For the Genesis 35:21-29 PODCAST
21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it. 23 Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram. 27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. 28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. ~ Genesis 35:21-29
Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 35 where we find Jacob and his family back in the promised land. A change in location doesn't necessarily mean a change in our lives, but for Jacob this was central to God's will for his life. And, even though we walk with the Lord, this doesn't mean that we will be free of hardship. The difference is seen in how we deal with our hardships, where we turn for help at navigating through the pain. This is the overall point behind our troubles, that we choose to run to the Lord through the pain.
In v.21 of today's passage we read, "Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder."
This is the very first time that the name Israel is applied to the person Jacob in the Bible. In just the last verse, it said that Jacob set a pillar on Rachel’s grave. But now Israel was formally introduced with the name he was given by God. This happened because Benjamin had just been born, thereby completing the family who is known by his name, Israel. Jacob was referred to as Israel here, because of who and what he was picturing.
In v.22 of today's passage we read, "And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it."
Although all 12 sons are inheritors of the land blessing, and though Joseph will be given the birthright, only one son can have the pre-eminence leading to the Messiah. We’ve already seen that the second and third sons, Simeon and Levi, would be excluded because of the rage that they exacted upon the men of Shechem.
Up until this point, the firstborn son, Reuben, had not been excluded. However, in a moment of weakness reminiscent of the Garden of Eden where man fell through the devil’s deception, Reuben also fell through a bad decision concerning Jacob’s concubine Bilhah, Rachel’s maid. The sin of sexual immorality caused Reuben to lose the right to be the bearer of the Messiah. Instead, as a tribe he faded into obscurity. Such is the nature of temptation leading to fornication.
The name "Belial" is closely connected to the name "Bilhah." In 2 Corinthians 6 the Apostle Paul used "Belial" to reference the devil. It is used twenty-six times in the Old Testament, usually translated "worthless," "destruction," or "wicked."
In v.23-26 of today's passage we read, "23 Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram."
The order of the sons here is given not by birth, but by mother and then by birth. Leah is mentioned first. She pictured the law and so her sons were given. The Lord Jesus came under the law to redeem us from the curse of the law. The first three sons had been excluded, therefore, we can see that Judah would be the one to bear the Messianic line. Then the sons of Rachel, who picture grace, are named. And then the two maidservants are listed with their sons, Rachel’s maid first and then Leah’s.
In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt."
Jacob now comes to the home of his father because he will assume the role as leader of the clan which has gone from Abraham through Isaac. The sons of Israel were listed by name to indicate that all of them will participate in the inheritance of the clan, not just one of them. They will be a united group of people.
Hebron was the third major place of note that Abraham took up residence, and it is where both he and Sarah died and were buried. Isaac had resided there all along, blind and waiting for his time to end. When Jacob left there many long years before, he left with his staff and the blessing of his father.
In v.28-29 of today's passage we read, "28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him."
Isaac lived 180 years and he outlived his father Abraham by 5 years, but he was blind for many of them. Thus the quantity of his years was exceeded by the quality of Abraham’s. The year of his birth was 2109 BC. After a long and blessed life, Isaac died in the year 2289 BC. The last time Isaac was mentioned directly was approximately 40 years earlier. In those years, nothing of his life is recorded. God gave him life and used that life, including his prolonged blindness, to tell us about Himself. God allowed him to be blind just to show us pictures about the coming Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the ultimate point of our lives, that we might point others to the Lord.
Jacob was wrong about how long he would live. According to Genesis 27:4 he thought he was on the verge of death. He lived another 43 years. He may have felt bad and he may have thought he was going to die, but he didn't. Our days are in God's hands and we do well to live each day without the worry of when we will die. Interestingly, there are three deaths recorded in this chapter, Deborah's, Rachel's, and Isaac's. With sin came death and unless we trust in the life giving death of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will remain in our sin for eternity. God implores us to receive His free of eternal life and to be defined by that life. As we are defined by that life, His life will be known by others through our yielded lives.
