February 15, 2023

God defines our identity.

Genesis 35 - 36

Amy Stephenson
Wednesday's Devo

February 15, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

February 15, 2023

Big Idea

We can trust God when we don't know how things will turn out.

Key Verse | Genesis 35:10

And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name." So he called his name Israel.

Genesis 35 - 36

God Blesses and Renames Jacob

God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.

And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, 1 35:7 El-bethel means God of Bethel because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth. 2 35:8 Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping

God appeared 3 35:9 Or had appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: 4 35:11 Hebrew El Shaddai be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 5 35:11 Hebrew from your loins 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance 6 35:16 Or about two hours' distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; 7 35:18 Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow, or son of my strength but his father called him Benjamin. 8 35:18 Benjamin means son of the right hand 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard of it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Esau's Descendants

These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter 9 36:2 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac son; also verse 14 of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)

These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. 10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. 13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. 14 These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 17 These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. 18 These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. 19 These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. 22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister was Timna. 23 These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. 25 These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26 These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27 These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29 These are the chiefs of the Horites: the chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, chief by chief in the land of Seir.

31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites. 32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah. 33 Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 34 Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35 Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. 36 Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates 10 36:37 Hebrew the River reigned in his place. 38 Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39 Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.

40 These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.

Footnotes

[1] 35:7 El-bethel means God of Bethel
[2] 35:8 Allon-bacuth means oak of weeping
[3] 35:9 Or had appeared
[4] 35:11 Hebrew El Shaddai
[5] 35:11 Hebrew from your loins
[6] 35:16 Or about two hours' distance
[7] 35:18 Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow, or son of my strength
[8] 35:18 Benjamin means son of the right hand
[9] 36:2 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac son; also verse 14
[10] 36:37 Hebrew the River

S2:033 Genesis 35 - 36

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Genesis 35 - 36

Don't you just love the Bible? There is so much depth to it—I never get tired of reading and digging in. In Genesis 35, a couple of things stand out. In Genesis 35:1, God speaks to Jacob and tells him to go up to Bethel and make an altar.  According to Dr. Constable, 10 years have passed since God told him to return, and Jacob still has not done it (Constable's Notes on Genesis 35:1-8).  

If you recall, Bethel is where God appeared to Jacob in a dream. God told him, "I . . . will bring you back to this land" (Genesis 28:15), and Jacob has apparently delayed returning—perhaps because he's continued to allow foreign gods into his household. God commanded him in Genesis 28:2, "Arise, go . . . ." This was a test. Will Jacob honor his commitment to the one true God, or will he keep delaying? 

Apparently, Jacob is serious now and commands his household to get rid of the gods; and they head out. On the way, God divinely causes other armies to let them pass.

Genesis 35:3 stood out to me, "Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." Our Jacob, the trickster, has had distress. Could anyone forget 14 years working for Laban, constant fears about being hunted by your brother, and—just one chapter before—having your sons make enemies of the men of Shechem?

But now, Jacob is finally seeing that God has been with him all along. He's starting to take up his appointed position as the next patriarch through whom the promises of God will be fulfilled.

What a beautiful reminder that God has always been with us wherever we have gone; and He's with us now—today, in the midst of any trouble—if we will just call on Him. This is the true character of God. May I remember this truth in my distress and stand firm in the truth of our God.

This month's memory verse

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

– Proverbs 10:9

Discussion Questions

1. To what "source" do you go in times of distress? Would you consider going to God in prayer first?

2. Take time to recall in your life when you might have failed to give God credit for different aspects of your life. Can you look back and see how He was guiding you?

3. How is God using you today to be a voice in others' lives to remind them of the true character of God and His unconditional love for them? Will you pray for an opportunity today to do that?

4. How can you live today fully trusting that God is in charge and has a plan for you?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Amy!! My, you sure are cute! Will you marry me? (38 years ago, it went a bit different than that.) Throughout out the ups and downs our hearts have been united. Even so, there was much for God to teach us along the way. ————————————————————————————— Q1. In distress, my sinful nature still calls me stand up and fight rather than kneel down and pray. Like Jacob, I must be told many times that God will bless my obedience. Q2. 450 words are not enough. There are seemingly endless examples of God’s supernatural patience, provision, and protection. Thousands of nights I never should have been driving. Uncountable forks in the road where He directed me rightly. Decades of fear and anxiety that was often crippling. Every single bit of it was used to shape, sharpen, and refine me to be useful to His purposes for my life, (Hebrews 12:1-3).
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Hugh Stephenson

Q3. What is clear to me is that God has used years on the wrong road to make me a witness to the right road, (Acts 1:8). I can witness to the failure of every unhealthy coping mechanism. Surrender is the only one that works. Q4. My only hope is staying constantly connected to Him in prayer. ————————————————————————————— Years go our 8-year-old daughter, and her BFF were playing in her room. Very loudly. After several visits I stormed in and said, “How many times do I have to tell you guys?” Her friend looked up as if she were thinking and then looked back at me and said “six!”. I muffled my laughter and left. Jacob does her one better as it only takes five revelations of God for him to finally turn the corner.
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Hugh Stephenson

Amy’s link to Genesis 28:2 reminds me that Jacob is also slow to learn. The Holy Spirit reminds me that God is slow to anger, (Exodus 34:6-7). Even so, Jacob eventually “learns” who God is and understands that He has supernaturally protected and preserved Him and His family. He consecrates Jacob and uses His name of “El Shaddai”, as if to say that it will take Almighty God to protect Jacob. I don’t need the patience of Jacob. I don’t need the patience of Job. I need the patience that only God can give me. That and the supernatural power to surrender my life to His purpose, (Luke 9:23).
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Michael Sisson

Re: Gen 35:18 Ironically, Rachel was dying to have children, just as she said previously. See Gen 30:1. Re: Gen 35:29 Esau and Jacob reunite to bury their father Isaac. Re: Gen 36:1,8-9,19 Esau became the father of the Edomites, eternal enemies of Israel (Ps 83:5-6; Eze 35:5; Amos 1:11; Ob 1:10). Many notable biblical villains were descended from Esau including: Eliphaz (“friend” of Job; father of Amalek), Amalek (father of the Amalekites), Agag, Haman the Agagite, Doeg the Edomite, Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, and Herod Agrippa. While there’s no longer a kingdom of Edom today, >>>modern Judaism genealogically and spiritually links Edom with the Roman Empire and (sadly) Christianity. Moreover, it interprets most unfulfilled prophetic references to Edom as code for Rome.<<<
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Patrick Burgess

Great devotional Amy! I do indeed love the reminder that God is with us wherever we go.
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Chris Landry

Good morning, Amy. Good to see Hugh’s better half sharing some good truths. A few things stood out to me: 1. I thought Jacob was already name-changed to Israel by God back in Genesis 32:28. So I just read a few commentaries. If it confused you, too, no big deal. They’re used interchangeably. Jacob seems to be “past/old/carnal” and Israel is “future/new/spiritual”…. And it’s about to have both used in immediate context (Genesis 37:1-3) To make it more fun, Jacob and Israel can be used as reference to the person or the nation. #awayslearning 2. More importantly, Jacob (or Israel, 🤓 - Potato potato) decidedly got rid of gods and idols before going sojourning to Bethel (Genesis 35:2-3). Questions: where am I headed to? What gods do I need to bury before departing? 3. Fun fact: Bethel had a name change too. It used to be Luz (Genesis 28:19). Only Jerusalem is mentioned more frequently than Bethel in the Old Testament. The city of Bethel is very important. At the divide of the future northern and southern kingdoms (Israel and Judah).
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Sue Bohlin

AAAAAAMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY!! My Proverbs 31 sisterfriend! Thanks for your devo! (And love Hugh's response!) A couple of things got my attention today. First, Bob Deffinbaugh at Bible.org wrote this in his article on this chapter, which sharpens my awareness of being careful of the words we speak: --- Rachel’s death should be viewed from the vantage point of two previous events: Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die” (Genesis 30:1). Rachel demanded children of her husband out of jealousy toward her sister Leah. She said she would die if she could not bear children. In truth, she would die in the bearing of children. A second passage is even more striking. In the context of this text, Jacob has fled from Laban, not knowing that Rachel has stolen her father’s household gods (Genesis 31:19-20). After bemoaning the fact that Jacob took his family away before he could give them a proper farewell, he got to the real bone of contention demanding the return of his gods. In response to this charge Jacob hotly retorted: The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our kinsmen point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself (Genesis 31:32). While the sentence may have been delayed in its execution, it is my conviction that Rachel’s death is the result, to one degree or another, of these words spoken by her husband. --- Whoa. The other thing that grabbed me was how Jacob buried the idols and the earrings (which must have had some pagan connection) before moving on in obedience to God. There is something so powerful about doing something physical when repenting of and releasing things that are displeasing to God. I will never forget a retreat where we decorated little cardboard boxes into which we put a slip of paper on which we wrote the thing we were going to leave behind. Everyone got a trowel and instructions to go dig a hole on the retreat grounds to bury the box. My friend's box contained the words, "The Need To Know." She buried her box, with the controllingness of thinking she deserved to know all kinds of things, and then left the state. I have been back to Camp Hoblitzelle many times, and every time I go, I think of the power of that buried box and the freedom it gave my friend.
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Michael Scaman

Jacob (finally) told his family to put away their foreign God's (God is really patient) and went to build an alter and a memorial pillar to God. And God protected them. " And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. "
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Michael Scaman

Many Altars in Genesis: (They sem to happen in response to an encouter with God) Noah built an altar after the flood. Nimrod built an anti-altar (tower of Babel). Abraham built several Altars. Issac built an Altar (and was even put on an Altar at one point). Jabob build an altar now (and turns from idols) No altar for Esau or Ishmael.
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Libby Burgess

I love your questions, Amy. This is the exact probing that I need to focus on where I am seeking 'comfort' in times of distress. I also love the gentle reminder to rejoice and give praise to God in ALL things. Lastly, what is the Bethel that I'm not returning to... and missing out on God's perfect plan for me. Thank you for sharing this wonderful devotional today! You are inspiring and I appreciate your message!!
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Amy Lowther

1. God. Always. 2. Yes. 3. God is using me as a person who helps others know the value of God’s character (what it can help us with in daily life and the value of participating in local churches). God also uses me as an example of his unconditional love ( how good it is in living without birth parents with the wrong parents and then in reconnecting with birth parents, helping them improve since they grew up Catholic). Prayer: God your strength is amazing and your unconditional love supports everyone. Thank you, You lead by example and practice what you preach. Let us all work and help others in your likeness. Amen. 4. Begin your day by going to God, praying, and giving everything of the day to God. As decisions are made, throughput the day, consider God’s ideas and let him help you with each decision, praying as needed. Close each day going to God assessing how things went and how things need to be as you move into the next day.