More of Jacob's Life -- 7/12/09

Sunday, July 12, 2009

FINAL YEARS OF JACOB
Genesis 33-35, 38

We have been looking at the life of Jacob. As we have seen, the book of Genesis has a great deal to say about Jacob, as it did about his grandfather Abraham. The connecting link between them is Isaac, but he doesn’t receive as much coverage as his father Abraham and his son Jacob.

You will remember that the most significant event in Jacob’s life occurs in Genesis 32, where he wrestles with the angel of the Lord and his life is changed. This change is symbolized by the fact that the Lord renames him “Israel.” He is no longer “supplanter, deceiver, swindler,” but “the one who strives with God,” or “prince of God.” Though he had lived for about 95 years as the con man who was always looking out for himself, it was not too late for God to get hold of him and grant him a blessing greater than wives, children, and riches. Though he seemed to win the wrestling match with the angel of God, in reality it is the story of God winning the life of Jacob.

This morning, Lord willing, we are going to wrap up the life of Jacob, as we look primarily at chapters 33-35 and 38. We obviously won’t have time to read all these chapters, but I hope you will take time to read them during the next couple of weeks. This morning we will hit some of the highlights. We will read a few passages from these chapters and I will summarize other sections.

Before we begin reading, I want to remind you of one thing. The Bible is the Word of God and the Bible contains some very graphic and ugly stories. Some people question how those two facts could go together. Surely a book from God wouldn’t tell about such things. It is the inclusion of what I call “ugly stories” that confirms the truth that it is God’s Word. If I were producing a book and wanted to make God and His people look good, I guarantee you I would not include chapters 34 and 38 of Genesis. Rest assured that they do not make good bedtime stories for children. They underscore violence and immorality. Then why are they included in the Bible? Simply because that’s what happened. The more you read the Bible, the more you have to conclude that God does not cover up things. He reveals things the way they are. That is strong evidence that the Bible is exactly what it says it is – the God-breathed record of God’s revelation of Himself.

I. Jacob’s Movements in Later Life (33,35)

You will note that I continue to refer to this man as “Jacob,” rather than “Israel.” When God changed Abram’s name to “Abraham,” the Genesis account never uses the name “Abram” again, but it is different with Jacob. After his name is changed in chapter 32, the name “Jacob” occurs another 68 times in Genesis, while the name “Israel” occurs 39 times. People speculate about why, but we simply are not sure. At any rate, I will continue to call him by the name “Jacob,” but realizing that he is a changed Jacob. When I say that he is changed, that does not mean that he has become a perfect man overnight. In these stories, we will find evidence of a change, but also evidence of a struggle. Living as a con man for some 95 years does create some baggage that is not easy to shed.

Perhaps the simplest way to summarize chapters 33 and 35 is to take a look at the geographical movements of Jacob. So let’s begin with Peniel, the place where he wrestled with the angel. Though we cannot locate this place with pinpoint precision, we do know that it was close to the Jabbok River, because we are told in Gen. 32:22 that Jacob was transporting his family across the Jabbok. We also know that it is east of Succoth, because Jacob will stop at Succoth on his way to Canaan. (Show these places on the map).

After his experience of wrestling all night with the angel at Peniel, Jacob readied himself to meet Esau. He is still fearful, for there is no evidence that the outward situation has changed. He carefully arranges his family so that the servant girls Zilpah and Bilhah, along with their children, are in front; then Leah and her children; and finally his favored wife Rachel and her son Joseph. To his relief, Esau was coming to welcome him, not to kill him. Lets’ read it in Gen. 33:4, "And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept."

What joy these two brothers experienced. They were both very gracious in their treatment of one another. Jacob insisted that Esau keep all the gifts that he had sent to insure that he would find favor in his eyes (8-11). Jacob presented all of his family to his brother Esau. Instead of a major conflict, it was a joyful reunion. During those 20 years, God had not only changed Jacob, but he had obviously changed the heart of Esau toward his brother.

When it was time to depart from that place, Esau suggested that they travel together, but Jacob told Esau that he couldn’t keep up with him, due to the children and the flocks. While there was some truth to that statement, the children and the flocks made great time when they were fleeing from Laban (traveled as far in 10 days as Laban and his men did in 7). It seems that Jacob didn’t want to go with Esau, but he didn’t want to tell him that. Let’s read 33:14, "Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir." Jacob indicates that he will join Esau in Seir. Seir is another name for Edom, which is another name for Esau. It is located south of Moab (show on map) and is the place where Esau’s descendants would settle. It is not a part of the Promised Land. Jacob never went there, and apparently has no intention of going there. While Jacob is to be commended that he didn’t go to Edom but went to Canaan, where the Lord told him to go, he didn’t have the courage to be honest with Esau.

So from Peniel, Jacob journeyed to Succoth. Gen. 33:17, "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth." It sounds like he stayed there for a while, but we don’t know how long. From Succoth, he made his way to Shechem. We are told specifically in verse 18 that Shechem was in the land of Canaan. Notice the account of Jacob leaving Laban back in Gen. 31:18, "And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan." His intention was to go back to the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised his grandfather Abraham, his father Isaac, and now Jacob himself. He was kind of slow getting there, as he stayed long enough in Succoth to build a house, but now he has come to Shechem, which is in the Promised Land. There he bought a piece of land. It is also here that we have the first record of Jacob building an altar.

For now we are going to skip chapter 34. Later we will come back to look at what happened while they were living at Shechem.

So now come to chapter 35. Let’s read 35:1, "And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother." What is the significance of Bethel? This is where God first appeared to Jacob almost 30 years earlier (one of the keys to understanding this time frame is considering how old Dinah must have been when she was raped). It was there that God made great promises to Jacob. Though Jacob recognized the presence of God at Bethel even back then, at that time he tried to bargain with God. Now God appears to Jacob and tells him to go back to Bethel, reminding him of that earlier appearance.

Don’t get the idea that Jacob has been on his way to Bethel all this time. After leaving Peniel, he stayed long enough in Succoth to build a house and shelter for his cattle. Then he went to Shechem, a pagan city that was not at all on the way to Bethel. We are not told specifically how long he was in Succoth and Shechem, but we are talking about a number of years. How do we know that? Chapter 34:1 tells us that Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land, and consequently she was raped. We would expect her to be at least 13 to 15 years of age. On the other hand, being younger than Joseph, she would have been less than 17, because Joseph was 17 when he was sold by his brothers in chapter 37. Dinah was born shortly before Joseph. That would make her six or seven years old when she and her family left Laban’s place. So we have seven to ten years between the time Jacob left Padanaram until he returns to Bethel.

While God had not told Jacob to return specifically to Bethel before this, He did say to him, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your kindred…” (Gen. 31:3). Notice how Jacob related this command when he was talking to his wives shortly after this: "I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred" (Gen. 31:13). God had reminded Jacob of that appearance. But at this point, Jacob had not even returned to his kindred. While he was in the land of Canaan, he had not moved back to where his family lived. We are not told why, but it seems to me that he was drawn to the city of Shechem for some reason.

Now when the Lord tells him to go back to Bethel, Jacob doesn’t put up any argument. I suspect the recent events at Shechem, which we will look at a bit later, softened his heart. He realized how desperate he needed the Lord. So Jacob immediately obeyed the Lord.

Notice that the first thing he told his family was, “Put away your strange gods, be clean, and change your garments.” These were outward acts that were to reflect a humble and clean heart. His family complied, handing over all their strange gods and their earrings, which obviously had something to do with idolatry. Remember that Rachel had earlier stolen the household gods, the images, from her father Laban. Now they are willing to give them all up, according to Jacob’s instruction.

It seems clear that though Jacob is a changed man, he still struggles with following the Lord. Perhaps he got busy taking care of his family and cattle. Maybe he was attracted to the big city lights. Nevertheless, when the Lord spoke to him, he obeyed. And finally, after all these years, Jacob takes seriously his responsibility as the head of the family. In no uncertain terms, he tells his family to get rid of their false gods and make themselves clean. You will notice that God didn’t have to tell Jacob to do this. He knew that he couldn’t go to Bethel to meet God while they were clinging to their images of false gods. True to his word (35:3), when Jacob arrived at Bethel, he built an altar. He called the place “Elbethel,” the God of Bethel, the God of the house of God.

Surely God was pleased with Jacob’s response. Let’s read God’s response in 35:9-12…
And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12. And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

With the exception of the promise that kings would come from him, these are the same promises that were given to his grandfather Abraham and father Isaac and to Jacob himself when he had come to Bethel the first time. God had indeed been faithful to Jacob and promised to continue that faithfulness. We read in verse 14 that Jacob set up a pillar of stone and poured a drink offering and oil upon it. Jacob repeats what he had done almost 30 years before. His motives were less than pure the first time, but now he makes sure that he performs it from his heart.

When Jacob left Bethel, there is no hint that he was disobeying God in any way. It seems clear than God’s command to return to Bethel was long these lines: “Go to Bethel and stay there long enough to fulfill your vows.” The key was in his obedience to go. As verse 16 states, it wasn’t far from Bethel to Ephrath (about 17 miles). We see in verse 19 that Ephrath is the same as Bethlehem. It is here that Rachel dies. We will say more about her death later on. Though Rachel died during childbirth, the baby was fine. She named him Benoni, “son of my sorrow.” However, Jacob gave him the name Benjamin, “son of the right hand.”

After leaving the place of Rachel’s death, Jacob pitched his tent in the area of the tower of Edar. We don’t know the exact location, only that it was between Bethlehem (Ephrath) and Hebron. It was most likely a watchtower that shepherds used. And after a short stay there, “Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned” (35:26). Jacob has finally returned to his family. When he left for Padanaram, his father Isaac was living in Beersheba (show on map), but now he has moved about 25 miles northeast to Hebron.

We don’t know if this is the first time he saw his father since coming back. It is possible that he might have gone down to visit him while he was living in Shechem. It is interesting that we have back in 35:8 the record of the death of Deborah, who was Rebekah’s nurse. Where does she come from? At some point she has joined Jacob and his family, which indicates that there was some contact.

Chapter 35 ends with the record of Isaac’s death. Now don’t get the idea that Jacob arrived at Hebron just before the death of his father. At first glance, that is what we would think, but that is definitely not the case. How do we know? Because Joseph was 30 years old when his grandfather Isaac died. Here is a quick review…
…Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born
… Jacob was 90 when Joseph was born (gather this from the fact that Jacob was 130 when he came down to Egypt and spoke with Pharaoh; Joseph would have been 39 or 40 at the time)
…That would make Isaac 150 years older than Joseph. So when Isaac died, it would have been just before or just after Joseph became ruler in Egypt.

So why is Isaac’s death chronologically out of order? I think it is simply a way of closing out the last chapter of Isaac’s life. The last time Isaac figures in the story is his reunion with his son Jacob. The last time we see Jacob and Esau together is at the burial of their father. (Chapter 36 is a detailed account of the descendants of Esau.)

Now we are going to shift gears and look a little more closely at what Jacob must have been experiencing in these years. I want to title this second part of the message…

II. Jacob, A Man of Sorrows

Remember that God touched the life of Jacob in a real way at Peniel, as we saw in chapter 32. Surely that life-changing experience would smooth the way for Jacob. No doubt, his life had been full of turmoil for the first 95 years or so, but now he had come to know the God of his fathers. Now he could claim the Lord as his God. Surely the days of sorrow are over for Jacob. As we will see, that was not the case. Let’s just take time to look at some of the sorrows in the life of Israel, the new Jacob. Some of these events we have already seen, but some we haven’t.

1. The Defilement of Dinah (34:1-2)

While Jacob and his family were living in Shechem, we have a note about Dinah. The record of Genesis records Jacob as only having one daughter. There is one reference which might indicate that Jacob had other daughters. After Joseph’s brothers had sold him and led their father to believe that he was dead, we read these words in Gen. 37:35, "And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him." Notice the word “daughters” in the plural. But it seems strange that the record would mention the birth of Dinah and not the birth of other daughters. It’s possible that Dinah alone was mentioned in anticipation of the events of this chapter (34). It is also possible that Jacob had daughters after he left Padanaram. On the other hand, it is possible that this could be a reference to his daughters-in-law. (Possibly a reference to granddaughters, but probably not, since the oldest son would have been 23 a this time).

Now let’s read about Dinah here in Gen. 34:1-2, "And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her." “Defiled” isn’t a very strong word for us, but it was a strong biblical word. A modern writer might simply say that he raped her. Though the following verses tell us of how he loved Dinah, the truth is that he wronged her greatly. Notice how the brothers defend their violence in the last verse of the chapter: “And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?” (34:31). Not only did Shechem wrong Dinah personally, but he committed an act that was defiling to the whole family. 34:7, "And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done." Much will be written later in God’s law about such defilement.

Surely this brought great sorrow to Jacob, especially if Dinah was indeed his only daughter (if not, she was most likely his oldest daughter). Perhaps he also bore guilt because he allowed her to venture out as she did. On the other hand, Jacob may have known nothing of her actions until it was too late. Much could be said about the foolishness of a daughter who demands her independence at a young age.

2. The Violence of Levi and Simeon (34:3-31)

For Shechem there was a simple solution – just marry the girl. He claimed to love her and begged his dad to do whatever necessary to get her for his wife. So his dad Hamor went to Jacob and made that very request. Jacob heard about Shechem’s actions before his sons heard, but he chose not to say anything right away. Needless to say, when they found out, they were not happy. They came in just in time to get in on the conversations with Hamor, Shechem’s dad. Hamor told Jacob to please let Dinah marry Shechem. Not only that, but he suggested that their families begin to intermarry, which would allow Jacob and his family to take full advantage of the land. Shechem assured Jacob that he would pay whatever dowry was required.

Well, the brothers of Dinah also had a solution. Let’s read it in 34:13-17…
And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: 14. And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: 15. But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; 16. Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

Believe it or not, Shechem and his father were able to convince the men to do it. The selling points were these: more choices for marriage and better business opportunities (perhaps with implications of doing some shady dealing). For their part, the brothers of Dinah were not at all honorable in their bargain. That is why verse 13 says that they answered deceitfully. They had a plan. We don’t know exactly what the plan was at the beginning, but we do know the end results. On the third day after all the men were circumcised, when they were still recovering, Levi and Simeon when into the town with their swords and killed all the males. After they had rescued Dinah out of the house of Shechem, the rest of their brothers joined them in looting the town. They took their animals, their possessions, their children, and their wives. The chapter closes with the words of verses 30-31…
And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 31. And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

This is not a high point in the history of Israel. There was no reason to use such violence. The crime was committed by the young man Shechem, not by all the men of the city. Later, God would give specific regulations that would forbid this kind of vengeance. Not only were they guilty of murder, but they also made a mockery out of circumcision, a sign that was given by God to confirm His covenant with His people. They took it and used it for their own selfish purposes. In effect, they used God to do something that God hated. Later on, we will see how Levi and Simeon paid dearly for what they did.

3. The Death of Deborah, Rebekah’s Nurse (35:8)

We have already referred to Deborah’s death, which is recorded in 35:8. The mention of it implies that Jacob’s mother Rebekah had died as well. Otherwise, her nurse Deborah would have still been with her. We don’t know how or when Jacob learned of his mother’s death, but when he did, it must have been very hard on him. While it is true that Rebekah was wrong in her attitude of favoritism and actions of deceit, Jacob no doubt cared deeply for her. Her death would have brought much sorrow to him.

4. The Death of Rachel (35:16-20)

Though Jacob loved his mother, a far greater loss was the death of his beloved wife Rachel. Remember that Rachel was Jacob’s favorite wife, the one for whom he gladly suggested that he serve Laban seven years. He ended up serving an additional seven years for her, but he never complained. Though his grief is not mentioned here, shortly before his death some 30 years later, the memory is still fresh in his mind (Gen. 48:7). I think it is safe to say that this was the greatest sorrow Jacob had ever known.

5. The Immorality and Unfaithfulness of Reuben (35:21-22)

We have seen what Jacob’s second and third sons Simeon and Levi did. What shame they brought on their dad. Now we come to Reuben, who was the firstborn, the one upon whom Jacob looked forward to giving the greatest blessing. Let’s read about Reuben in Gen 35:21-22, "And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. 22. And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve."

We are not told what was the motive of Reuben. Was it just lust, or something more? Some, comparing this to what Absolom would later do, believe that he was trying to take over the headship of the family. Regardless of Reuben’s motive, what a grief to his father Jacob. Imagine the firstborn doing something like that.

6. Joseph’s “Death” (37)

I am referring to this as “Joseph’s death,” though he would not die until 93 years later. But for Jacob, Joseph was dead. When he saw Joseph’s coat stained with blood, he was fully convinced in his mind that his beloved son was dead and that he would never see him again. It must have brought back memories of his beloved Rachel. His loss of Joseph helps us to understand why he was so reluctant to let Benjamin out of his sight. By the way, there is a debate about whether Benjamin had been born at this time. While it is true that his birth is recorded in chapter 35 before Joseph is sold in chapter, we know that there are some chronological misplacements, as seen by the death of Joseph at the end of chapter 35. Having said that, I still hold that Benjamin was alive at this time, but he was certainly much younger than Joseph. It seems he would have been less than four years old at this time.

7. The Tragedy of Judah (38)

Then we come to the tragedy of Judah, the forth son born to Jacob (by Leah). To learn this story, we have to go over to chapter 38. I am including it in today’s study in order to clear the way for the story of Joseph, which begins in chapter 37. It is interesting that the story is placed where it is. For that reason, some people have called it “The Judah Interlude.” However, it seems to be placed exactly where it came chronologically. We’ll talk about that a bit more in a minute. Besides its chronological placement, it also gives us a great contrast to the character of Joseph. How different Judah and Joseph were in the way they handled things. And finally, this story reveals how easy it would be for Jacob’s family to intermarry with the Canaanites around them. Later, God would specifically forbid such marriages, and we already have clues that His people knew it wasn’t His will. By taking His people down to Egypt, God would preserve their purity from Canaanite influences for 400 years. Judah gives us a graphic example of what happens when they intermarried with the Canaanites.

Alongside chapter 34, this is the other “ugly chapter” in Genesis. In Joseph we will see a wonderful picture of God-centered morality, in Judah we see just the opposite. Let’s read the very first verse of chapter 38: "And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah." Not only did Judah depart from his brothers physically and geographically, but he also departed from the way of life of Jacob’s family. Like Levi and Simeon had done, he would bring shame upon the family. At this nearby town of Adullam he found a wife named Shuah and they had three sons – Er, Onan, and Shelah. When Er was old enough, Judah found a wife for him, a young lady named Tamar.

It is at this point that we begin to see the character of Judah’s family. Because of Er’s wickedness, God killed him. By the way, the Creator of the universe does sometimes killed people. He did it here, He did it in the New Testament, and He still does it. Remember that it that culture it was very important for a man to have a son to whom he could give the inheritance and who would carry on his own name. But Er had been killed by the Lord before he could have a son. Judah instructed his second son Er, marry Tamar and raise up an heir for your brother Er. Onan married her, but he wouldn’t follow through on the son part because he knew the first son would be his brother’s heir and not his own. By the way, later the Lord would put this very principle in His law; it was called levirate marriage (see Deut. 25:5-6). The Lord was so displeased with Onan that He killed him too. We must understand the wickedness of Onan. He knew that the seed would not be his. If Er had no son to his name, his part of the inheritance would go to Onan. Now Judah has only one son left, his youngest Shelah.

Judah’s next move is recorded in 38:11, “Gen 38:11 "Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.” It seems obvious that it was to himself that he said, “Lest he die also, as his brothers did.” The NIV, NAS, and Amplified all bring this out by rendering it, “For he thought…” He had already lost two sons who had married Tamar, and he didn’t want to lose a third. Surely it would be safer to just keep him at home. But he did tell Tamar that when he was grown, he would give him to her.

Tamar took Judah at his word. She moved back home and lived as a widow. We read in verse 14 that she was wearing widow’s garments. Whatever they were, they distinguished her as a widow. In other words, she did not look for a husband, because she was waiting for Judah to keep his word. Shelah grew up. We also read that Judah’s wife (who is never given a name) also died. No doubt, it was difficult for Judah, having lost two of his three sons and now his wife.

Tamar gave up waiting and decided to take matters into her own hands. When she heard that Judah was going up to shear his sheep and goats, she saw her opportunity. It was customary to have a big feast in conjunction with the time of shearing. Tamar set aside her widow clothing and dressed herself like a prostitute, covering herself with a veil, which was convenient because it would assure that she would not be recognized. Judah saw her and made the arrangements. They agreed that her price would be a young goat from the flock. But Tamar asked that Judah give her a pledge, something that would guarantee he would send the kid later. When Judah asked, “What shall I give you for a pledge?” Tamar boldly suggested he give her his signet, bracelets (cord), and staff. In that day, a prominent man sealed documents with a seal he wore around his neck on a cord. In light of the context, Tamar’s request for his staff indicates that his walking stick also had identifying marks on it. So Jacob gave her his signet ring and cord, along with his staff.

After this brief encounter Jacob went back to the flock. He sent his friend Hirah to find the prostitute and give her the young goat they had agreed upon. Meanwhile, Tamar left and returned to her father’s house and widow’s clothing. So when Hirah asked about the prostitute, everyone assured him there had been no prostitute there. After a while he gave up, not wanting to ask too many questions under the circumstances. When he came back and told Judah, he agreed it would be best to just let her keep the pledge tokens he had given her.

Three months later Judah found out that Tamar was pregnant as a result of prostitution. Judah’s response was immediate: “Bring her and let her be burned.” But when they brought her, she sent this message to her father-in-law Judah: “I am pregnant by the man who owns this signet ring and cord and staff. Can you tell me whose these are?” Now verse 26, "And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.” Not only had Judah practiced immorality, but he had failed to keep his word to Tamar. He had put his own fears and selfishness above her need for a son.

It came to pass that Tamar brought forth twins, whose names were Pharez and Zerah. What a story. It would be an ugly story under any circumstances, but bear in mind that this is a son of Jacob. And he is not just any son of Jacob. What is most significant about this particular son Judah? Yes, he is the one through whom Jesus would come. Of the twelve sons of Jacob, it is Judah who is in the ancestral line of the Messiah. Not only is Judah mentioned in the Luke’s account of Jesus’ ancestry, but also Tamar. What a powerful picture of God’s grace and redemption! What Judah did was wrong, and what Tamar did was wrong. Nevertheless, both are included in the genealogy of Jesus. God is not putting His stamp of approval on their actions; He is emphasizing that no one is beyond His reach. God has chosen to use fallen men and women in His plan.

How do you think this affected Jacob when he heard it? Surely it broke his heart.

8. Isaac’s Death (35:28-29)

We have already read the account of Isaac’s death in 35:28-29, even though it occurred long after chapter 37. At first, we might think that Isaac’s death wouldn’t be hard on Jacob at all. After all, Isaac favored Esau. There is no hint that he planned to give Jacob any kind of blessing at all. Nevertheless, he was still Jacob’s father. On the other hand, the fact of the favoritism likely made it even harder for Jacob. How he must have grieved over the messed-up relationship with which he had grown up. Though he was away from his father for over twenty years, remember that he didn’t leave the vicinity of his immediate family until he was over 75. Many of his memories were not pleasant.

Conclusion

Surely you can understand why I have been referring to Jacob as a man of sorrows. But in the midst of it all, the man trusted God. Even when Rachel died, he marked her grave with a pillar and then “Israel journeyed…” (35:21). Though he was crushed, he moved on. Perhaps it is significant that his new name “Israel” is used at this point. Though his pain was almost unbearable, he was a man who continued to strive with God.

Isn’t it amazing how God can choose to bless us in spite of our failures. We find that to be true with Jacob and with Judah. In spite of all Jacob’s failures, He still inherited all the great promises that began with Abraham. He was the father of the twelve tribes. Judah was one of the direct ancestors of Jesus, the Messiah. And what about Levi? After what he did, God still blessed him by making him the father of the priestly tribe. It is said of the Levites that the Lord Himself was their inheritance (Deut. 10:9).

I can testify that God is still in the business of blessing people in spite of their failures. I have failed God on many occasions. My failures haven’t been as much about committing acts of sin as great omissions. But the Word says that to him who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, it is sin (James 4:17). How many times I have failed to grasp the opportunities God has given me to serve Him, and yet He continues to bless me beyond measure. Can anyone else testify to that truth.

If that is true, let’s ask the Lord to keep on blessing us. But let’s be specific. Let’s ask Him to bless us by making us a blessing to others. That is in perfect harmony with the promise God first gave to Jacob’s grandfather Abraham, when He said, “And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” That promise was fulfilled and is being fulfilled through the Lord Jesus Christ, who was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We have been blessed through Him. Now let’s pray that the Lord will continue to bless others through us who belong to Him. That is our privilege, to be a blessing to others.