLT)
⁹Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
“Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.
¹⁰“How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”

Deuteronomy 22:30 (NLT)
³⁰“A man must not marry his father’s former wife, for this would violate his father.

Ruben dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines.

Jacob’s seemingly failure to address this matter immediately was similar to the incident with his daughter Dinah.

Genesis 34:5 (NLT)
⁵Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned.

These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
²³The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
²⁴The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
²⁵The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
²⁶The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.

Heads of the 12 original tribes.

The 12 sons of Jacob became the heads of the 12 original tribes of Israel.

The sons of Jacob are listed more than two dozen times in the scriptures (in various forms).

Deuteronomy 27:11-13 (NLT)
¹¹That same day Moses also gave this charge to the people: ¹²“When you cross the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people. ¹³And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse.

Slightly different in Revelation 7

Revelation 7:4-8 New Living Translation (NLT)
4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:
5 from Judah             12,000
from Reuben             12,000
from Gad                    12,000
6 from Asher             12,000
from Naphtali 12,000
from Manasseh 12,000
7 from Simeon 12,000
from Levi                    12,000
from Issachar 12,000
8 from Zebulun 12,000
from Joseph 12,000
from Benjamin 12,000
(no Dan listed here)

The names of the heads of the 12 original tribes are slightly different than the names used to divide the Promised Land. The Levites were not assigned a section of land since they were given assignments throughout the Promised Land. A section of land was not named after Joseph, instead, two sections of land were named after his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Note: Reuben is included in each of these lists.

God uses imperfect people. (The nation of Israel was comprised of less than perfect people.)

²⁷So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners.

Genesis 13:18 (NLT)
¹⁸So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.

Jacob is “back home” with his sons.

Remember Jacob’s vow.

*** Genesis 28:20-21 (NLT)
²⁰Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.

²⁸Isaac lived for 180 years. ²⁹Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death.

This chapter records the deaths of:
Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah (v.8)
Rachel (v. 19)
Isaac

Isaac joins his ancestors in death.

And his (Isaac) sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.

Jacob and Esau are once again reunited.

The two brothers previously separated.
Genesis 33:16 (NLT)
¹⁶So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day.

Jacob and Esau were reunited just as Isaac and Ishmael were at the time of the death of Abraham.

Genesis 25:9 (NLT)
⁹His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him (Abraham) in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.

Isaac is dead.

The story continues – God has become the God of Jacob.

Acts 7:46 (NLT)
⁴⁶“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.

God has become the God of Jacob.

God Blesses and Renames Jacob.

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God blesses and renames Jacob.

God never gave up on Jacob.

God never said to Jacob, “I’m only going to tell you this once.”

Jacob’s name appears hundreds of times in the Old Testament and 26 times in the New Testament.

Jacob’s name appears in the following New Testament books:

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and Hebrews.

Matthew 8:11 (NLT)
¹¹And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 13:28 (NLT)
²⁸“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.

John 4:12 (NLT)
¹²And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Acts 7:46 (NLT)
⁴⁶“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.

Genesis 35:1-15 (NLT)

Jacob’s Return to Bethel
¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”
²So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. ³We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
⁴So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. ⁵As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.
⁶Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. ⁷Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
⁸Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”).
⁹Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, ¹⁰saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
¹¹Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! ¹²And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” ¹³Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
¹⁴Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. ¹⁵And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 35:1-15 (NLT)

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there.

- God is bringing Jacob and his family back to the Promised Land. (20+ years later)

Settle down in the Promised Land.

Build an altar there to the God

“The God”

Why didn’t God say, “To Me”?

God told Jacob to build an altar.

Up to this point, Jacob’s relationship to God appeared to be conditional. (See Genesis 28:20-22.)

Previous visit to Bethel.

Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
¹⁰Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. ¹²As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
¹³At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
¹⁶Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
¹⁸The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. ¹⁹He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
²⁰Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.
²²And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God,
and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” (20+ years earlier)

Previous encounters with God:

Genesis 32:22-32 (At Peniel)
Jacob Wrestles with God
²²During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. ²³After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
²⁴This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
²⁷“What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
²⁸“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
²⁹“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
³⁰Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” ³¹The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. ³²(Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

Jacob had a previous face to face encounter with God.

²So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.

Up to this point, Jacob tolerated the worship of pagan idols in his household.

Genesis 31:19 (NLT)
¹⁹At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.

Exodus 34:14 (NLT)
¹⁴You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

Deuteronomy 6:14-15 (NLT)
¹⁴“You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, ¹⁵for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.

³We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God

“The God”

who answered my prayers when I was in distress.

“when I was in distress”

Psalm 34:1 (NLT)
A psalm of David
¹I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.

Reminder: Don’t just pray when you are in distress.

He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Genesis 28:15 (NLT)
¹⁵What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

God was with Jacob throughout his travels.

⁴So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.

We need to bury our idols.

⁵As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
⁹This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

⁶Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. ⁷Jacob built an altar there

Built an altar to God. (Obedience to God’s instructions.)

and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.

Jacob reconfirmed his allegiance to God.

⁸Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”).

Notice the continuity in the story.

Genesis 27:45 New Living Translation (NLT)
⁴⁵When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I (Rebekah) will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

Scripture does not say when Rebekah died.

⁹Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, (the large plain, surrounded by mountains, in which the town of Haran, the home of Laban, was situated) God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, ¹⁰saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.

God reminded Jacob that he would be called Israel.

Jacob renamed.
Genesis 32:28 (NLT)
²⁸“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

¹¹Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’

In verse 3 Jacob referred to God as, “the God.”

God refers to himself here as “God Almighty”.

God said, “I am El-Shaddai – God Almighty.”

Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations.

Kings will be among your descendants!

This is an addition to the promise made to Jacob previously in Genesis 28.

¹²And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.”

God confirmed (and expanded) the promise He had earlier made to Jacob (Genesis chapter 28).

¹³Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.

¹⁴Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil.

Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him.

A tangible reminder of God’s covenant.

Tangible reminders are helpful.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)
⁴“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

¹⁵And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

Genesis 28:16-22 (NLT)
¹⁶Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
¹⁸The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. ¹⁹He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
²⁰Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. ²²And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

Final comments:

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
⁶And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Psalm 86:15 (NLT)
But you, O Lord,
are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

God never said to Jacob, “I’m only going to tell you this once.”

Revenge Against Shechem

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Revenge Against Shechem

A seemingly insignificant choice ends in disaster.

Genesis 34 (NLT)
Revenge against Shechem
¹ One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. ²But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her. ³But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words. ⁴He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.”
⁵Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned. ⁶Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob. ⁷Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, something that should never be done.
⁸Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. “My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her. ⁹In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons. ¹⁰And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”
¹¹Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask. ¹²No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”
¹³But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and his father, Hamor. ¹⁴They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you! ¹⁵But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, ¹⁶then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people. ¹⁷But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”
¹⁸Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal. ¹⁹Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, ²⁰and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.
²¹“These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours. ²²But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are. ²³But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours. Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.”
²⁴So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised. ²⁵But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there, ²⁶including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.
²⁷Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. ²⁸They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. ²⁹They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.
³⁰Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!”
³¹“But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 34 (NLT)
Revenge against Shechem
¹ One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah,

Jacob’s only daughter (only daughter mentioned in scripture).

Note: Daughter of Leah, not the daughter of Rachel. That most likely would have made a big difference.

went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area.

A seemingly insignificant choice.

Avoidance of the Canaanites would have been safer.

Deuteronomy 7:1-6 (NLT)
The Privilege of Holiness
¹“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. ²When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. ³You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, ⁴for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. ⁵This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. ⁶For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (NLT)
¹⁶In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. ¹⁷You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God.

Genesis 24:3 (NLT) (Abraham speaking)
³Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women.

Leviticus 20:26 (NLT)
²⁶You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.

A seemingly insignificant choice ends in disaster.

²But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite,

Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, (v.19)

Genesis 33:19 (NLT)
¹⁹Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver.

saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.

… letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. (Romans 8:6)

After being raped, Dinah could not expect to have a valid marriage with another man.

Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.

Shechem raped Dinah.

³But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words. ⁴He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.”

⁵Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned.

This may have been a wise response.

Note: Daughter of Leah, not the daughter of Rachel. That most likely would have made a big difference.

⁶Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob.

Hamor, Shechem’s father, tried to defuse this explosive incident.

⁷Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family,

NIV, ESV, and other translations say “in Israel”. This is the first mention of God’s chosen people by this name.

Genesis 32:28 (NLT)
²⁸“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

something that should never be done.

⁸Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons.

Hamor played the role of a diplomat.

“My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her. ⁹In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons. ¹⁰And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”

Repeat: Deuteronomy 7:1-6

Verse 2 “Make no treaties with them”

Genesis 17:8 (NLT)
⁸And I (God) will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

¹¹Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask. ¹²No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”

This was a normal part of marriage arrangements in the ancient Near East.

Shechem tried to buy his way out of trouble.

Jacob’s sons interceded on behalf of Jacob.

¹³But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons (not Jacob) responded deceitfully

Deceitfully (like father, like son)

Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully.

to Shechem and his father, Hamor.

¹⁴They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you! ¹⁵But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, ¹⁶then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people. ¹⁷But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”

A deceptive covenant

¹⁸Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal. ¹⁹Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately.

Shechem was a highly respected member of his family,

²⁰and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.

The normal place for public gatherings.

It was at the city gates that important business transactions were made, court was convened, and public announcements were heralded.

²¹“These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours. ²²But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are. ²³But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours.

The Canaanites were also being deceptive. They were looking to get all of Israel’s livestock and possessions.

The Canaanites were also being deceptive.

Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.”

²⁴So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised. ²⁵But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there,

The Canaanite men were weak and in pain.

²⁶including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.

Simeon and Levi slaughtering every male in the town was an excessive retaliation.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (NLT)
²⁸“Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, ²⁹he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

²⁷Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. ²⁸They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. ²⁹They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.

The rest of Jacob’s sons took up where Simeon and Levi left off.

³⁰Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!”

Jacob feared repercussions from other Canaanites.

Jacob appeared to have forgotten God’s promise to him and his descendants.

Genesis 49 (NLT)
Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons
⁵“Simeon and Levi are two of a kind;
their weapons are instruments of violence.
⁶May I never join in their meetings;
may I never be a party to their plans.
For in their anger they murdered men,
and they crippled oxen just for sport.
⁷A curse on their anger, for it is fierce;
a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob;
I will disperse them throughout Israel.

³¹“But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.

Simeon and Levi did not admit doing anything wrong.

Jacob and Esau Make Peace

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Jacob and Esau Make Peace

Several bullet points from our last lesson.

- Jacob is coming back into the Promised Land.
- God confronted Jacob.
- Big changes were about to take place in Jacob’s life.
- Jacob wanted a blessing from God.
- Jacob had to see himself for who he was.
- Jacob’s life had to be radically changed.
- As a result of this struggle, Jacob was both “Crippled and Blessed”.
- The God of Abraham and Isaac was becoming the God of Jacob.

A verse from our last lesson:

Genesis 32:30 (NLT)
³⁰Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

We will see, that after seeing God face to face, Jacob was a changed man, but he still had significant issues in his life that needed to be addressed.

Sanctification is an on-going process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

Genesis 33 (NLT)
Jacob and Esau Make Peace
¹ Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. ²He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. ³Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. ⁴Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
⁵Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?”
“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied. ⁶Then the servant wives came forward with their children and bowed before him. ⁷Next came Leah with her children, and they bowed before him. Finally, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him.
⁸“And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked.
Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”
⁹“My brother, I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.”
¹⁰But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have found favor with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God! ¹¹Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift.
¹²“Well,” Esau said, “let’s be going. I will lead the way.”
¹³But Jacob replied, “You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. ¹⁴Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Seir.”
¹⁵“All right,” Esau said, “but at least let me assign some of my men to guide and protect you.”
Jacob responded, “That’s not necessary. It’s enough that you’ve received me warmly, my lord!”
¹⁶So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day. ¹⁷Jacob, on the other hand, traveled on to Succoth. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was named Succoth (which means “shelters”).
¹⁸Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town. ¹⁹Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. ²⁰And there he built an altar and named it El-Elohe-Israel.

Examine the Scriptures

The brothers had not seen each other for 20-21 years.

In the perceived danger, Jacob is showing weakness and fear.

It is clear that Jacob favored Rachel and Joseph, putting them in the rear, the safest place.

Jacob shows weakness and fear in the presence of perceived danger.

³Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him.

A sign of total submission.

⁴Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Esau greeted Jacob with open arms without any hint of a grudge against Jacob.

And they both wept.

After 21 years of separation.

Hearts had been changed.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

God changed the hearts of Jacob and Esau.

⁵Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?”

“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied.

Jacob saw his children as a blessing from God.

Jacob referred to himself as Esau’s servant.

A sign of submission.

⁶Then the servant wives came forward with their children and bowed before him. ⁷Next came Leah with her children, and they bowed before him. Finally, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him.

⁸“And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked.

Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”

Jacob referred to Esau as “My lord”. Again, a clear sign of submission.

A gift of 550 animals.

Genesis 32:13-21 (NLT)
¹³Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau: ¹⁴200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”
¹⁷He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’ ¹⁸You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”
¹⁹Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’”
Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” ²¹So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

Jacob tried to appease his brother, Esau, by giving him gifts.

⁹“My brother,

Esau referred to Jacob as “my brother”. Quite a contrast to Jacob’s references to Esau.

God had clearly removed the animosity that had existed between the two brothers.

I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.”

Esau did not need or want Jacob’s gifts.

¹⁰But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have found favor with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!

Genesis 32:30 (NLT)
³⁰Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

God had spared Jacob’s life (32:30) and now Jacob’s life was spared again by God, from Esau.

¹¹Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.”

God had blessed Jacob, and Jacob wanted to share these blessings with his brother Esau.

And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift.

The Hebrew word here is the same word used in 27:35 for blessing.

Genesis 27:35 (NLT)
³⁵But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.”

At one point in time, Jacob had taken blessing that Isaac had intended for Esau. Now he wanted to give back some of the blessings he had received from God.

¹²“Well,” Esau said, “let’s be going. I will lead the way.”

¹³But Jacob replied, “You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. ¹⁴Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Seir.”

One more act of deception.

Once again Jacob deceives his brother Esau.

Sanctification is an on-going process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

¹⁵“All right,” Esau said, “but at least let me assign some of my men to guide and protect you.”

Jacob responded, “That’s not necessary. It’s enough that you’ve received me warmly, my lord!”

Jacob and Esau are now living in peace with each other.

¹⁶So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day.

Deuteronomy 2:4-5 (NLT)
⁴Give these orders to the people: “You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. ⁵Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land.

Joshua 24:3-4 (NLT)
³But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. ⁴To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

Jacob and Esau end up living in different countries.

¹⁷Jacob, on the other hand, traveled on to Succoth. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was named Succoth (which means “shelters”).

¹⁸Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town.

Genesis 12:6 (NLT)
⁶Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem (when he first arrived in Canaan). There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

¹⁹Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver.

This is only the second plot of land located in the Promised Land purchased by Abraham or one of his descendants.

Genesis 23:17 (NLT)
¹⁷So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. (where he buried Sarah)

²⁰And there he built an altar and named it El-Elohe-Israel.

God, The God of Israel, Or Mighty God of Israel.

Jacob was giving glory to the God of Israel for bringing him safely back to Canaan.

Jacob gave glory to God for bringing him safely to Canaan.

Genesis 12:7 (NLT)
⁷Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Jacob and Esau meet again.

Genesis 35:29 (NLT)
²⁹Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.

In this story, lives have been changed by God.

In Jacob, God had brought about a spirit of humility and generosity.

Esau was changed from seeking revenge to desiring reconciliation.

Sanctification is an on-going process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

Jacob Wrestles with God

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Jacob Wrestles with God

A life-changing event.

Crippled and Blessed

Genesis 32:22-32 (NLT)
Jacob Wrestles with God
²²During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. ²³After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
²⁴This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
²⁷“What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
²⁸“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
²⁹“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
³⁰Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” ³¹The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. ³²(Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

Examine the Scriptures

Review:

Genesis 32:9-12 (NLT)
⁹Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. ¹²But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

Genesis 32:22-32 (NLT)
Jacob Wrestles with God
Crippled and Blessed

²²During the night

In the dark of night.

It’s not uncommon for people to use the cover of night to escape from harmful situations.

Acts 17:5 _& 10 (NLT)
⁵But some of the Jews (in Thessalonica) were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd …
¹⁰That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

It’s not uncommon for people to use the cover of night to escape from harmful situations.

Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.

Refer to the map.

²³After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.

Jacob is coming back into the Promised Land.

This is more than just meeting up with Esau.

Jacob is coming back home to fulfill a role assigned to him by God.

²⁴This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled

The cover of darkness did not hide Jacob from God.

Psalm 139:11-12 (NLT)
¹¹I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

Note: The man came to Jacob, Jacob did not go to the man.

Jacob had fought with others throughout his life.

Esau
His father Isaac
His father-in-law
His wives

Now he is wrestling with God, the one who controlled his destiny as he was re-entering the Promised Land.

God is confronting Jacob.

with him until the dawn began to break.

Although initially, Jacob may not have known who he is wrestling with, he does figure out that “the man” is in fact, God. (Genesis 32:30, in multiple translations, “I have seen God face to face”.)

An angel of the Lord, also identified as God, a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jacob was 97 years old, but was physically strong and had a great deal of endurance.

For a period of time, Jacob is able to defend himself from his attacker.

This fight took place in the dark.

Big changes were about to take place in Jacob’s life.

Romans 13:12 (NLT)
The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

Colossians 1:13 (NLT)
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,

²⁵When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket.

God was going to “win” this match.

The “man” saw that he would not win until he supernaturally touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket.

When our hip is out of its socket we are seriously handicapped.

Jacob was no longer a physical threat.

²⁶Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

Relax your grip. The fight is over.

Even after being disabled, Jacob clung on to his opponent.

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Jacob wanted more than Isaac’s blessing. He wanted God’s blessing.

Jacob wanted a blessing from God.

²⁷“What is your name?” the man asked.

In the Old Testament, one’s name is linked to his nature.

Jacob had to see himself for who he was.

He replied, “Jacob.”

Holder of the heel
Deceiver
Supplanter – A supplanter takes the place of someone or something that was there first.

²⁸“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God

Israel – He strives with God and prevails, he struggles with God, or God fights. Later, the people of Israel will struggle with God.

Jacob’s life had to be radically changed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
¹⁷This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Up to this point, Jacob was a brazen trickster who deceives members of his own family: his father Isaac, his brother Esau, and his uncle Laban. Now we see Jacob as God’s chosen, from whom the entire people Israel derive and for whom they are named.

and with men and have won.”

Esau
His father Isaac
His father-in-law
His wives

This was the end of a lifetime of struggling with others.

²⁹“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.

“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied.

There is no evidence of Jacob getting an answer to his question.

Judges 13:17-18 (NLT)
¹⁷Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.”
¹⁸“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

Then he blessed Jacob there.

As a result of this struggle, Jacob was both “Crippled and Blessed”.

Crippled in his natural strength and bold in his faith.

Self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God.

³⁰Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

Hosea 12:4 (NLT)
⁴Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won.
He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him.
There at Bethel he met God face to face,
and God spoke to him—

Exodus 33:20 (NLT)
But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Others did “see” God.

Exodus 4:24 (NLT)
On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him.

Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)
⁸When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man (Adam) and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. ⁹Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 18:1 (NLT)
18 The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day.

Isaiah 6:1 (NLT)
6 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I (Isaiah) saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

Jacob saw God face to face, yet his life was spared.

³¹The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip.

Jacob’s encounter with the Angel of the Lord was actually a type of conversion. His old nature was stripped away – no longer would he be known as ‘the supplanter’, but as ‘one who struggles (and prevails) with God’.

The God of Abraham and Isaac was becoming the God of Jacob.

³²(Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

This is not mentioned elsewhere in the O.T. and is not a part of the Mosaic Law.

Jacob Fears Esau

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Jacob Fears Esau

Try to remember that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Some things we really don’t “get”.

There was a lot that Jacob did not “get”.

Jacob Fears Esau

Genesis 32:1-21 (NLT)
¹ As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him. ²When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” So he named the place Mahanaim.
Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
³Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom. ⁴He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, ⁵and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”

⁶After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!” ⁷Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. ⁸He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”

⁹Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. ¹²But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

¹³Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau: ¹⁴200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”

¹⁷He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’ ¹⁸You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”

¹⁹Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’”

Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” ²¹So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

Examine the Scriptures

Jacob Fears Esau

Jacob is leaving the home of Laban and is going to face Esau.

Genesis 32:1-21 (NLT)
¹ As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him.

This also happened previously in Jacob’s journeys.

Genesis 28:10-15 (NLT)
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
¹⁰Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. ¹²As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
¹³At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him.

²When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” So he named the place Mahanaim.

Mahanaim means “two camps”.

Jacob’s camp and the camp of angels.
Jacob’s camp and God’s camp.

Jacob recognized God’s presence in his life.

Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau

³Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom.

Most likely had moved away from his father’s (Isaac) home.

⁴He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob.

This contradicts:

Genesis 25:23 (NLT)
And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

Genesis 27:29 (NLT)
May many nations become your servants,
and may they bow down to you.
May you be the master over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
All who curse you will be cursed,
and all who bless you will be blessed.”

Jacob’s view of his relationship with his brother differed from God’s view of this relationship.

Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, ⁵and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”

Jacob was terrified at the news of Esau coming to meet him.

He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. ⁸He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”

Jacob acted out of fear.

Jacob is still unable to trust God fully for protection.

Esau had previously stated that he would kill Jacob.

Genesis 27:41 (NLT)
Jacob Flees to Paddan-Aram
⁴¹From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”

Jacob prayed out of fear.

This is Jacob’s first recorded prayer since his encounter with God at Bethel en route to Laban.

Genesis 28:20-22 (NLT)
²⁰Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. ²²And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

¹²But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

The promise first made to Abraham.

Genesis 22:17 (NLT)
¹⁷I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants^[^a^] beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.

Jacob remembered God’s promise to treat him kindly and to multiply his descendants, but he still feared Esau.

Repeating

This contradicts:
Genesis 25:23 (NLT)
And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

Look, he is coming right behind us.’”

Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me.

Jacob tried to appease Esau by sending him gifts.

Jacob is still unable to trust God fully for protection.

When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” ²¹So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

Deliverance comes by faith in God, not by giving gifts.

Try to remember that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

Colossians 1:9-14 (NLT)
⁹So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
¹¹We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,¹²always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Psalm 121
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
¹I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
²My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
³He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
⁴Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
⁵The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
⁶The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
⁷The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
⁸The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Try to remember that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

Jacob’s Treaty with Laban

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Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
A Final Look at Laban.

Laban heeded God’s warning.

Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Psalm 51:10 (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Genesis 31:43-55 (NLT)
Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
⁴³Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children? ⁴⁴So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.” ⁴⁵So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. ⁴⁶Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. ⁴⁷To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew). ⁴⁸Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” ⁴⁹But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight. ⁵⁰If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.
⁵¹“See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us. ⁵²They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me. ⁵³I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.”
So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. ⁵⁴Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
⁵⁵Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 31:43-55 (NLT)

Laban’s Original intent

Laban Pursues Jacob

²²Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. ²³So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.

Genesis 31:29 (NLT)
²⁹I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’

Laban had set out in hot pursuit of Jacob with thoughts of destroying Jacob and taking back his daughters and Jacob’s flocks.

God intervened!

Genesis 31:24 (NLT)
²⁴But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”

Jacob’s Treaty with Laban

⁴³Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine.

“In fact” none of this is true.

Laban had accepted payment from Jacob for Leah and Rachel, as well as all of the flocks Jacob had acquired.

Genesis 29:18-30 (NLT)
¹⁸Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”
¹⁹“Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.” ²⁰So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
²¹Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”
²²So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. ²³But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. ²⁴(Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)
²⁵But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”
²⁶“It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. ²⁷“But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”
²⁸So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. ²⁹(Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) ³⁰So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.

Jacob had worked 14 years to pay for Leah and Rachel.

Genesis 30:28-32 (NLT)
²⁸Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
²⁹Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I’ve done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?” ³¹“What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.
Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. ³²Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. ³³In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.” ³⁴“All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.”

Laban agreed to give Jacob all of his sheep and goats that were speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep as Jacob’s wages for tending his flocks.

But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?

Laban may have sensed that things were out of his control.

⁴⁴So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”

Laban invites Jacob to make a covenant or treaty with him.

Jacob would not mistreat Laban’s daughters and would not marry other wives. (v. 50)

Jacob would not harm Laban and Laban would not harm Jacob. (v. 52)

⁴⁵So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. ⁴⁶Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap.

Stones were used as monuments or physical reminders in the Old Testament.

Jacob at Bethel
Genesis 28 (After his vision of God in a dream)

Samuel
1 Samuel 7:12 (NLT)
¹²Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

Joshua at Gilgal
Israel crossing the Jordan River
Joshua 4:1-8
A memorial to God’s love and miraculous assistance.

Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal.

(See verse 54)

Eating with other people was a significant event in ancient days, for only parties who were at peace could dine together. (Ligonier Ministries – R.C. Sproul)

Examples in scripture

Revelation 3:20 New Living Translation (NLT)
²⁰“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

John 21:12-14 (NLT)
¹²“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. ¹⁴This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

Exodus 24:1-11 (NLT)
Israel Accepts the Lord’s Covenant
¹ Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. ²Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”
³Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”
⁴Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. ⁶Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.
⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”
⁸Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”
⁹Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. ¹⁰There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

Jacob and Laban sat down together to eat a covenant meal.

⁴⁷To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).

Did Jesus speak Aramaic or Hebrew?

⁴⁸Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” ⁴⁹But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight.

⁵⁰If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.

Laban invited God to be a witness to this covenant event.

⁵¹“See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us.
⁵²They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.
⁵³I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.”

God will serve as a judge between us.

So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line.

⁵⁴Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast.

God was a part of this covenant event.

After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.

Eating together indicated mutual acceptance.

⁵⁵Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them.

This is the second last recorded activity of Laban found in the Scriptures. (See the next phrase.)

Then he left and returned home.

Laban left “empty-handed”.

Laban’s name mentioned again in 32:4 and 46:18 & 25 (and a place on the map)

Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Psalm 51:10 (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

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Category Archives: Seeking His Kingdom Bible Study

Joseph Sold By His Brothers

Joseph’s Dreams

A Brief Look at the Nation of Edom

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

God Blesses and Renames Jacob.

Revenge Against Shechem

Jacob and Esau Make Peace

Jacob Wrestles with God

Jacob Fears Esau

Jacob’s Treaty with Laban