P a g e | 1 Genesis 35-37 Let us do a quick review of what has happened thus far. Jacob finally breaks free of his Uncle Laban’s scheming. He journeys home to face his brother Esau. But before he encounters his brother, he has a wrestling match with God and loses, and during the fight he realizes who he is up against, and he clung to God and asked for Him to Bless him. God does, and now Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, which means Governed by God. He faces his brother, they make up, and Jacob still a schemer, says I’ll catch up to you bro go ahead. And Jacob goes a different way. He does not go to Bethel, which as we will see tonight should have been his destination, but stops off near Shechem. Well he instead of being the spiritual leader of his household, kind of leaves his children to themselves. Dinah his little princess makes friends with the girls of Shechem. They teach her their provocative ways, and she than catches the eye of the prince Shechem. P a g e | 2 Now in the Canaanite lands the men would not think twice to have sex with whomever they wanted. Especially a prince, he did not know the customs, and morals of Dinah’s people. And he rapes her, and falls in love with her, and wants to marry her. Well then her brothers are infuriated. Simeon and Levi make a scandalous deal with the people of Shechem, if they circumcise every male they will intermarry with them. They instead on the 3rd day, the most painful day of this procedure go in and in revenge kill every male of the city. And Jacob now worries the Canaanites all over the land will now come against them. So this is where our story picks up. Jacob's Return to Bethel 35:1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother." So God tells Jacob go to the place where we met before. P a g e | 3 It seems Jacob may have forgotten the promises of God. His household is not in order. His daughter befriended the pagans of the area; two of his sons were murderers and creating enemies. It seems Jacob, once again has become independent and is trying to go through life without God’s purpose and plans. He has forgotten God’s Will for his life, and is now trying to make his own way. How many of us have experienced this? You were once walking with God, experiencing His Love, and Plan for your lives. Then somehow, usually because things start going good, you feel you can step out on your own, you kind of got things figured out. But instead of doing better you thrash things. Your life is full of turmoil because you are making mistake after mistake. Well learn as Jacob does. Go back to your first love. I like what Jesus tells the church in Ephesus… P a g e | 4 Rev 2:4-6 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent. This is the awesome thing about our God. He offers a one step program to get back on track. Repent, come back to Him. If you are finding yourself tonight away from God. Listen to Him, learn as Jacob did, and go back to Bethel, return to your first love. Amen? 2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then 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 in the way which I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. So Jacob finally man’s up here. He takes charge of his household. P a g e | 5 He tells them to change their clothes, stop dressing like the harlots of the region, and stop dressing like the culture. Put on morality. He also demands all their foreign fake gods. How did his family get so far from Yahweh, in such a short period of time? Well it does not take long for us to be consumed by this world when that is all we consume ourselves with. You cannot play in both systems. Living like the world will ultimately destroy you. I pray we like Jacob’s family will choose today whom you will follow, the One True Living God, or your little worthless gods from this world. Jacob cleaned house, I pray some of us can be moved to do the same tonight… Look at how Jacob begins to regain focus here. He takes the Phil. 4:8 approach. Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. P a g e | 6 You see a wonderful thing to do when we find our self in despair or grief from our choices, is to recall the promises of God, and the faithfulness of God. As Jacob says here about his God, who answered him in the day of his distress and has been with him in the way which he has gone." Jacob recalls God’s faithfulness even when he was unfaithful to God. And this thought gets his family moving in the right direction, the rid themselves of the idolatry in their own lives. 5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. But there is still tragedy of Jacob’s choices here, remember he and his family are supposed be the ones that all the nations are blessed by. He is supposed to be a witness to the graciousness of God, the goodness of God. P a g e | 7 And because he failed to rule his home rightly, as Jacob feared the nations are angry with him and his family, so that God will have to be known by His terror to protect Jacob and his calling. These people will not be drawn in by Jacob’s witness, but because of Jacob’s failure we see God has to supernaturally step in to preserve Jacob’s family line. So God has put fear into all those who Jacob was worried about coming to kill him. All the surrounding cities must have heard what Jacob’s sons did to Shechem, and God put fear into them. And this might not be what God had intended, non- the-less, God’s Word will be true, so He supernaturally protects this Patriarch of promise. God will protect His anointed. And Jacob builds an alter in Bethel, and calls it El Bethel, which means God of the House of God. He has returned to his first love. And he will try to finish out his sunset years right. He is growing old, and with age comes wisdom, and as we know wisdom comes from failure a lot of the time. Jacob has failed much in his life, but he is determined to finish well. P a g e | 8 And we see through his mistakes he will try to guide his family right, and set the right example. So maybe you are in your sunset years here tonight, your children are older, you made many mistakes in life. Maybe you were a horrible parent, you failed in marriage, well be encouraged by Jacob, who shows us it is not too late to return to Bethel. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you can still find grace from God. So now as often happens in the Sunset years, we have to say goodbye to loved ones, and we see someone who the family loves here pass away. 8 Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth. Now this nurse must have been someone important to Jacob, maybe she helped raise him. Because she is mentioned here, and her death brings great sorrow. They name the tree at her burial site is Allon Bachuth which means Weeping Terebinth tree. 9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to P a g e | 9 him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel.