Genesis Part 054
Jacob was concerned that the Canaanite tribes around them would hear what Simeon and Levi had done and would destroy his family. We see at the beginning of chapter 35 that God tells Jacob to leave and go to Bethel.
After Simeon and Levi slaughtered the men of Shechem, Jacob instructs everyone under his household to get rid of foreign gods and to both purify themselves and to change clothes in order to consecrate his family. It is worth noting that coming into God’s presence is not something we should ever take lightly. Jacob wanted to be sinless and respectful before God when asking for His forgiveness and protection.
God wants us to have a close and intimate relationship with Him, yet it would be a mistake to take lightly the invitation or the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that made it possible for us to come into the presence of the Almighty God. For this reason, when we go before God in prayer, or to church, we should strongly consider our outward attire, recognizing that we are dressing to go before the throne of the Almighty.
In verse 5, it appears that Jacob was right to fear these surrounding cities, but with God’s intervention, great fear falls upon those cities, and they do not pursue Jacob’s family. Jacob went to El Bethel as God had appeared to Him there when he had fled from his brother.
The scripture interjects as the story of Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah. We are not told when Deborah joined Jacob’s family. According to tradition, Rebekah sent Deborah to bring Jacob home, according to Rebekah’s promise in Genesis 27:45. About that, John Gill’s commentary states: “it is not very probable that she should send a woman, and one so ancient, on such an errand: rather, this nurse of hers, after she had accompanied her to Canaan, and stayed awhile with her there, returned to Haran again, and being very useful in Jacob's large family, and having a great respect for them, returned again with them, and which she might choose in hopes of seeing Rebekah once more, whom she had a strong affection for; or, when Jacob was come into the land of Canaan to Shechem, he might send for her from Hebron to be assisting in his family; or going to visit his parents, which he might do before he went with his whole family to them, might bring her with him to Shechem, who travelling with him to Bethel died there.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown has this to say about Deborah: “Deborah (Hebrew, a “bee”), supposing her to have been fifty years when coming to Canaan, had attained the great age of a hundred and eighty. When she was removed from Isaac’s household to Jacob’s is unknown. But it probably was on his return from Mesopotamia, and she would have been of invaluable service to his young family. Old nurses, like her, were not only honored but loved as mothers; and, accordingly, her death was the occasion of great lamentation. She was buried under the oak—hence called “the terebinth of tears.”
In this passage, we learn of God’s protection and provision as well as appreciation for those whom God puts in our lives to add value and to share their gifts. The overall theme is one of respect, appreciation and admiration. These are traits God wants to see us develop. They are all part of agape love that we should be developing as we become like Him.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
