Read Genesis 35:9-29.

Introduction⤒🔗

Kathy Bartalsky and her husband, Steve, served as missionaries in Africa, where Steve flew helicopters to transport mission and medical personnel to remote tribal areas. While they were stationed in the port city of Douda, Cameroon, Kathy contracted malaria. Lying in her hospital bed, she prayed earnestly that God would heal her; as she prayed, a mosquito buzzed in her ear and a bee stung her. The next morning, Steve and Kathy received word that their financial support had dropped sharply. Kathy recalls crying out, “LORD, how much more!?” The answer was soon to come.

The two aviation missionaries were transferred to Ethiopia, where, on August 4, 1987, Steve’s helicopter crashed, killing both himself and his missionary passenger. Three days after the crash, Kathy felt a need to go to the site of the accident and get a clear picture of what had happened. As she sat there on the hillside, looking out over the beautiful African landscape, she contemplated the trials that had come into her life. This is what she concluded:

What I went through I did not volunteer for. Yet I believe it comes down to these basic questions. Are you going to trust Christ or aren’t you? Are you going to stand on the Word you’ve been taught, or aren’t you? ...and if not, where else can you turn?¹

When Jacob appears before Pharaoh, being transported to Egypt in his old age, he remarks: “The years of my pilgrimage have been one hundred and thirty years; few and difficult have been the days of the years of my life” (Gen. 47:9).

When Jacob knows that the time of his death is drawing near, he gathers his sons unto him. Addressing Joseph, he says, “the God who has fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless [your sons]” (Gen. 48:15-16).

Addressing all his sons jointly, he recites a lengthy poem, which includes this testimony: “For your salvation I wait, O LORD” (Gen. 49:18). Throughout his life, and through all his trials, Jacob was sustained by the faithful promises of God.

Knowing that we must face many trials before we reach our final destination, the LORD has given His people His sure covenant promises to sustain us. As you make your way through this present world with all of its tribulations, let the promises of God sustain you.

When You Experience Personal Trials, Let the Promises of God Sustain You←⤒🔗

Genesis 35:16-20 records the circumstances surrounding Rachel’s death:

¹⁶Then they moved on from Beth-el. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, but she experienced hard labor. ¹⁷While she was in hard labor, the midwife said to her, Fear not; for now you shall have another son. ¹⁸As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹So Rachel died and was buried along the way to Ephrath, (that is, Beth-lehem). ²⁰And Jacob set up a memorial pillar upon her grave; that pillar marks Rachel’s grave to this day. Gen. 35:16-20

Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, was about to deliver their second child. But it proves to be a problem pregnancy and she dies in the process of giving birth to another son. The LORD had answered her prayer—Rachel named her first son Joseph, saying, “May the LORD add to me another son” (Gen. 30:24)—at the cost of her life, and Jacob is grieved by the loss of the love of his life.

Genesis 35:21-22 records another personal trial Jacob experienced: the incident involving Reuben’s immorality:

²¹Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. ²²While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah; and Israel heard of it.

While Jacob and his family are dwelling in their tents, Reuben commits an act of immorality with his father’s concubine, Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant. The report of this incident gets back to Jacob: his first-born son, the future head of the family, engaged in an act of immorality that is almost incestuous. Note how Genesis 49:3-4 conveys the shock and betrayal that Jacob felt:

³Reuben, you are my first-born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in strength. ⁴Boiling over like water, you shall not have the pre-eminence, because you went up to your father’s bed, and you defiled it. He went up to my couch! Gen. 49:3-4

The next trial involves the death of Jacob’s father, Isaac:

²⁷Jacob came to his father Isaac in Mamre near Kiriath-arba, (that is, Hebron), the place where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ²⁸Isaac live a hundred and eighty years. ²⁹Then Isaac took his last breath and died and was gathered to his people, an old man who had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Gen. 35:27-29

Jacob gathers up his family and comes to Mamre in order to be with his father, Isaac. Isaac was very elderly by this time, and Jacob, knowing his father’s departure would be soon, no doubt wanted to spend some final days with him. In a very short time Isaac dies. Now both of Jacob’s great forefathers, Abraham and Isaac, have departed and he is left to carry on the covenant line alone.

Genesis 36:6-8 reports Esau’s departure from the land of Canaan, here is yet another trial Jacob experienced:

⁶Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the possessions he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. ⁷Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their cattle. ⁸So Esau settled in mount Seir. Esau is Edom. Gen. 36:6-8

At the time of their father’s death, the two brothers are present, and together they bury their father. Upon his return from Paddan Aram, Jacob had been reunited with his estranged brother. Now, a short time later, Jacob learns of Esau’s decision to pack up the family and move away to the area of Mt. Seir. Jacob is not only being deprived of his brother’s companionship as his closest blood relative, Jacob is also witnessing a spiritual tragedy: his brother has made his final decision to leave the faith; he is walking away from the Promised Land and the covenant of the LORD.

Genesis 37:31-35 records the “loss” of Jacob’s beloved son, Joseph:

³¹...they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. ³²Then they brought the multi-colored robe back to their father and said, We have found this. Examine it to see whether or not it is your son’s robe. ³³Jacob recognized it and said, It is my son’s robe; a wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. ³⁴Then Jacob tore his garments and put on sackcloth and mourned his son for many days. ³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters came to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted. He said, I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. So his father wept for him. Gen. 37:31-35

Having sold their brother into slavery, the eleven sons of Jacob report that Joseph has been killed by a wild animal, offering his bloodstained coat as evidence. Receiving the torn, bloodied coat no doubt refreshed Jacob’s memory of the time he had presented it to his son as a special gift, because Joseph was especially dear to him: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; so he made for him a multi-colored robe” (Gen 37:3). Joseph was the son of Jacob’s beloved wife, the son who sustained him in his sorrow and old age. When Jacob is presented with the prospect of his son’s violent death, he takes it very hard: he mourned for many days and refused to be comforted.

No wonder Jacob testified before Pharaoh that the years of his life have been “few and difficult” (or, “calamitous”—filled with calamities). But he also made this triumphant testimony on his deathbed: “For your salvation I wait, O LORD” (Gen. 49:18).

When you experience personal trials:

the death of a lifetime companion in marriage

disappointment caused by the moral failure of a child on whom you set a special hope

the loss of godly forefathers who were a source of spiritual strength and a living connection to your past spiritual heritage

witnessing a brother make a tragic spiritual choice, departing from the faith of his fathers never to come back

the premature and even violent loss of a dearly beloved child

...you must let the promises of God sustain you:

⁸But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, I have chosen you and have not cast you away. ¹⁰Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; indeed, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isa. 41:8-10

When You Experience Spiritual Trials, Let the Promises of God Sustain You←⤒🔗

Genesis 35:21 contains this commentary on Jacob’s residence in the Promised Land: “Israel moved again and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.” Jacob is here identified with his new God-given name of Israel—the name that connotes spiritual victory and blessing: after wrestling with Jacob, the Angel of the LORD had said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for you have wrestled with God and with men and have prevailed” (Gen. 32:28). But now in Genesis 35:21, Jacob is described as journeying through the Promised Land and dwelling in tents, indicating that he had no permanent, secure possession of the land.

Previously, Jacob had secured a piece of property in the suburbs of Shechem, as described in Genesis 33:18-20,

¹⁸When Jacob returned from Paddan-aram, he came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, and encamped before the city. ¹⁹For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, (Hamor was the father of Shechem), the plot of ground where he had pitched his tent. ²⁰Then he erected an altar there and called it El-elohe-Israel. Gen. 33:18-20

Note: The name, “El-elohe-Israel,” means, “a mighty God is the God of Israel.”

Genesis 33:19 indicates that Jacob was making the transition from transitory tent life to permanent possession. The altar he erects is to the God of Israel, acknowledging the land of Canaan to be the holy possession of the LORD and the dwelling place of His people (vs. 20). But following this peaceful settlement in the suburbs of Shechem comes the incident described in Genesis 34.

Recorded in Genesis 34 is the rape of Dinah, the vengeance taken by Simeon and Levi, and Jacob’s departure from his possession in Shechem. So it is that in Genesis 35:21 we find Jacob once more living in tents and traveling through the land as a transient.

This whole course of events may have proved to be an unbearable spiritual trial for Jacob. He may well have wondered, Have we blown it? Have we forfeited the possession of the land? Has the LORD rescinded His promises? All this may have proved to be an insufferable burden to Jacob, had it not been for the promises of God,

⁹After [Jacob] returned from Paddan-aram, God again appeared to him and blessed him. ¹⁰God said to him, Your name is Jacob; butyour name shall no longer be Jacob, Israel shall be your name. So he named him Israel. ¹¹And God said to him, I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number; a nation, indeed, a community of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your body. ¹²The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give it to your descendants after you. Gen. 35:9-12

It is not stated exactly when the LORD renewed His covenant promise to Jacob, we are merely told that it was after Jacob returned from Paddan-aram. However, the fact that it is reported and recorded in Genesis 35, (the chapter following the incident involving the act of vengeance perpetrated by Simeon and Levi and the resultant return to a transient life), is intended to assure us of the LORD’s covenant faithfulness—an assurance that the LORD no doubt conveyed to Jacob.

By means of this re-affirmation of His covenant faithfulness, the LORD re-assures Jacob of his new identity as “Israel” (vs. 10), and re-affirms His commitment to fulfill His covenantal promises (vs. 11­ 12). Note: After wrestling with Jacob, the Angel of the LORD initially bestowed upon him the new name of “Israel” (Gen. 32:28). But now, not as the mysterious figure who wrestled with Jacob in human form, but in the fullness of His divine person, the LORD ratifies the new name of “Israel” that He has bestowed upon Jacob, and thus re-assures Jacob of his new status.

As the narrative of Jacob’s life continues, Genesis 42:5 reports that there was a famine in the land of Canaan: “the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who came [into the land of Egypt], because the famine was in the land of Canaan.” The famine is of such severity and duration that it becomes impossible to sustain their flocks and herds, which are their very livelihood, as they explain to Pharaoh: “We have come to temporarily live in the land because there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, since the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, we beg you, let your servants settle in the land of Goshen” (Gen. 47:4).

The severe famine, coupled with the invitation from a “resurrected” Joseph, causes Jacob to resettle in Egypt. But now Jacob is faced with the prospect that he himself will die outside of the Promised Land, and his family will find themselves re-located in a foreign land. Once again, this turn of events could have posed an unbearable spiritual trial for Jacob: Is God casting me off in my old age? Will God be faithful to re-gather and re-assemble my children in the Promised Land? But once again he is sustained by the promises of God:

¹So Israel set out with all his possessions and came to Beer-sheba; there he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac. 'Then God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here I am. ³And he said, I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down into Egypt, for I will there make you into a great nation. ⁴I will go down with you into Egypt; and, furthermore, I will surely bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes [at the time of your death.]” Gen. 46:1-4

When you experience spiritual trials, such as when the weight of guilt and the consequence of sin lay heavily upon us, there comes the question, Will God restore me and grant me forgiveness, or not?

Or at times the question arises in our minds, Will God remember me in the closing days of my life and bring me safely into His everlasting kingdom?

Or when the plans and purposes of God appear to be frustrated or even seem threatened to be negated by the adverse circumstances of life, (as Jacob must have feared when the famine in Canaan caused him to re-locate in Egypt), there comes the question, Has God lost control?

In all such circumstances, and when encountering any trial, you must let the promises of God sustain you:

¹But now this is what the LORD says, who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have given you your name, you are mine. ²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame set you ablaze. ³I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isa. 43:1-3a

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Remember the trials and the testimony of Mrs. Kathy Bartalsky:

What I went through I did not volunteer for. Yet I believe it comes down to these basic questions: Are you going to trust Christ, or aren’t you? Are you going to stand on the Word you have been taught, or aren’t you? Where else will you turn? What else in the world can give you the hope that is in Christ Jesus and all He can offer?

Remember the trials—and the testimony—of our spiritual forefather, Jacob: “Few and calamitous have been the days of the years of my life” (Gen. 47:9), but he also went on to testify, “for your salvation do I wait, O LORD” (Gen. 49:18).

As you make your way through this present world with all of its tribulations, let the promises of God sustain you; and you will not be disappointed:

¹⁷Israel shall be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be disappointed nor disgraced for all eternity. Isa. 45:17

⁹And it shall be said in that day, See, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.Isa. 25:9

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. Compare Jacob’s situation as described in Genesis 33:18-20 with what is now described in Genesis 35:21; note, also, Gen. 34:30. Would this change in circumstances have caused Jacob to wonder if the LORD’s promises had been forfeited? Do you ever have the same concern for your own spiritual life and future? What assurance does the LORD provide? See Phil. 1:6; Jn. 6:37-40.

¹⁸When Jacob returned from Paddan-aram, he came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, and encamped before the city. ¹⁹For a hundred pieces of silver he bought from the sons of Hamor, (Hamor was the father of Shechem), the plot of ground where he had pitched his tent. ²⁰Then he erected an altar there and called it El-elohe-Israel. Gen. 33:18-20

²¹Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. Gen. 35:21

³⁰Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have brought trouble upon me, you have made me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Being few in number, they will join forces against me and attack me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my household. Gen. 34:30

⁶...he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6

³⁷All whom the Father gives me will come to me; and he who comes to me I will by no means reject; ³⁸for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰My Father’s will is that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Jn. 6:37-40

2. As Jacob experiences a deep sense of anxiety and trepidation (Gen. 34:30), what does God do for him? See Gen. 35:9-12 How does God identify Himself? See Gen. 35:11a How does God identify Jacob, and what is significant about this? See Gen. 35:10 What assurance does the LORD give to you as a Christian? See Rom. 8:33-34, 38-39.

⁹After Jacob returned from Paddan-aram, God again appeared to him and blessed him. ¹⁰God said to him, Your name is Jacob; but your name shall no longer be Jacob, Israel shall be your name. So he named him Israel. ¹¹And God said to him, I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number; a nation, indeed, a community of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your body. ¹²The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give it to your descendants after you. Gen. 35:9-12

³³Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies, ³⁴who is he that condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us...³⁸I am persuaded the neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:33-34, 38-39

3. What happens to Jacob as he and his family journey from Bethel to Ephrath? See Gen. 35:16-20 What did Rachel mean to Jacob? See Gen. 29:18 Have you ever experienced the death of someone who was very dear to you? What hope does Scripture give concerning the death of a fellow Christian? See 1 Thess. 4:13-18.

¹⁶Then they moved on from Beth-el. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, but she experienced hard labor. ¹⁷While she was in hard labor the midwife said to her, Fear not; for now you shall have another son. ¹⁸As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹So Rachel died and was buried along the way to Ephrath, (that is, Beth-lehem). ²⁰And Jacob set up a memorial pillar upon her grave; that pillar marks Rachel’s grave to this day. Gen. 35:16-20

¹⁸Now Jacob loved Rachel; and he said [to Laban], 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel...' Gen. 29:18

¹³...I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep [in death], lest you sorrow as others who have no hope; ¹⁴for we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God shall bring with him those who sleep in Jesus...¹⁶the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout...and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. ¹⁷Then we that are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore, comfort one another with these words. 1 Thess. 4:13-14, 16-18

4. What shocking news is revealed in Genesis 35:21-22? How does Jacob react to what his eldest son has done? See Gen. 49:3-4 Have you ever been betrayed by someone very close to you, maybe even one of your own children? What has been your reaction? Note Prov. 18:19 What does the LORD require us to do? See Matt. 6:14-15.

²¹Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. ²²While Israel was living in that land, Reuben went and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah; and Israel heard of it. Gen. 35:21-22

³Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. ⁴Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch! Gen. 49:3-4

¹⁹A brother offended [is harder to win] than a strong city, and contentions [are] like the bars of a castle. Prov. 18:19

¹⁴...if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matt. 6:14­-15

5. What is the next loss that Jacob suffers? See Gen. 35:27-29 Have you suffered the loss of a godly Christian father, or a godly mentor? Where must we turn at such a time? See Psl. 68:5; Psl. 10:14b; Psl. 146:9a.

²⁷Jacob came to his father Isaac in Mamre near Kiriath-arba, (that is, Hebron), the place where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ²⁸Isaac live a hundred and eighty years. ²⁹Then Isaac took his last breath and died and was gathered to his people, an old man who had lived a full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Gen. 35:27-29

⁵A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, [is] God in his holy habitation. Psl. 68:5

^14bThe helpless commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Psl. 10:14b

^9aThe LORD watches over the strangers; he relieves the fatherless and widows... Psl. 146:9a