Unwavering Grace for Weary Pilgrims

UNWAVERING GRACE FOR WEARY PILGRIMS

An Exposition of Genesis 35:1-29

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: December 10, 2023

Series: The Book of Genesis

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says:

¹ 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.” ² 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. ³ 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.” ⁴ 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.

⁵ 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.⁶ And 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 there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. ⁸ And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.

⁹ God 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: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. 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.

¹⁶ Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some 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; but his father called him Benjamin. 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. (Genesis 35:1-29)

INTRODUCTION

I have titled this sermon: “Unwavering Grace for Weary Pilgrims.” All of us are weary pilgrims. To one degree or another, you are a weary pilgrim. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he immediately stepped onto the highway of weariness. He was anxious in his own soul and his blissful marriage was disturbed. Then the Lord consigned him to a cursed ground, to thorns and thistles, to pain and exhausting labor, and eventually to death. Sin and sorrow, pain and death – the highway of weariness that sinful human beings must travel.

You have to deal with your own besetting sins. You also have to deal with other people’s sins (and annoyances). Sometimes other people’s sins are severe in their intensity. Sometimes your own sins are severe in their intensity. You experience various types of injustice, of suffering, of waiting. You have to face the death of loved ones, including spouses and parents. The shadow of death hangs over this present world, and sooner or later you – or someone you love – will be ushered into that valley.

This is the world we live in: a bruised and brokenhearted world characterized by sin and death. And yet, in the midst of this very world, God summons us to follow His call, receive His words, and worship Him. God doesn’t immediately take us out of this world, but instead He condescends to meet with us in this world. Just think about it: the one, true, and living God who is full of mercy and lovingkindness, makes Himself known to us amid the darkness and death of this aching world. He goes before us and makes promises to us, so that we might worship Him in the midst of this pain-filled world.

Before walking through this passage, just notice the simplicity of how the passage unfolds. In verses 1-15, the focus of the passage is on Bethel: this section is punctuated by a death and burial (in v. 8) and by the setting up of a pillar (in v. 14). In verses 16-29, the focus of the passage is away from Bethel, taking us toward Bethlehem and eventually to Hebron: this section is punctuated by two deaths and burials (v. 19, 29) and by the setting up of another pillar (in v. 20). Thus the passage clearly communicates to us that God summons us to worship Him (v. 1, 7, 9-15) amid a world of death. 

Further, a simple way to understand the message is to understand the message as a tale of two pillars: the first pillar proclaims that we ought to worship the Lord in response to His words; the second pillar proclaims the heartache of a sin and death world, in which loved ones die. Every human being can easily identify with the second pillar. But we will not be able to withstand the grief of the second pillar unless we first learn the grace associated with the first pillar. Only God’s unwavering grace can anchor the hearts of us weary pilgrims.

WALKING THROUGH THE TEXT

Let’s walk through the passage in three steps.

I. God calls His weary pilgrims to worship Him (v. 1-8)

First, God calls His weary pilgrims to worship Him (v. 1-8). If you find yourself weary, there is no reason to think that Jacob wasn’t weary. After the twenty years in Haran, Jacob moved his large household and numerous livestock hundreds of miles back toward Canaan. He stayed in Succoth for a while (Genesis 33:17), and then he settled down in Shechem (Genesis 33:18-20). It may have been peaceful in Shechem for a while, but Genesis 34 concluded with Jacob having been troubled by the vindictive violence of his own sons. Now at the beginning of Genesis 35, God instructs Jacob to return to Bethel and worship Him there.

Notice several details about verses 1-8. First, there is the summons to worship: “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there…” Of course, Bethel is a specific geographic location, but the name points to something bigger: Bethel means ‘House of God’: Arise, go up to God’s house. Dwell there – dwell in God’s house. Make an altar in God’s house – worship the God whose house it is. Turning to the New Testament, we learn that God’s house is His redeemed people, the people who believe in Jesus.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)

Though we are often weary, it is our privilege to gather together as God’s house and “offer spiritual sacrifices” to our God.

Second, there is the basis of worship: God’s revelation, God’s faithfulness, God’s character. The instruction continues: “Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” (Genesis 35:1) More than twenty years earlier, Jacob had fled from Esau. Early in Jacob’s trip, while he was sleeping, God appeared to Him. God revealed His majestic presence to Jacob. God made promises to Jacob. Now God is telling Jacob to remember – not only to remember that first experience at Bethel twenty-plus years ago, but also to remember God’s faithfulness to Jacob over the past twenty-plus years. God kept His promises. God is faithful. God’s love is steadfast. God’s care for His people is constant. God had been with Jacob wherever Jacob went, God had taken care of Jacob and prospered him, God had delivered Jacob from adversity, God had brought Jacob back into the land of Canaan, just as He said. Worshiping God involves remembering who He is, what He has done, and His track record of steadfast love and faithfulness to us.

Third, there is the prerequisite to worship: ultimate devotion to God alone. Jacob understands that harboring false gods is incompatible with honoring the true God. Thus Jacob speaks “to his household and to all who were with him” (in addition to having servants, the women and children of Shechem were also part of Jacob’s company now, per Genesis 34:29):

“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 an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Genesis 35:2-3)

We have to remember that when we read Jacob’s instruction, the text isn’t simply telling us what Jacob did. It is actually setting forth a priority that we ourselves must practice. Before the children of Israel met with God at Mount Sinai, they were to consecrate themselves and “wash their garments” (Exodus 19:10). Many years later, Joshua’s final words to a people who had seen many instances of God’s steadfast love included: “… put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.” (Joshua 24:23) How easily the human heart harbors foreign gods, false gods, false ideologies, false belief systems, and superstitions!

We are not immune from the temptation to idolatry, which is why the apostle John concludes his first letter with this warning: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) Put away the pseudo-gods, whether they are physical objects such as wooden statues or metallic images, or whether they are objects of your undisciplined imagination. “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) Put away your foreign gods. Put away your preferred sins. Cleanse yourselves through faith in Jesus Christ. Exchange your polluted garments for the pure clothing of Christ’s righteousness. Prepare to worship God in spirit and in truth, with an attitude of single-minded devotion. Remember, as Jacob did, that the one, true, and living God is not like the idols of the nations. The true God hears and answers prayer. Distress is part of life; distress is part of life’s weariness. But God answers us in the day of our distress, in the day of trouble (see v. 3). The true God accompanies His people wherever they go. Of course, people can carry their idols with them wherever they go. But the true God, who cannot be carried by men, chooses to accompany His people. His presence demands our sanctification. In verse 3, Jacob is specifically acknowledging God’s faithfulness. At Bethel the first time, God had promised: “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15). Now Jacob acknowledges that God “has been with [him] wherever [he has] gone.” The people heed Jacob’s instruction, give up their foreign gods and shiny idols, and Jacob hid them under a tree near Shechem.

Fourth, there is the journey to worship, on which the people enjoy God’s protection: “as they journeyed [in response to God’s instruction and with fresh devotion to Him], a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.” (Genesis 35:5) God protected His people while they followed Him on the path of obedience. This truth needs to sink deeply into our hearts. When we follow the Lord obediently, when we heed His summons to worship, we are fundamentally safe. To be sure, we are not always safe outwardly. In verse 5, Jacob’s family is safe outwardly and physically. But the Bible makes clear that sometimes God’s faithful ones are subject to mistreatment and persecution, precisely because they are walking obediently. Even so, God keeps them safe inwardly and spiritually and eternally, which is far better than temporary outward protection. Another simple way to appreciate verse 5 is along this line: our job is to go where the Lord calls us to go, and His job is to manage all of the details. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Fifth, there is the actual act of worship: once Jacob and his people arrived at Bethel (Genesis 35:6), Jacob “built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.” (Genesis 35:7) This is simple and beautiful: Jacob built an altar (v. 7) in obedience to God’s instruction (v. 1). Further, Jacob named the place “El-bethel”, which means God of Bethel (see ESV footnote). But since Bethel itself means ‘House of God’, El-Bethel means God of the house of God or God of God’s house. Jacob is saying, ‘God is here in this place!’ And Jacob is saying this on the basis of what had happened twenty-plus years earlier: “because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother.” And Jacob certainly understood that God had proved faithful to him ever since that key moment. Don’t miss the obvious: Jacob worships God in response to God’s instruction; Jacob worships God in response to God’s revelation; Jacob worships God in response to God’s faithfulness.

Sixth, lest we get idealistic about the experience of worship in this present world, we finally see the real-world context of worship in verse 8: “And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.” (Genesis 35:8) I love how realistic the Bible is. In one moment, worship: Jacob named the place God of Bethel. In the next moment, death and burial: Jacob named the place Oak of Weeping (see ESV footnote for meaning of Allon-bacuth). The death and burial of Deborah seems like an odd detail to include in the narrative. Deborah was Rebekah’s nurse, and of course Rebekah was Jacob’s mother. So, Deborah may have had a special care for Jacob, Rebekah’s beloved son, and at some point Deborah reconnected with Jacob and became part of his company. But I suspect the reason why this detail is included here is that it contributes to the overall picture of sorrow and death in this passage. Worshiping God in His house is a tremendous privilege, but this side of heaven such worship is momentary, and we have to leave the place of worship in order to attend to other things, sometimes very heavy and sorrowful things, including the burial of loved ones.

II. God’s promises inspire His weary pilgrims to worship Him (v. 9-15)

Next, God’s promises inspire His weary pilgrims to worship Him (v. 9-15). God appeared to Jacob at Bethel twenty-plus years earlier (v. 1, 7). Now in verses 9-15 God appears to Jacob at Bethel a second time. The purpose of this second divine appearance at Bethel is not to communicate new information to Jacob. Instead, the purpose is to reaffirm past revelation. A few years ago at Peniel God had blessed Jacob and changed his name to Israel: now at Bethel God reiterates the blessing and reaffirms Jacob’s name change to Israel (v. 9-10). Then God identifies Himself – “I am God Almighty” – and then commands Jacob to “be fruitful and multiply” (v. 11). The connection between God blessing man and commanding man to be fruitful and multiply is also found in Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 9:1. Children are the fruit and sign of God’s blessing. Of course, it is very interesting that when God tells Jacob to be fruitful and multiply, Jacob already has eleven sons and at least one daughter. But the 100-year-old Jacob is not to resign himself to no additional children, but is instead to keep at the task – and before too long, son number twelve will be on the way! The blessing of offspring is ingredient to the four promises that follow in verses 11-12:

• “A nation and a company of nations shall come from you” (v. 11): Jacob will be the father not only of Israel, but of a multi-nation federation.
• “and kings shall come from your own body” (v. 11): all the kings of Israel and Judah, including the Messiah King, shall descend from Jacob.
• “The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you” (v. 12): Jacob himself will receive the land of promise.
• “and I will give the land to your offspring after you” (v. 12): Jacob’s descendants will receive the land of promise.

And so it is that Jacob is at the heart of God’s plan to bring God’s redeemed people into God’s appointed place under God’s anointed king. That is the storyline of the entire Bible, so helpfully captured in David Helm’s The Big Picture Story Bible: God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s king.

After the revelation was complete, “God went up from him” (v. 13). Worship has been helpfully described as revelation and response: God reveals Himself through His Word, and then we respond to God’s revelation with fitting acts of worship. Jacob’s response to the second divine revelation at Bethel is almost identical to the first divine revelation at Bethel: “Jacob set up a… pillar of stone” and “poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it” (v. 14), and Jacob named the place Bethel (v. 15).

Do we respond to God’s revelation with fitting acts of worship, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, with songs of praise, with cheerful giving and willing service? Do we actually let God’s Word shape our worship? The significance of God’s words is highlighted several times in verses 9-15:

“God… blessed him. And God said to him…. So he called his name Israel. And God said to him…. Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 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. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. (v. 9-15, italics added)

God initiates our worship. God summons us to worship Him at the appointed place. God reveals His words to us, and our worship is fundamentally a response to Him and to the words that He has spoken to us.

III. God’s weary pilgrims must endure many heartaches while they wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled (v. 16-29)

Finally, we come to verses 16-29, where we learn that God’s weary pilgrims must endure many heartaches while they wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Just as the initial act of worship in Bethel (in v. 7) was tempered by the death of Deborah (in v. 8), so the climactic moment of worship (in v. 9-15) is tempered by two deaths and one significant moral failure (in v. 16-29).

The first heartache (v. 16-20)

In due course, Jacob’s family left Bethel and headed toward Ephrath, also known as Bethlehem. As it turns out, Jacob had taken the “be fruitful and multiply” instruction seriously, and his beloved wife Rachel was pregnant with another son. While they were on route to Bethlehem, “Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor” (v. 16) and she ultimately died while giving birth (v. 19). Although the death of Rachel was a great heartache to Jacob, nevertheless this heartache was paired with the tremendous blessing of another son. When the hard labor reached its greatest intensity, “the midwife said to her [Rachel], “Do not fear, for you have another son.”” (v. 17) This takes us all the way back to the birth of Rachel’s first son, Joseph, many years earlier: “And she called his name Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son!” (Genesis 30:24) So when the midwife says, “Do not fear, for you have another son”, she is essentially saying, ‘Do not fear, for the Lord has answered your heart’s desire and prayer, and He has added to you another son.’ What an encouragement when one is on the cusp of death, to hear the words, ‘Do not fear, for the Lord has answered your prayer!’

As Rachel was giving birth and approaching death, she named her son Ben-oni, which means ‘son of my sorrow’. But Jacob overruled and named him Benjamin, which means ‘son of the right hand’. Here we see sorrow (‘son of my sorrow’) side by side with honor and strength (‘son of the right hand’).

Jacob honored the memory of his beloved wife by “[setting] up a pillar over her tomb.” (v. 20) Thus we have the pillar of stone for worship in God’s house, contrasted with another pillar for grief over Rachel’s tomb. Thus we have the promise of offspring fulfilled in the birth of another son, contrasted with the sad reality of the mother’s death. Worshiping and weeping; gladness and grief; life and death; hope and sorrow.

The second heartache (v. 21-22a)

Eventually Israel/Jacob arrived in Bethlehem and settled down “beyond the tower of Eder” (v. 21), which was probably located in the greater Bethlehem area. In that place, Jacob’s firstborn son Reuben had a great moral failure: he committed adultery with his father’s concubine. Once God’s Law was revealed, such a sin was to be penalized with the death penalty. For now, Israel/Jacob heard about Reuben’s sin and would eventually take away Reuben’s firstborn status because of this sin.

Jacob’s twelve sons (v. 22b-26)

At this point, the author gives us a precise identification of Jacob’s twelve sons. These twelve sons represent the fruit and sign of God’s blessing, as God plans to work out His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through them. And yet, the context of Genesis 35:22 and 34:25-31 reveals that this family has some serious flaws: Leah’s firstborn son Reuben was guilty of adultery (Genesis 35:22), and Leah’s secondborn and thirdborn sons, Simeon and Levi, were guilty of mass murder (Genesis 34:25-31). Even so, God will fulfill His promises to and through Jacob’s family!

The third heartache (v. 27-29)

Finally, after four decades away from his father, “Jacob came to his father at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.” (v. 27) The implication is that Jacob and Isaac actually got to spend time together before Isaac’s death, although we aren’t given any details about their interaction. Eventually, at the ripe age of 180 (v. 28), Isaac departed this life, “and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days.” (v. 29) Jacob and his brother Esau, who had been reconciled in Genesis 33, buried their father (v. 29).

Another heartache

It is also worth noting, with respect to the weariness that afflicted Jacob, that his son Joseph had been sold into slavery about 12 years before Isaac’s death. Of course, as far as Jacob’s mindset about Joseph, Jacob thought that Joseph had been killed by wild beasts. And Jacob’s soul “refused to be comforted” (Genesis 37:35). Little did Jacob know that about one year after Isaac died, his son Joseph – who he thought was dead – would become the prime minister of Egypt. God’s promises are unfolding even when we don’t know that they are!

GOOD NEWS FOR WEARY PILGRIMS

Weary Pilgrims

Do you see the picture of weary pilgrims in this passage? Jacob had to flee many years earlier (v. 1, 7). Jacob had known distress, with respect to both Esau and Laban (v. 3). He didn’t have a permanent home, but was on the move (Canaan, Haran, Succoth, Shechem, Bethel, Bethlehem, Hebron, and eventually Egypt). Jacob was troubled by the vindictive violence of his two sons, Simeon and Levi (Genesis 34:25-31). Jacob was sinned against by the immoral conduct of his firstborn son, Reuben (Genesis 35:22). Jacob’s sons sold his beloved son Joseph into slavery, although Jacob thought Joseph had died (these events are recounted in Genesis 37 but took place within the Genesis 34-35 timeframe). Jacob had to face the death of his mother’s nurse (v. 8), the death of his beloved wife Rachel (v. 19), and the death of his influential father (v. 29).

Friends, we live in a world characterized by sin and sorrow, distress and death. Even so, we have a faithful God who invites us to worship Him, and to anchor ourselves in Him and His promise. We must wait patiently for His promises to unfold over the course of generations. But even though there are some very precious promises for which we are still awaiting fulfillment (e.g., the new heaven and the new earth), nevertheless we recognize that the Messiah King has already come in order to bring us salvation.

The Good News

As Genesis 35:16-21 directs our attention to Bethlehem, so it directs us to the Savior King who was eventually born there. The God who was present in Bethel became even more tangibly present in Bethlehem: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Where did our Lord make His entrance into our world? He made His entrance into our world a little to the south of where Rachel was buried, and a little to the north of where Isaac was buried, in the town of Bethlehem, as prophesied by the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2-5a). He came into this world that is so characterized by sin and sorrow, distress and death. The heaviness of this world is captured by the prophet Jeremiah:

“Thus says, the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”” (Jeremiah 31:15)

When our Lord Emmanuel was born in Bethlehem, King Herod – so typical of the mindset of sinful men – wanted nothing to do with him, and sought to eliminate him by slaughtering all the young male children in Bethlehem. In that context, Matthew writes:

“Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”” (Matthew 2:17-18)

And yet, Jesus escaped from the sword of Herod. He came to bring salvation and joy, comfort and everlasting life to sinful human beings. In order to do so, He offered up His own life as a sacrifice for sin, so that – through His death and resurrection – sinners like you and me might be reconciled to the Father.

Friends, on our weary pilgrimage through this sorrowful world, it is possible to have true peace:

“O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.” (from “O Little Town of Bethlehem”)

Weary pilgrims though we are, let us be diligent to worship our faithful God in response to His unwavering grace revealed through Jesus Christ.