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.
² This 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.
³ Jacob 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. ⁴ But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
⁵ One 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!”
⁸ His 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.
⁹ Soon 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!”
¹⁰ This 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?” ¹¹ But 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)
¹³ At 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. ¹⁴ Your 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. ¹⁵ What’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)
³ Then 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.

 ² This 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.

³ Jacob 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. 

⁴ But 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)
¹¹ For 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. 

⁵ One 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.

⁸ His 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. 

⁹ Soon 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

¹⁰ This 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.

¹¹ But 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.)

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

Original Peoples of Edom

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

 Rulers of Edom

³¹ These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites
:³² Bela son of Beor, who ruled in Edom from his city of Dinhabah.
³³ When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king in his place.
³⁴ When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king in his place.
³⁵ When 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.
³⁶ When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king in his place.
³⁷ When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king in his place.
³⁸ When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Acbor became king in his place.
³⁹ When 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.
 ⁴⁰ These are the names of the leaders of the clans descended from Esau, who lived in the places named for them: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, 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?”
³³ But 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)
²¹ Isaac 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. ²² But 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.
²³ 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 21:13 (NLT)
¹³ But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”

 Acts 17:26 (NLT)
²⁶ From 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 

² Esau 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. ³ He 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)
⁶ Esau 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.” ⁷ He also knew that Jacob had obeyed his parents and gone to Paddan-aram. ⁸ It was now very clear to Esau that his father did not like the local Canaanite women. ⁹ So 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

⁴ Adah gave birth to a son named Eliphaz for Esau. Basemath gave birth to a son named Reuel. ⁵ Oholibamah 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 

⁶ Esau 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. ⁷ There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. ⁸ So 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
³ Then 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. ⁴ Give 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. ⁵ Do 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)
⁴ To 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.

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

Note the repetition

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

 ¹⁵ These 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, ¹⁶ Korah, 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.

 ¹⁷ The 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.

 ¹⁸ The 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.

 ¹⁹ These 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)

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

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

Rulers of Edom (also found in 1 Chronicles 1)

³¹ These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:
³² Bela son of Beor, who ruled in Edom from his city of Dinhabah.³³ When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became king in his place.
³⁴ When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites became king in his place.
³⁵ When 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.
³⁶ When Hadad died, Samlah from the city of Masrekah became king in his place.
³⁷ When Samlah died, Shaul from the city of Rehoboth-on-the-River became king in his place.
³⁸ When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Acbor became king in his place.
³⁹ When 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)

⁴⁰ These are the names of the leaders of the clans descended from Esau, who lived in the places named for them: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, ⁴¹ Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, ⁴² Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, ⁴³ Magdiel, 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.
¹¹ When 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.
¹³ You 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.
¹⁴ You 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. ³ Give 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.
⁴ I 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. ⁶ As 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! ⁷ I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. ⁸ I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your ravines will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. ⁹ I 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. ⁴ I will demolish your cities and make you desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

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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
¹⁶ Leaving 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. ¹⁷ After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” ¹⁸ Rachel 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”). ¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.
²¹ Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. ²² While 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:
²³ The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
²⁴ The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
²⁵ The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
²⁶ The 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.
²⁷ So 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. ²⁸ Isaac lived for 180 years. ²⁹ Then 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

¹⁶ Leaving 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
² But 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. ¹⁷ After 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)
²⁴ And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.” 

• Rachel had prayed for another son. 

¹⁸ Rachel 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.

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob 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.

²¹ Then 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 

²² While 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.
⁴ But 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. ² The 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. ⁶ But 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)
⁴ So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

Genesis 26:9-10 (NLT)
⁹ Immediately, 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)
⁵ Soon 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:
²³ The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
²⁴ The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
²⁵ The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
²⁶ The 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)
¹¹ That 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. ¹³ And 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.)

²⁷ So 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)
¹⁸ So 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)
²⁰ Then 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, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. 

²⁸ Isaac lived for 180 years. ²⁹ Then 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)
¹⁶ So 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)
⁹ His 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.

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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)
¹¹ And 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)
¹² And 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.”
² So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. ³ We 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.”
⁴ So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. ⁵ As 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.
⁶ Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob 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.
⁸ Soon 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”).
⁹ Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, ¹⁰ saying, “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.
¹¹ Then 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! ¹² And 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.” ¹³ Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
¹⁴ Jacob 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. ¹⁵ And 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
¹⁰ Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹ At 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. ¹² As 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.
¹³ At 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. ¹⁴ Your 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. ¹⁵ What’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.”
¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷ But 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!”
¹⁸ The 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. ¹⁹ He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
²⁰ Then 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, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.
²² And 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
²² During 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. ²³ After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
²⁴ This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵ When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶ Then 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.
³⁰ Jacob 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.” ³¹ The 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.

² So 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)
¹⁹ At 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)
¹⁴ You 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, ¹⁵ for 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. 

³ We 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
¹ I 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)
¹⁵ What’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. 

⁴ So 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.

 ⁵ As 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)
⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

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

⁸ Soon 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)
⁴⁵ When 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. 

⁹ Now 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, ¹⁰ saying, “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.”

¹¹ Then 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.

¹² And 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). 

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

¹⁴ Jacob 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. ⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat 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. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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

Genesis 28:16-22 (NLT)
¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷ But 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!”
¹⁸ The 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. ¹⁹ He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
²⁰ Then 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, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. ²² And 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)
⁶ And 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.”

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