Genesis 36:20

Genesis 36:20 says, These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,   There is now a break from the genealogy of the descendants of Abraham to give the descendants of some of the other people of the land.  We are not told who they descended from, but they were in the land.  The first was Seir the Horite.  Verse twenty one adds, And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.  Seir had seven sons, who like the sons of Esau were said to be dukes in Edom.  Matthew Henry says that these may be listed because when Esau sold his birthright and intermarried with these people, he became more one of them than one of God's people.  We cannot be just like the rest of the world and still be a follower of Christ.  We are to be set aside from the world, even when we are in the midst of the world.  Verse twenty-two states, And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. Verse twenty-four continues, And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. While listing the grandchildren of Zeir, there is a mention of one in particular, Anah, who found the mules in the wilderness.  Matthew Henry says this pointed out that even if Anah was born to riches and power that he was still industrious.  Verse twenty-five states, And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.  This was the Anah who was the son of Zeir, and not the grandson just mentioned.  Verse twenty-six adds, And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.  Verse twenty-seven continues, The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.  Then verse twenty-eight concludes, The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.  We are given a list of all Zeir's children and grandchildren.  We have to realize that as followers of Christ, we are not the only people in the world.  We nreed to also acknowledge that God knows all these other people, and He loves them just as much as He loves us.  Verse twenty-nine declares, These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, Verse thirty adds, Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.  Then verse thirty-one concludes, And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.  Not only were there other people in the land, but they were powerful as well.  God does not remove all those in power, but simply expects us to follow Him whoever is in power around us.

Genesis 36:11

Genesis 36:11 says, And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.  We now begin the list of Esau's grandchildren.  Matthew Henry points out that these are the last of Esau's descendants that we are told anything about.  Verse twelve adds, And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.  Like so many others in that age, Eliphaz had children not only with his wife, but also with a concubine or mistress as we would say today.   Though called the sons of Adah, these were her grandsons.  Verse thirteen states, And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau’s wife.  Reuel had four sons, the grandchildren of Bashemath.  Verse fourteen states, And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.  Though it was unusual, we are given a list of the children Aholibamah, Esau's and Anah's daughter.  Daughters were often not named then, much less their children.  Verse fifteen declares, These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,  Then verse sixteen adds, Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.  Matthew Henry says that Esau's grandchildren became rulers, men with earthly titles, in the land.  We might view Esau as a great success, but must remember that true success comes from our relationship with God and not from worldly acclaim.  Verse seventeen states, And these are the sons of Reuel Esau’s son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau’s wife. This is a list of the children of Reuel, who also became earthly rulers.  Verse eighteen says,, And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau’s wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.  This was the conclusion of the list of Esau's grandchildren, who all became earthly rulers.  Once more, we might proclaim Esau a greater success than Jacob, but Esau had sold his birthright which would have made his children and grandchildren the heirs of the promise of God.  No matter how successful we may be in the eyes of the world, if we have sacrificed our relationship with God, then we will ultimately be nothing but a failure.  Verse nineteen concludes, These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.  This was the conclusion of the list of Esau's children and grandchildren and their titles.  We are reminded that Esau was known as Edom, so his descendants would become the Edomites.

Genesis 36:1

Genesis 36:1 says, Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.  We already have a record of Jacob's children, and we are now getting a record of Esau's children.  These were also Isaac's grandchildren, but they were not to be a part of God's promise to Abraham to make him the father of a great nation.  Our physical relationship to a Christian today likewise does not make us a Christian.  Verse two states, Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;  Then verse three adds, And Bashemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth. Esau had three wives including the daughter of Ishmaei.  With the exception of the daughter of Ishmael, Esau's wives were in no way associated with God.  We today should seek a wife among our fellow believers, and of course we should only seek one wife.  Verse four says, And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;  Two of Esau's wives each had one son.  Then verse five adds, And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.  Aholibamah, Ishmael's daughter, had three sons, so Esau had a total of five sons in the land of Canaan.  Once more, even if it had been obtained illegally, God's promise to Isaac passed with the birthright.  This does not mean that we can cheat someone else out of their place in God's kingdom, but that God is not limited to man made laws to accomplish His will.  Rebekah had been told before the birth of Esau and Jacob that the older son would serve the younger.  We could see what she did as simply bringing about God's will, but again I do not believe that God ever needs us to use deceit to accomplish His will.  Verse six says, And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.  Though they were not listed, Esau also had daughters, which implies more than one daughter.  Now that Esau had reconciled with Jacob, he took all that he had a moved away from Jacob.  Sometimes, as followers of Christ, we can reconcile with someone physically and still be separated spiritually.  Verse seven states, For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.  Both Esau and Jacob had a lot of cattle, and the land could not support them both.  Materially, they were both well blessed.  Material wealth should never be used to determine spiritual wealth, or obedience.  Verse eight states, Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.  Just as Jacob became known as Israel, Esau became known as Edom.  Verse nine adds, And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:  Then verse ten concludes, These are the names of Esau’s sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.  We are once again given the names of two of Esau's sons and told that he lived in mount Seir, and was the father of the Edomites. 

Genesis 35:21

Genesis 35:21 says, And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.  Jacob is now identified as Israel.  He had been told of the name change twice, but until now, he had still been identified as Jacob.  Even though we become a new person when we become a follower of Christ, even though we don't get a new name, it may take some time for other people to recognize the change in us.  That does not mean that the change should not be immediate, but only that others may not immediately recognize it.  Verse twenty-two states, And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:  Israel stopped moving.  When he did, one of his sons, Reuben, had sexual relations with Bilhah, Israel's concubine, or mistress as we would say today.  Bilhah once again likely had little choice in the matter.  Israel had twelve sons, and we see that they were far from perfect.  Even though we are to lead them to a personal relationship with God, we cannot make our children follow Him.  Verse twenty-three states, The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:  As we know, Leah had six sons, of which Reuben was the oldest, and he was also Jacob's oldest son.  Dinah was not mentioned.  Though Rueben was the first born son, he was not the son preferred by Jacob.  This fact in itself may have led to some problems.  We cannot allow ourselves to show preference between our children.  Verse twenty-four adds, The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:  Though they were not the next in the birth order, Rachel two sons are listed next.  We know that Joseph, Rachel's first born, though the tenth child born, was the favorite of his father.  Verse twenty-five continues, And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:  Bilhah was the person that Rueben slept with, the mother of two of his half-brothers.  Verse twenty-six concludes, And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.  These were the twelve sons of Jacob.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.  Jacob now returned to his father, whom when he had last seen him, Jacob had cheated him into blessing him.  I believe that the reason that Jacob is still referred to as Jacob instead of Israel is because Isaac would have still seen him the same way.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.  Isaac had been old when Jacob left, and he died soon after Jacob's return, at the age of one hundred and eighty.  Even though he lived a long life, we are not told of anything that he did for most of his life.  When we reach the end of our lives as followers of Christ hopefully people will be able to speak of the things that we have done for God.  We do not need a stopping point where we do nothing else.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.  As just discussed, Isaac died, being old and full of days.  Esau and Jacob buried him, having now made peace with each other.

Genesis 35:9

Genesis 35:9 says, And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.  Jacob was following God's guidance and God once again appeared to Jacob and blessed him.  As followers of Christ, we don't really have to wait for God to appear to us, since the Holy Spirit indwells us, but we must still follow God's guidance to be blessed by Him in everyday life.  Verse ten states, And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.  When Jacob wrestled with the angel, his name was changed to Israel, but he had still been called Jacob by everyone.  God once again told Jacob that his name would be Israel.  Verse eleven declares, And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;  God left no doubt as to Who He was, just as He will leave no doubt with us today.  God reaffirmed His promise made to Abraham, then Isaac, and now Jacob, now Israel, to make them into a great nation.  God does not forget His promises, no matter how long it takes for them to be fulfilled.  Verse twelve adds, And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.  God's promise was an on going promise, just as His promise of everlasting life is today.  It is our responsibility as Christians to share the gospel with others so that they may claim that promise as well.  This is how we are to be fruitful and multiply.  Verse thirteen states, And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.   God did not stay with Jacob continually as the Holy Spirit does with us today.  Verse fourteen says, And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.  Jacob still identifies himself as Jacob, though I don't think this was in disobedience to God.  He dedicated the place where God talked with him.  Wherever we are today as followers of Christ should be dedicated to God, since He is with us continually.  Verse fifteen adds, And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. Jacob named the place Bethel.  Verse sixteen states, And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.  They did not stay at Bethel, just as we cannot stay at the particular place where we first meet Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We as his followers have a commission to go into all the world to share the gospel.  Verse seventeen declares, And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.  When they got to Ephrath,  Rachel was in hard labor.  She was now having her second child.  Verse eighteen adds, And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.  Rachel died giving birth to her second son, who was named Benjamin.  What should have been a day of celebration for Jacob also became a day of mourning, but God was still with Jacob just as He had been since entering into a personal relationship with Jacob.  God is with us today in all the highs and lows, if we have that personal relationship with Him.  Verse nineteen states, And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.  As already stated, Rachel died and was buried at Bethlehem.  Verse twenty adds, And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.  Jacob marked her grave with a pillar.  Rachel was the one that Jacob loved the most and worked the hardest for, and now she was gone, but Jacob still had things to do.  We cannot allow grief at the loss of someone we love to allow us to stop doing what God has called us to do.

Genesis 35:1

Genesis 35:1 says,  And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.  God now gave Jacob directions.  Jacob was to go to Bethel, dwell there, and build an altar to God.  God was specific about Who He was.  He was the God Who appeared to Jacob when he fled from Esau.  As followers of Christ, we should always be listening for God's instructions, but once we accept Christ as our Savior, God should not have to remind us Who He is.  Verse two states, Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:  Jacob told those of his household to put away any strange gods they had and to be clean before God.  We likewise must put away any strange gods that we may have.  I believe that this means more than just putting them out of sight to be called on later, but means putting them out of our life altogether.  Verse three adds, And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.  Jacob said they were going to Bethel, and there he would make an altar to the God Who answered him in the day of his distress.  We must always remember that God will be with us in our times of distress, if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse four declares, And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.  His family gave Jacob all their strange gods and anything associated with them, and he buried them.  Jacob did not try to sell them or profit from them.  We must remove all false gods, and they do not have to be statues, from our lives, without concern for what it might cost us materially.  Verse five says, And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.  Jacob and his family journeyed under God's protection, and no one harmed them.  Spiritually today, we as followers of Christ journey under God's protection, and even if we were to be physically destroyed, no one can harm us spiritually, as long as we remain faithful to God.  Verse six states, So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.  Then verse seven adds, And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.  Jacob got to where God told him to go and built an altar, because he remembered that was where God had appeared to him.  As Christians, there should be a place that we can remember where we first met God and entered into a personal relationship with Him.  Verse eight declares, But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.  Jacob was back in touch with his family, and was most likely taking care of his mother's old nurse until she died.  She was not a blood relative, but she was still treated as a part of the family.  As followers of Christ, we certainly are not all kin to each other in earthly terms, nor are we all of the same status in life.  Still, we are to treat each other as a part of the same family, because we are brothers and sisters through the blood of Christ.

Genesis 34:25

Genesis 34:25 says, And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.  Diana's brothers had never planned to accept Shechem as her husband.  Their plan had been to kill him Shechem and all the males of his city when they were basically incapacitated from being circumcised.  We cannot use the gospel, or anything that identifies us as God's people, as a method to harm or destroy others, and we especially cannot use it to destroy whole groups of people.  Shechem was the one who was guilty, and maybe Hamor was guilty of not punishing him, but all the men were destroyed.  We are not told that these brothers asked God's guidance in there actions.  I don't believe that we can ever have a "just kill them all and let God sort it out" attitude.  We are to reach out to even our enemies with God's love.  Verse twenty-six states, And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.  The brothers killed Hamor and Shechem and took Dinah home.  Shechem should have been held accountable for his actions, and Hamor held accountable for not doing so.  Still, the question is were the brothers justified in using an act that identified people as God's people to enable them to be judge, jury, and executioner of so many people.  Even though it seems that Hamor and Shechem were intending to use this identification with God's people to their advantage, we have to ask if this justified the action of Dinah's brothers.  We cannot allow the possible actions of others to dictate our actions as followers of Christ, but must always act under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-seven declares, The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.  Then verse twenty-eight adds, They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,  Then verse twenty-nine concludes, And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.   Not only did the brothers kill all the males of the city, but they took all of their possessions as well.  Basically, they profited by what had happened to Dinah.  We cannot allow something bad happening to another follower of Christ to be an excuse for us to profit materially from the action.  Verse thirty declares, And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.  Jacob told Simeon and Levi that they had brought trouble to him, since the people around him outnumbered his group.  Jacob was still not relying on God's promise as he should have.  As followers of Christ, we do not have to live in fear of those around us, but we also must not use our relationship to God as a means to mistreat them.  Verse thirty-one asks, And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?  Though the brothers had a reason to make sure that Shechem was held accountable for his actions, what they did was much more than that.  We cannot justify destroying groups of people simply because of the actions of a few or because of what they might do in the future, and we should never profit materially from such actions.  They also took the women and children, but I don't believe that they took the to become a real part of their family.