Day 24 – Genesis 35-37

Talking Points

• Jacob moves to Bethel, the place where he originally encountered God. He calls for the people to put away their false worship. Again, God blesses Jacob and reconfirms his new name, Israel.
• Jacob has 12 sons. Isaac dies and Jacob and Esau bury him. The family is intact and the lineage moves on.
• Esau moves out of Canaan. His descendants become the Edomites — another kingdom with their own kings.
• We have the introduction to Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons. God gives him dreams foretelling events to come. His brothers grow in their hatred of him, ultimately selling him into slavery and lying to Jacob, claiming Joseph was dead. As in the story of Cain and Abel, even brothers are willing to kill and destroy an innocent life out of jealousy.
• A long account begins that will result in God’s people being preserved and setting the stage for God’s mighty act of deliverance. God’s plan is long-term.

Thoughts

It is easy to get lost in the genealogies, so I try to remind myself that these are God’s way of proving the historicity of His Word, and that each name was a real person – an eternity represented. If we adjust our lens for just a moment, we will see God’s grace, even in these listings of names long-ago recorded. Just as God was mindful of each of them, just as He was intimately involved in each of their days, we can be sure — He is mindful of us as well. Think about that. The God of all creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God also of Eliphaz, Adah, and Reuel knows our names as well. In fact, as believers, our names are also recorded in His Book for all eternity. (Revelation 20)