Prayer
“Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield” —Psalm 5:11-12.
Today’s Hymn
Words: Attributed to Dorothy A. Thrupp, 1836. Music: Bradbury, William B. Bradbury, 1859; first appeared in his Sunday school collection Oriola.
SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US
Click here for tune.
Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
We are Thine, Thou dost befriend us, be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us, seek us when we go astray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Thou hast promised to receive us, poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse and power to free.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! We will early turn to Thee.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! We will early turn to Thee.
Early let us seek Thy favor, early let us do Thy will;
Blessèd Lord and only Savior, with Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.
Thought Provoker
Let’s review Jacob’s life! Ask your family to discuss these questions: “Can you recall what is recorded about Jacob in Genesis?” “How would you describe him?” Is this the kind of person you would welcome to your home?
May I suggest my description? He was a thief, a con- artist, and crafty. His best qualities included lying, breaking promises, and a shrewd negotiator. He lived selfishly as a fugitive in the midst of a family he nurtured to be contentious and jealous.
We are told very little about the “good side” of Jacob. But Genesis 35 gives us one final picture of the aged patriarch finally obedient to God, like that of the prodigal returning “home.”
Dad’s Study
1. Jacob must have been desperate. Chapter 34 makes no mention of God or His work on Jacob’s behalf. How awful not even to be aware of God’s presence! It is possible that Jacob was at that breaking point-with no hope in himself of God’s help. God often works in our lives in the same way. Isn’t being hopeless just where God will put us-at the end of our rope-before He intervenes!
Genesis 35 begins much the same way Genesis 1 began: “And God . . . .” How did God intervene for Jacob? What did God do? How did He help Jacob? A good project as a family as you read this chapter would be to make a list of “God’s Actions on Jacob’s Behalf.”
Here are two to get you started (and there are plenty more between these two verses):
v. 1 God spoke (notice how quickly Jacob responded this time to God’s call, vv. 2-4 and how complete was his repentance and faith!)
v. 15 God spoke (and Jacob worshipped at Bethel) Sometimes God seems distant and silent, like Genesis 34; sometimes He is close and active, like Genesis 35. Is God’s work in your life just now visibly apparent? Or shrouded? Does how He chooses to work affect your response of faith? Your hope in Him?
2. For Jacob, repentance and faith involved obedience, a portion of which was moving from Shechem to Bethel to fulfill a vow he had made nearly thirty years prior (Genesis 28:20-22). Genesis 35 is like an itinerary of famous places to visit. Take your family on a field trip through a Bible atlas. There is Lug (v.6), Paean Arm (v. 9), Ephratah (v. 16), and world-famous Mare or the City of Arab (v. 27), with side trips to the “tower of Dear,” (v. 21) and “Allonbachuth” (v. 8). May I challenge you and your family? Don’t just skip over these names, but learn the more familiar names to these sites (Bethel, Bethlehem, Hebron) and the rich meanings associated with each! God took great care in preparing people and places to fulfill prophecy related to the coming of our Savior! In fact, Genesis 35:19 is the first reference to Bethlehem (Ephratah). Here Rachel dies giving birth; many centuries later a young virgin would give birth to another baby in Bethlehem.
3. There would be many more trials for Jacob upon his return “home.” Three deaths are recorded in this chapter. His friend, Deborah; his favorite wife, Rachel; and his father, Isaac all died. How Jacob must have grieved . . . and schemed. Surely this deceiver had another “trick up his sleeve” to relieve his burden, but to no avail. While death is a consequence of sin, it can act as a purifying agent in those who remain. When someone close to us dies, we can become more alert to the most important aspects of life-what really matters-the bottom line. How has another’s death helped you to remain faithful to God?
4. Jacob received an unexpected, and certainly undeserved, measure of grace in Rachel’s death. God knew how Jacob’s sons would scheme in the ensuing years and send Joseph to Egypt. There was Benjamin, God’s provision, to comfort and encourage him in the last years of his walk of faith. How do the two names of Jacob’s twelfth son (Ben-Oni and Ben- jamin) help us understand Jesus as the Savior? How much and how carefully God provides His grace even before our need is known to us!
5. Upon his return “home,” Jacob worshipped God. Genesis 35:14 describes his worship: he set up a memorial, a pillar of stone. He poured a drink offering and oil on it. To this point in the narrative, we have not been told about a “drink offering.” Can you explain this custom? Where could you learn about the “drink offering’s” history and use? What portion of the Gospel does the “drink offering” help illustrate? In our worship today, how can we pour out a “drink offering”?
6. God was extremely patient with Jacob while he wandered in his walk of faith. As you pray today, consider, “How far am I wandering, even today, and yet God works to perfect Christ in me?” God’s call to Jacob, and to us is the same: “Come on home!”
Click here for Matthew Henry’s Commentary.
Truth in Practice
Catechism
Question 64
Q. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?
A. The tenth commandment forbids all discontentment with our own estate (1 Cor. 10:10), envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour (Gal 5:26), and all inordinate emotions and affections to anything that is his (Col. 3:5).
