Genesis 35:22-29

2009.Oct.15 14:45

Isaac’s Death

While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons:
(Genesis 35:22, NIV)

Here we see one of those quick asides that must have represented a quite dramatic episode at la casa Israel. Reuben sleeps with Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant. It’s reasonable to speculate that this comes just before or just after Rachel’s death. One can imagine that Jacob is no happy camper. However, if he takes any action, it’s not here noted (and if it’s mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, I apparently have not noticed). This situation is one of many soap-opera moments in this family. One may choose to be reminded of Yahweh’s grace.

The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel's maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah's maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram. Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
(Genesis 35:23-29, NIV)

There’s yet another list of Jacob’s sons (and, hence, the tribes of Israel, depending on which list of tribes you want to use to get the twelve). The only thing I have to add about that here is that Benjamin is lumped with those born in Paddan Aram, rather than near Bethlehem. I doubt that noting that has any value.

Aside from that, Isaac dies. On a happy note, he gets to see Jacob again, and on fairly good terms with Esau. His family turned out pretty well, despite some of his efforts. The history of people whom Yahweh blesses, loves, and chooses is a sordid history. How did Ishmael not decide to one day show up at Isaac’s doorstep and challenge him to a duel? How did Isaac and Rebekah stay married despite their dueling favoritisms? How did neither Jacob nor Esau commit fatricide? How did…well, you get the picture.

That Esau and Jacob bury their father together, after he has had a full life, is one of the best illustrations of Yahweh’s mercy. The theory that there is only an angry, vengeful God in the Old Testament does not stand to examination.

And now, it’s time for the next generation to play their games. Soon enough, we’ll return to Egypt. And that’s where a family, it seems, becomes a nation.

Genesis 35:16-21

2009.Jul.03 12:00

Birth/Death

Read Genesis 35:16-21 | Full Chapter

And they journeyed from Bethel and had but a little way to go to Ephrath [Bethlehem] when Rachel suffered the pangs of childbirth and had hard labor. When she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, Do not be afraid; you shall have this son also. And as her soul was departing, for she died, she called his name Ben-oni [son of my sorrow]; but his father called him Benjamin [son of the right hand].
(Genesis 35:16-18, AMP)

People born in/near Bethlehem, according to the Bible (possibly different Bethlehems): Benjamin, the youngest son of Israel; King David; and Jesus Christ. Plays nicely on the town water tower, neh? Anyway.

As the family Jacob is wandering around Canaan (the benefit of nomadic patriarchs is you get to use the line “wandering around” a lot), Rachel goes into labor with the last of Jacob’s sons (and only, I believe, born in Palestine). Rachel dies around the end of labor but lives long enough to name her son, “Ben-oni”, which–according to the note in the Amplified version and Wikipedia–means ‘son of my sorrow/pain’. As literalist naming goes, it’s hard to fault the choice, but it’s not necessarily the sort of name you’d like to grow up with. So, Jacob renames him Benjamin. The Wikipedia article has some interesting discussion about the name, which I recommend at least perusing.

In any event, we once again see a name change (something that comes up less often from here on). It may even represent a change in the role of the tribe of Benjamin during the confederation days. This is the tribe that is very nearly extinguished in the Battle of Gibeah, recorded in Judges 19-21, but from which later the first king of Israel, Saul, is chosen. How well the name change fits just that part of their history.

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar (monument) on her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day. Then Israel journeyed on and spread his tent on the other side of the tower of Edar.
(Genesis 35:19-21, AMP)

A time of rejoicing becomes instead a time of mourning, particularly for Jacob, who loved Rachel the most of his wives, and who will translate that into favoritism for her two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. How the death of his mother at this point affects Joseph is an interesting question, but I see nothing in the Biblical account to shed any light on that query. How the death of Rachel affected Jacob is another question without any direct discussion, so far as I can tell, but it must be imagined it that this was an awful time for him, to understate it.

And, then, what of his other wives? After all, this is a coda to the rivalry between Leah and Rachel, of which their handmaids (and Jacob’s “lesser” wives) were necessarily a part. There’s never any real resolution here. Instead, the fighting and bitterness will continue to play a significant role in Benjamin’s generation.

Genesis 35:9-15

2009.Jun.26 15:00

A Different Story?

Read Genesis 35:9-15 | Full Chapter

After Jacob came back to the land of Canaan, God appeared to him again. This time he gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying: I am God All-Powerful, and from now on your name will be Israel instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, and it will belong to your family forever.
(Genesis 35:9-12, CEV)

Sound familar? This is similar to the end of Genesis 32, in which Jacob, the night before his “reunion” with Esau, wrestles with God, or an angel, then requests a blessing. God or his representative blesses Jacob, and changes his name to Israel.

It’s possible this passage is merely a reminder of that. There’s minor differences, such as that chapter 35 says this happens at Bethel, chapter 32 at Peniel, and differences in what God says to Jacob. This could easily be explained, but we are encountering part of the difficulty in understanding the structure and history of the book, indeed of the full Bible. It’s a nice thought to suppose the Pentateuch rose fully formed from the pen of Moses somewhere in the Sinai Desert. After all, if Yahweh inspired it, why not? Why not even go ahead and include in future events, say, the death of Moses?

But I’ve seen little to suggest that that’s the way Yahweh chose to have his Word shared with us. Yahweh may not change, but his relationship with humanity has evolved, not because of him, I think, but because of us. Because just as he has a relationship with us as individuals, so does he with us as a species. I could be wrong on all that, but if not, it makes sense that even individual books of the Bible were written not in one fell swoop, but as a process. And they include both historical points and literary ones.

Because the Bible is rather redundant on the main points, I don’t see any reason to worry over things like these apparent inconsistencies of place names. I don’t know why exactly the narrative is this way, and while I think I can learn more spiritually by examing this question more, it does not ultimately matter to my faith or whether I am obedient to Yahweh.

After God had gone, Jacob set up a large rock, so that he would remember what had happened there. Then he poured wine and olive oil on the rock to show that it was dedicated to God, and he named the place Bethel.
(Genesis 35:13-15, CEV)

Okay, so different place name, and the story feels to me a bit confused, but the main point is that Yahweh agains reiterates his promise of a nation via Abraham-Sarah then Isaac-Rebekah then Jacob-Leah-Rachel-Zilpah-Bilhah. And, one way or another, Yahweh does rename Jacob as Israel.

Jacob establishes an altar in remembrance at Bethel, where he has at least had one, probably more, encounters with Yahweh. A guest speaker at my church a while back talked about the role of altars not as places of sacrifice or requests, but of reminders about Yahweh’s goodness. Even the altar of sacrifice for Israel really was that, a reminder that they are Yahweh’s chosen people, and of his continuing plan and grace in their lives. It’s a far cry from the “altars” where we run up to to pray. In some ways, an altar is not somewhere I so much go as something that I establish, and that’s what I see Jacob doing here.

And just to make a random point as though I had planned it, language itself evolves and so the stories that we have in the Bible are living and powerful in part because they are language (in particular, Yahweh’s words), but they are also subject to altering meanings, changes in interpretation. For Jacob and his descendants, this rock was a different sort of reminder: it was there, a physical object to remind me the truth of those stories, however much they might have changed in the telling. It’s essential that my faith be centered in Yahweh’s Word, but my faith is not ephemeral. It is spiritual, but it exists within the “real world,” and I must create for myself reminders, not just in the world to which I am striving, but within the world in which I daily live.

Genesis 35:1-8

2009.Jun.17 15:00

Trip to Bethel, Etc.

Read Genesis 35:1-8 | Full Chapter

Chapter 35 of Genesis comes off as a bit confusing, at least to me. It seems to be something of a mish-mash, recording important facts that don’t fit easily in with the rest of the narrative, plus what appears to be not exactly a flashback to Genesis 32, when Yahweh renames Jacob to Israel. So, in this first bit, they’re heading to Bethel, site of the Jacob’s Ladder incident. This particular part of the story seems to be mostly about idols and such that are still hanging around the family Israel.

Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to 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 which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered 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 which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.
(Genesis 35:1-4, NASB)

Yahweh, in this recording, does not mention the idols that are within Jacob’s camp. He merely tells Jacob to go to Bethel, make an altar to him, and live there for a time. It apparently occurs to Jacob that all these foreign gods they have hanging around might not be pleasing to Yahweh. Especially since Jacob seems to consider Bethel a holy place. So, he’s not quite committed to "have no other gods before [Yahweh]" (Exodus 20:3, NASB) . Indeed, he doesn’t even get rid of them in any permanent sense, just hides them away. Perhaps Yahweh did not mention the idols because Jacob’s family shouldn’t have had them in the first place.

Ah, it’s easier to give up a sin temporarily, knowing you could maybe come back later. How often, when convicted of a behavior–even if not a sin, even if “just” something that’s not good for us–do we change our behavior, but make sure not to burn all the bridges? Permanent change is scary. Especially when it means giving up something I enjoy, no matter how bad that thing is for me.

As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother.
(Genesis 35:5-7, NASB)

Yahweh is, of course, a God of grace. We’re in the Old Testament here, where we like to typify him as a God of judgment. The two are really inseparable in Yahweh’s case, two sides of the same coin, and both are evidenced in the Old and New Testaments. So, because Yahweh has adopted Jacob and his family, he protects them in this journey, despite the failure of that family to appropriately reciprocate. This is unmerited favor. After the slaughter at Shechem, the whole group should be on the hit list of all the cities and tribes they pass. But Yahweh puts “a great terror upon” them (the voice is passive, at least in the NASB, but I think it’s reasonable to assume Yahweh as the actor).

Jacob does build an altar to God, in remembrance of Yahweh’s appearance to him when fleeing from Esau so many years before. Given how things have worked out, Jacob’s gratefulness and faith should have increased. So Jacob’s sorta’ kinda’ getting it about Yahweh. Like most of us Christians do. It’s a start, but he could be receiving and doing so much more.

Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.
(Genesis 35:8, NASB)

Like I said, this chapter is full of miscellany. Here is a note that Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah, dies while Jacob’s family is in Bethel. I’m not sure if she’s even mentioned anywhere else.

Genesis 34:24-31

2009.Jun.15 14:00

Revenge

Read Genesis 34:24-31 | Full Chapter

And all the people who went out of the town gate listened and heeded what Hamor and Shechem said; and every male was circumcised who was a resident of that town. But on the third day [after the circumcision] when [all the men] were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's [full] brothers, took their swords, boldly entered the city [without danger], and slew all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house [where she had been all this time] and departed.
(Genesis 34:24-26, AMP)

Simeon and Levi avenge the raping of their sister Dinah. Plus some. Plus a lot. Their action is extreme, punishing the whole town for the act of Shechem and its acceptance by Hamor. Certainly, it is more than required for simply rescuing Dinah.

This might be a useful time for me to get on my soapbox about not following blindly political leaders. It gets people killed. That is all.

[Then the rest of] Jacob's [eleven] sons came upon the slain and plundered the town, because there their sister had been defiled and disgraced. They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the town and in the field; All their wealth and all their little ones and their wives they took captive, making spoil even of all [they found] in the houses.
(Genesis 34:27-29, AMP)

Now, the other nine brothers (Benjamin not yet born), enter the town and take the spoils. It’s not clear whether the whole is coordinated, or if the other nine are simply taking advantage of Simeon and Levi’s actions. Regardless, this whole situation works out pretty good for them, at least in the immediate. I acknowledge that’s a cynical comment, but I can’t believe the motiviation of avenging Dinah alone could have justified this wholesale slaughter. On another hand, the men of the town were deceived by the promise of the same sort of riches and plunder that Jacob’s sons now experience.

And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have ruined me, making me infamous and embroiling me with the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites! And we are few in number, and they will gather together against me and attack me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my household. And they said, Should he [be permitted to] deal with our sister as with a harlot?
(Genesis 34:30-31, AMP)

It’s up to Jacob to point out the downside: they may have made many more enemies. After all, the locals will wonder if it’s not better to get rid of these foreigners as soon as possible, and form an alliance amongst themselves to ensure utter victory. Simeon and Levi are not having it. They respond that their actions were appropriate to defend Dinah’s honor.

And where is the middle ground? To me, killing Hamor and Shechem would have been justifiable. But it would have been less likely to subject them to the “pre-emptive” attacks of others. Yes, there would have been new difficulties with that action. Would the townspeople attack in response? If not, does Jacob become the de-facto leader of this town? And so on. An argument in favor of the sons’ actions would be that these Canaanites currently in the area are probably the same that Yahweh will lead Israel against after the Exodus. However, there’s no record of Yahweh approving this particular attack.

Anger unchecked often results in an excessive response that causes unnecessary and undeserved suffering.

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