Genesis 35: back to the start - Jacob the patriarch
In Genesis 35 we see the current chapter start to come to a conclusion. If the preceding chapters described Jacob's formative years, it could be said that this is where the mantel of 'patriarch' is passed to him - firstly in the iteration of God's promises to him, secondly with the birth of Benjamin completing the 12 tribes of Israel, and thirdly, with the death of Isaac. From Chapter 37 onwards (after an interlude in Chapter 36 to outline Esau's descendants), the account is 'of Jacob's family line' (37:2) and covers the exploits of the whole family, in particular his sons.
We open this chapter with Jacob's family's pilgrimage to Bethel and it is a marked contrast from the last chapter, where sin abounded through Shechem, Simeon and Levi, and Jacob himself. Is this rededication to God the result of reflection and introspection? There is certainly no evidence of that. It is the response to the call of God. God calls Jacob to go and settle at Bethel, the place where God had first appeared to him all those years ago when he was alone and fleeing the wrath of Esau (Genesis 22). The same God who came to Jacob in his wretchedness, is now bringing Jacob back to where it all started. Jacob seems to have travelled a long way - it's been many years, two wives and 12 children - but what God wants of us, and his promises, remain the same. It is perhaps a poignant reminder, to Jacob but also to us, that we remain the same unworthy sinners coming to the saviour, however much water has flown under the bridge since we first met him.
So Jacob calls on all his family to purify themselves as they come to Bethel. There is a symbolic purification as they change their clothes: did they consider putting on the 'new self' (e.g. Colossians 3:10) as they engaged in this very literal act? We don't know what their hearts were doing, but we can see clearly for ourselves how the changing of one's clothes can be used as a meditation to remind us that through the Holy Spirit we are clothed in righteousness (e.g. Isaiah 61:10) - God's grace which is there to take hold of. Secondly there is a far more literal purification as they get rid of the foreign gods they have accumulated - the trinkets and idols that they either worshipped or that aided them in their worship of other gods. Was this a people ready to commit themselves fully and uniquely to their God? Again, only God knows what was in their hearts, but what about ours? Are we willing to let go of the other things that we worship and put our trust in?
As he did with Abraham, God repeats his promises to Jacob. This time, he introduces himself as El-Shaddai (God Almighty), choosing to focus on this aspect of his character. The promise of a great nation and of land and descendants (from chapter 28) is re-stated, as is Jacob's change of name to Israel (as introduced in chapter 32).
As the family move on from Bethel, tragedy strikes as Rachel, who Jacob fell in love with when he moved to Paddan Aran, dies in childbirth. However, with the promises of God foremost in his mind, Jacob is able to see hope even in death. It is understandable that Rachel names he son Ben-Oni, which means son of my trouble, but Jacob does not use this name, calling his son Benjamin, meaning son of my right hand. We cannot doubt that the pain of losing Rachel was severe for Jacob (indeed, it caused him to make unwise choices later on by favouring her sons), but within that pain was the knowledge that through Benjamin, along with the rest of his brothers, God would be working out his promises.
And so, the set of 12 sons who would form the 12 tribes of Israel is completed and set out in verses 23-26. Exploits so far suggest that they are not a promising lot (even in this very chapter we hear of the sinful conduct of Reuben sleeping with his father's concubine - verse 22). It is not surprising that Jacob's sons are not always the best examples of men - their family background is a father who was a plotter and schemer and his wives who were constantly jealous and resentful of each other. However, what the founders of the tribes of Israel lack serves to show even more what the power of God achieves.
The twelve tribes in the original Israel were reflected in the 12 apostles in the 'new Israel', and although they were devoted to Jesus, they too were not really a promising lot. Peter was impulsive and responded to trouble with violence (John 18:10), James and John's mother tried to get them onto the top table (Matthew 20:20-21), and all the disciples seemed to appear slightly dense when Jesus tells them of his plans (e.g. John 14-16), so much so that after Jesus' death (which he told them would be necessary), they run and hide. And yet, as God built a nation from Jacob's sons, he built his church on these apostles through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, in this chapter, we read that Jacob returns to Mambre to his father Isaac, whom he buries after his death with his brother Esau. The answer to Jacob's prayer in Chapter 28 is complete - he has returned home, but God's promises are far bigger than the small things Jacob knows how to ask for, and we watch them unfold as we continue on through the story...
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