A New Standing (35:23–36:43)

More than twenty years before, Isaac thought he was going to die (27:1-4), but death didn’t come until he was 180 years old. He lived the longest of all the patriarchs and yet less is recorded about his life than about his father, his sons, and his grandson Joseph.

We trust that Isaac and Jacob experienced a complete reconciliation and that the old patriarch died “full of years” as did his father (25:8). Esau came from Mount Seir to pay his respects to his father and to assist Isaac in burying him in the cave of Machpelah (49:29-32). Esau was a man of the world and not a child of the covenant, but he was still Isaac’s son and Jacob’s brother, and he had every right to be there. Death is a human experience that brings human pain to our hearts, and caring for the dead is a responsibility for all the family–believers and unbelievers.

But Isaac’s death changed Jacob’s status: He was now the head of the family and the heir of the covenant blessings. He not only acquired Isaac’s great wealth, but he also inherited all that was involved in the Abrahamic covenant. His God would be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

There’s quite a contrast between the record of Jacob’s family in 35:23-26, listing four wives and twelve sons, and the long list of people who belonged to Esau, recorded in chapter 36.

There are six lists of names, including sons (vv. 1-14, 20-28), chiefs (vv. 15-19, 29-30, 40-43), and kings (vv. 31-39); and there appears to be duplication. (Compare vv. 10-14 with 15-19, and 20-28 with 29-30.) Esau had his share of material blessings, but Jacob possessed the covenant blessings from the Lord.

Genesis 36 is a long chapter containing many names, but it’s the end of the story as far as Esau is concerned! The Edomites are named in the Old Testament only because they’re a part of the story of Israel. “Esau” and “Edom,” the avowed enemies of the Jews, are mentioned over two hundred times in the Bible, but “Jacob” and “Israel” are found over two thousand times! Esau’s son Eliphaz was the father of Amalek, and the Amalekites were also Israel’s enemies (Ex. 17:8-16; Num. 14:39-45; Deut. 25:17-19; 1 Sam. 15).

Genesis 37 takes up the story, not of Esau, but of Jacob! “These are the generations of Jacob” (v. 2) is the tenth occasion for a “generation” statement in Genesis, and it introduces the story of Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph. With all their weaknesses and faults, the sons of Jacob will carry on the work of God on earth and fulfill the covenant promises God made to Abraham.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion

1. If victorious believers suffer trials and loss the same as unbelievers, what’s the benefit of walking with the Lord?
2. Despite Jacob’s faults and delays, God repeated His promise (35:10-12). What does this say about God?
3. Why were Jacob’s orders in 35:2-4 so important?
4. Why was the symbolism of washing the body and changing clothes appropriate here?
5. What protected Jacob and the others from the reprisals he feared after the killing of the Shechemites? Why would God give safe passage to killers?
6. Jacob built an altar, led his household in worshipping the Lord, and renamed the special place El Bethel. What “holy sites” do you worship at? How does being in a particular place encourage you to worship? Distinguish what a holy site is not.
7. Why do you think Jacob disregarded the last words of his dying wife by renaming the son Benjamin?
8. Explain why Reuben’s seizure of Jacob’s concubine was more serious than the outward sexual sin.
9. Jacob and Esau buried their father, Isaac, together. How do you think each of them looked back on his life at that time?
10. How have the trials and losses in your life drawn your attention toward or away from the Lord?