Genesis 35
Jacob Returns to Bethel
35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem.5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar,and he called the place El Bethel,[a] because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.[b]
9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,[c] God appeared to him again and blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[e]” So he named him Israel.
11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[f]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.[g]
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[h]But his father named him Benjamin.[i]
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath(that is, Bethlehem). 20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.
21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubineBilhah, and Israel heard of it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
23 The sons of Leah:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:
Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:
Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.29 Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
What does your name mean? In the Bible names are not chosen because they sound nice but because they mean something. However, we discover in this chapter than names can also change. If you do not like what you are called, it can change. Jacob, the deciever, becomes Israel, God fights. He is not to see himself by his lowest moments but to see remember the greatest moment of faith when he wrestled with God.
Rachel’s labour goes wrong and without the support of modern medicine, she dies from the pain. Looking at her new son, she names him Benoni, meaning child of pain. All she can see in the moment is the hurt and anguish. However, Israel picks up the child and renames him Benjamin. This means son at my right hand. It is a name that indicates favour and closeness to him. He refuses to speak pain over his son and instead renames him as a blessing.
We see the same thing in the New Testament as well. Simon becomes Peter. Saul becomes Paul. Jesus renames people to reveal their true character. Names are powerful and what you call something will define how you see it and what you expect of it. I remember hearing two teachers from the same school talking about the same kids. One described them as a nightmare, the other a joy. They both looked at the same situation but framed it differently. It is easy to guess which teacher will be more successful and have better relationships.
I had a friend who one day informed me that he was no longer Roger but would be James from now on. He said that he needed a new chapter in his life and that a name change would help. It was a bit weird at first but a great idea that really helped him step into a new experience.
I wonder if there is something in your life that could experience differently? Perhaps a child who is stubborn is in fact a leader. Maybe a boss at work needs looking at again. Do you need to reframe how you see your home? When we identify people with their best characteristics, we focus on the blessings and that shapes how we live with them.
Think of someone you have been struggling with recently. What do you admire in them and what blessings do you see God as having placed upon them?
