Count up your life (Gen 35)

Count up your life

Genesis 35:8-29
Key verse 35:14-15

A while ago, I stumbled on a shadow show performed at the Britain’s Got Talent. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOZS_Vq6eKw) It was so moving that many of the audience and the judges shed tears. The show made me think about my mom and also life. It was everybody’s story and my story. We all grow old and then die. That is life. However, all our lives we struggle to get better and get more as if we could live forever here. That is sad.

For the last several weeks, we have studied about Jacob and today’s passage concludes Jacob’s journey. Jacob struggled hard all his life to get what he wanted and then he found himself old and fading away. He was like any other ordinary man. But after his long struggle, he found the true hope such that he could overcome himself and even death. What was that? Through this passage, I pray that his hope can be yours as well.

I. God blessed Jacob again

⁹ After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.¹⁰ God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.

After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, God appeared to Jacob again and blessed him. First, God confirmed his new name Israel. Previously when God changed his name in Ch. 32, he emphasized the transformation of Jacob into Israel. But this time God reminded Jacob the fact that he had become a new person Israel. Now God wanted to bless the new person Israel.

¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; 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.” 

First, God called himself “God Almighty” (El Shaddai). Previously, he introduced himself to Jacob as the God of Abraham and Isaac. It was because Jacob did not know God personally yet. He knew the God of his forefathers only. By the way, there are many different names of God. The name El Shaddai was particularly used when God blessed Abraham and Isaac. (17:1; 28:3; Ex 6:3) Later, El Shaddai was understood by the nation Israel as God Almighty who gave them fertility and prosperity. Now, El Shaddai who blessed Abraham and Isaac also wanted to bless Jacob.

God’s blessings consisted of two major promises.

·         God would bless Jacob and his descendants to be a nation.

·         God would give them the Promised Land.

Basically, these promises were similar to the promises given to his fathers, particularly Abraham.

⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” (17:6-7)

In other words, God would give Jacob the same blessing that was given to Abraham. Here we can see God’s ultimate plan for Jacob, which was to establish a nation through him and his descendants in the Promised Land. The nation would be ruled by God (17:8) and become the source of blessing for all mankind (28:14). This blessing was much far greater than what Jacob had wanted to get all his life by struggling with people. Becoming a manager at my work is a privilege in many ways. First, you will receive more money, your own office room, and authority. But everyone cannot be a manager and it is not easy. But becoming a nation is a far greater privilege and it is given by God’s grace. Actually, this blessing had been given to Jacob already, but Jacob was ignorant of it and missed out on it because of his own agenda and selfish desires.

Why did God confirm Jacob’s new name and renew his blessings for Jacob at this point?

First, God wanted to renew his relationship with Jacob. God usually established and kept his relationship with people through promise or covenant. When the promises were given for the first time, Jacob did not know God well. And his concern was to safely go to Paddan Aram and come back rather than something else like being a nation or eternity. He just needed God who could solve his problems right now. In other words, the relationship was pretty much based on Jacob’s personal needs. Now that Jacob was changed into Israel, the relationship should be rectified and developed based on God’s desire. It must be the right relationship between Israel and God Almighty, not between selfish Jacob and the God of his forefathers. Our relationship with God becomes sound and solid when it is built on God’s desire.

Second, based on their right relationship, God wanted Jacob to look forward to what God would do through him and his descendants. Previously, Jacob was not concerned about God’s plan for him. Instead, he just took God’s protection only and totally missed out God’s true blessing for him. Despite this, God provided him with all his needs anyways – protection, family, possessions, etc. But when Jacob was gripped by the fear of death at Jabbok, his possessions became nothing and he became helpless. And then he realized that a true hope was found in eternal God. So he begged for God’s blessing. Now God reinforced his blessing, which was to establish a nation through him and his descendants, where God would rule as king and bless all humankind. This was God’s desire for all people and his plan for Jacob. His plan to save humankind through Jacob would continue for sure even after Jacob’s death. Jacob had seen himself only and struggled to live for himself in a limited time, which in turn made him miserable and fearful. But here was God’s everlasting blessing for Jacob. He would be a nation and a blessing to all people generation after generation. Now Jacob could find his true hope and joy in eternal God and his everlasting blessing.

By confirming his promises, however, God also demanded Jacob to keep his vow. The phrase “After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram” in verse 9, meant that God protected him and provided for him as he had promised. So, God did not need to mention his protection again. However, that also meant that now was time for Jacob to fulfill his vow to God since God fulfilled his promises.

What was Jacob’s response?

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.

In return to God’s confirmation of his promises, Jacob set up a new stone pillar at Bethel where he had made a vow, poured out drink offering and oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Jacob did this in fulfillment of his vow. This was very meaningful in that,

·         Fulfilling a vow meant the commitment to promise or covenant. Jacob made a commitment to God for the first time and so his relationship with God became mutual. So far, the relationship between God and Jacob had been one-directional – God provided and Jacob received only. Now the relationship needed to be bi-directional and thus deeper and solid. Now by fulfilling his vow to God, Jacob was bound to God as God was to Jacob.

·         Jacob accepted God as only one God and worshiped him as his God. God was no loner the God of his forefathers. Now God was his personal God.

·         He accepted God’s promises and put his hope in the kingdom that God would make through his descendants. His hope was no longer in his wellbeing only on earth. Now he could see far down the road where his descendants would be God’s people and used as the source blessing for all nations. This changed his understanding of life and his life style totally different. Now he saw himself in everlasting God and in his plan for him, and he could rejoice in that hope.  

So far, we have learned that God had fulfilled his promises faithfully and then Jacob also fulfilled his vow. That way, Jacob could establish a right relationship with God and be blessed more by living up to God’s purposes for him. As such, God’s blessing become more abundant through our right relationship with God and the right relationship with God can be personal, sound, solid, and fruitful when we make a commitment to God.

You can come to church without making a commitment to God, but you will never know God personally. When you make a commitment to God, however, you can see his presence in your life and truly enjoy your relationship with God and receive more of God’s blessing. Our relationship with God grows as we make a commitment to him.

When I was a freshman, I began to study the Bible at UBF. I enjoyed meals and snacks provided by the church members. Then, one day I was asked if I could contribute to the winter preparation for the church. That time there was no heating system in the church building, we needed to buy coals and some other stuff. I thought, “What! I have no money. Why did they ask me to offer money for that?” I felt burdened. But for some reason, I decided to make a small contribution. Since I did not work, my parents gave me small cash for lunch and transportation each day. That was all I had. So I skipped lunch and walked a long distance to save money for two weeks. I was so hungry. When I offered the money, I wept. It was not because I was hungry but because I felt God’s presence in me for the first time in my life. I saw that God was so pleased with my small commitment to him. Since then, my personal faith in God began to grow. Several months later, I confessed my faith in Jesus and received forgiveness, which was an amazing blessing from God I had never imagined. I still remember how joyful I was that time. After that experience, I gave more of my time to Bible study and devotion as my commitment to God and he blessed me abundantly. Most of all, he helped me see and hold to the heavenly inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This hope has led me in the right direction so far and helped me overcome difficulties and temptations.

As such, the more we give to God, the more God gives us back. Appreciate God’s grace for you and give his blessing back to him. If you ever made a vow, fulfill your vow. I pray that all of you may be able to receive and enjoy more of God’s blessing by making a commitment to God and his promises.

II. Jacob came back to Hebron

By returning to Bethel, Jacob’s long journey was almost over but not finished yet. On his way back to his hometown, Jacob faced some difficulties.

⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth^.

Deborah must have been a wet nurse to Rebekah. According to 24:59, she accompanied Rebekah when she went to the land of Canaan to marry Isaac. But she seemed to join Jacob later while he was in Paddan Aram. Anyway, she must have been like a mother or grandmother to Jacob. But she died, which must have been a great sorrow to Jacob. Jacob buried her under the oak outside Bethel to honor her.

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. But his father named him Benjamin.  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.

As they moved on south from Bethel, Rachel began to give birth. Just after delivering Joseph, Rachel wished to have another son. (30:24) But she had great difficulty in delivering her new baby. So she named him Ben-Oni (son of my suffering) and died. But Jacob named him Benjamin, which means son of my right hand. It was so sad to lose his most loved wife. Jacob had joy and also difficulty through her. But it was over. He buried her on the way to Ephrath (Bethlehem) and set up a pillar over the tomb.

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.

Finally, Jacob came back home and met his father Isaac in Hebron. Isaac lived 180 years and Esau and Jacob buried him in Machpelah. (49:29-31; 50:12-13)

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.

Interestingly, Jacob’s sons were mentioned according to their mothers but with focus on two mothers – Leah and Rachel. As we can see later, two figures would be prominent among their sons – Judah and Joseph. Reuben, though he was the firstborn of Jacob, disgraced Jacob and challenged his father’s authority by sleeping with his father’s concubine Bilhah. (21-22)

All of sudden, Jacob lost Deborah and Rachel on the way home and then his father Isaac died too. This signified that the old generation, including Jacob, was coming to end. But this also alluded that the next generation (Jacob’s sons) would come up to the stage. Gradually, Jacob was fading away from the stage but his sons were emerging as the new generation.

Now how would you like to conclude his life?

Much later, Jacob went down to Egypt and stood before the Pharaoh. And he said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult...” (47:9)

This was how Jacob viewed his life. He testified that his life was a pilgrimage. He struggled so much to get things he wanted, but he realized that he was a traveller on earth because he could not keep them with him forever. Yet, he found hope in the Eternal God and in his promises. His promise was that he would establish his kingdom through Jacob’s descendants in the land of Canaan. He held to this hope to the end. In Egypt he and his offspring enjoyed prosperity and all kinds of good things. But he never put his hope in Egypt. Rather, he always looked forward to going back to the land of God’s promise. When he died, he commanded his sons to bury him in the land of God’s promise, not in Egypt.

We humans are sinful, greedy, stubborn, and foolish. We are easily tempted by money and good things in the world, and spend lots of our time to pursue them. But we all will die and cannot take anything with us. We cannot take our money, our houses and cars, and even our ministry. Even our family cannot be with us. People live as if they could stay here forever or enjoy what they acquire or achieve here! But those things can give us more troubles.

Last week, one of my friends called me. Whenever he talks with me, he always testifies how much he suffered because of his desire. He has worked in the private sector as a system administrator. He used to work at TRW, Pentagon, FBI, Lockheed Martin and several other companies. He moved to a new company whenever he had an opportunity. But actually he seemed not to save money much. Rather, recently he was laid off four times and suffered a lot. He says, “God has trained me so hard that I was almost dead. I spent more than 15 years to learn the hard lesson that we should not seek worldly things but God’s kingdom.”

The other day I heard about an interesting watch, which is called Tikker. This wristwatch counts down your life, telling you at every second how much time you have before you die. The inventor was inspired to create the "death watch" in honor of his grandfather who passed away several years ago. He said, "The occurrence of death is no surprise to anyone, but in our modern society we rarely talk about it. I think that if we were more aware of our own expiration, I'm sure we'd make better choices while we are alive." Another good thing about this watch is that it still keeps regular time as well so you can still count up your life. But I would not buy this watch because it costs more than $70,000 and actually I have a better one – the Bible.

The Bible teaches us how short our life is and that we are pilgrims. And it also gives us the sure hope – the kingdom of God and our inheritance in it. With the Bible, I can count down my life because it always reminds me that I am a pilgrim on earth. But I can also count up my life with the Bible because my life is getting rich and meaningful over time and I can look forward to our next generation through whom God will continue to expand his kingdom. That takes away my worry and my sense of failure and even the fear of death. Now I have hope in God’s promise of his kingdom in Jesus who died for my sins and has risen to heaven. Amen!

What about you? Do you count down your life or count up? What is your hope then?

by David Yun