What God Calls Us Part Three

Genesis 35: 5

Review of Genesis 28:19-22 Jacob builds an altar and calls it Bethel. Jacob promises God that if He gets Jacob home and takes care of him that he will be faithful

Genesis 35:5 -7 Jacob builds the altar and worships God. he calls the name El-Bethel. Jacob acknowledges his God at the house of God.

Bethel eventually gets destroyed because of idolatry. The worship to God is not found in a place, but in God Himself.

What God Calls Us Part Two

Genesis 35:1-15

Vs. 4 Jacob asks his family to give him their idols and earrings, which he buries under an oak tree.

Earrings/Jewelry is it wrong to wear it?

Exodus 32:1-4 - the golden calf was built from the gold jewelry the Israelites received from the Egyptians. The Israelites used the jewelry in a wrong way.

Judges 8:22-28 - Gideon claimed jewelry from the enemy

Hosea 2:13 - Israel used jewelry in the wrong way

Proverbs 25:11-12 Jewelry is like fruit of silver and gold

I Peter 3:1-6 - Don’t use the outward adorning of jewelry and clothing to win your husband and others to Christ. Jesus Christ’s beauty comes from the inside of us.

Ezekiel 16: 11-12 God gave jewelry and other blessings to the Israelites because He loves them. If the jewelry was wrong, God wouldn’t have given it as a blessing to them.

Is wearing jewelry wrong? Not if it is worn with the correct mental attitude. Our worship of God should not change because of our jewelry. Our Christian testimony should not be tainted because of our jewelry. Jewelry can be worn, and we need to thank God for His blessings on us with them.

What God Calls Us

Genesis 35: 1-3

1 - God told Jacob to go to Bethel, dwell there, and make an altar

2 - Jacob needs to get his family prepared to worship God. He asks them to give up their idols, get clean, change their garments, and give up their earrings.

3 - Jacob tells his family that God helped him in his distress after he asked God for help.

Audio to come soon!

Just How Far Does Defilement Spread? Part Three

Genesis 34:19-31

19 - Hamor and Shechem were in agreement with Simeon and Levi’s request of circumcision.

20 - Hamor and Shechem talk with the rest of the city. They had power of influence.

21-23 - Hamor and Shechem admit that through this partnership they will not only get the ladies of the family but also the cattle and business trading which would result in an economic boost for them.

24 - All the men of the city were in agreement and circumcised

25-29 - Simeon and Levi killed all the men and animals. They took back Dinah, who was being held prisoner. They took the ladies and children, they spoiled the land of belongings and destroyed the city.

30-31 - Jacob worries that other cities will now fight against them for Simeon and Levi’s actions.

Just How Far Does Defilement Spread? Part Two

Genesis 34:8-17

8 - Hamor does not reprimand his son, Shechem, for his sin with Dinah

9-10 - Shechem’s request/idea was to share the girls for wives, share land and business gain

11 - Shechem asks for grace concerning the dowry and marriage of Dinah

12-13 - Simeon and Levi answer deceitfully. It is not right to sin in response to someone sinning toward us.

14 - 17 - Circumcision was just the avenue to weaken Shechem and the rest of the people. Simeon and Levi were not really planning to unite with Shechem.


Just How Far Does Defilement Spread?

Genesis 34:1-7

1 - Dinah has friends in Shechem and she hangs out with them

2 - Shechem defiles Dinah. Defile= troubled, corrupted, damaged

3 - Shechem loved Dinah and speaks kindly to her. Cleave = overtaking, joining

4 - Shechem demands that his dad, Hamor, get Dinah to be his wife

5 - 6 - Hamor and Jacob talk after finding out what happened to Dinah

7 - Dinah’s brothers heard what happened and were very wroth and grieved. Wroth - angry. Grieved - sorrow

Jacob Faces Another of His Giants

Genesis 32:1-9

1 - Jacob was going on his way, which this time, was God’s way. Angels met Jacob

2 - Jacob saw these angels and he named the place, Mahanaim. It means double camp/two hosts of camps, his camp and the angels’ camp

3 - Edom is south of the Dead Sea and they are descendants of Esau

4 - Jacob sends a messenger to Esau

5 - Jacob wants to find favor with his brother, Esau

6 - The messengers tell Jacob that Esau is coming toward them with 400 men

7-8 - Jacob is afraid for his life and the lives of his wives and children. He comes up with a plan.

9 - Jacob begins with prayer

The God Who Intervenes, Part 3

Genesis 31:43-55

43- Laban claims Jacob’s wives and the children as his own. He forgot God, Jacob, and Isaac

44 - Laban wants to make a covenant. They made a non-aggression pact.

45 - 47 - They are on Mt. Gilead, the place marked by a pillar of stones

48-49 - God is the witness to the promise

50-54 - They shared a meal while making this covenant. Laban also requests that Jacob not take other wives.

55 - Laban leaves. This is the last we hear of Laban in the Bible.

The God Who Intervenes

Genesis 31:17-35

Key points:

Laban was not left destitute; he still had some flocks to care for. Vs. 19: He was shearing his sheep when he heard of Jacob’s leaving

Rachel took the idols that belonged to her dad, Laban. Why did she take them?
Could’ve been a sign that the family inheritance would go to her husband.
Could’ve been because Rachel didn’t trust completely in God. She may have felt like she needed the gods.
Could’ve been Rachel’s way of getting even with her dad and making him mad.

Jacob went across the river. This is the Euphrates River. He was headed toward Gilead, where he crossed the Jordan River and then went to Mount Gilead. The other name for Mount Gilead is Mount Gilboa (where Saul and Jonathan were killed during battle).

Laban had to get his servants and family together before going after Jacob. He intended to kill Jacob and get his daughters and grandchildren back, plus his flocks and wealth.

God spoke to Laban in a dream and told him not to speak to Jacob bad or good. This shows God’s protection over Jacob. God knew what Laban wanted to do and knew Laban’s heart and real intentions.

Laban accuses Jacob of taking his daughters by force with swords and stealing away (sneaking) during the night.

Laban is most likely lying when he says he would have had a going-away party for the family before they left. As we know from the previous chapter, Laban was willing to do most anything to keep Jacob from leaving.

Laban searches the tents for his gods but didn’t find them.

If you can steal someone’s god and sit on it, then it’s not a god.


God Enriches and Protects His Servant

Genesis 30:35-43, 31:1-18

35-43 - Laban separates the flocks according to the deal he and Jacob had made. They separate three days’ journey from each other. Jacob trusts God for the cattle increase, even though he places the rods. God blesses Jacob with animals and servants

1-2- Laban’s sons accuse Jacob of stealing animals. Jacob could tell Laban’s feelings for him had changed.

3 - God begins to speak to Jacob with the message to head home.

4-6 - Jacob tells Rachel and Leah the message from God. He acknowledges that God has been with him, providing the blessings and also protection against Laban.

7-8 - Jacob tells Rachel and Leah the contract that he and Laban had made.

9-18 - Rachel and Leah are ready to leave. They say their dad’s money and their inheritance is gone. The girls saw their dad give the separated cattle to their brothers. This would have been part of their inheritance.

Stop Our Sibling Rivalry

Genesis 3):1-13

God can use our bad choices for His will.

Even though Jacob had more than one wife, God used this to fulfill His purposes.
Judah was born from Leah and Jesus was born from Judah’s line. Joseph was born from Rachel and he ended up saving the Israelites from the famine.

Rachel and Leah envied each other. This ultimately affected the twelve sons who never really got along, even today.