Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 35
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 35
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 35
"And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; 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. And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob." — Genesis 35:1-5 (ASV)
Bethel was forgotten. But God will remind those He loves of neglected duties, one way or another, by conscience or by providential events. When we have made a vow to God, it is best not to delay paying it; yet it is better late than never. Jacob commanded his household to prepare, not only for the journey and removal, but also for religious services. Masters of families should use their authority to maintain religion in their families, Joshua 24:15. They must put away foreign gods.
In families where there is an appearance of religion and an altar to God, yet often much is amiss, and there are more foreign gods than one might suppose. They must be clean and change their garments. These were only outward ceremonies, signifying the purification and change of the heart. What are clean clothes, and new clothes, without a clean heart and a new heart?
If Jacob had called for these idols sooner, they would have parted with them sooner. Sometimes attempts at reformation succeed better than we might have thought. Jacob buried their images. We must be wholly separated from our sins, just as we are from those who are dead and buried out of sight. He moved from Shechem to Bethel.
Although the Canaanites were very angry with the sons of Jacob for their barbarous treatment of the Shechemites, they were so restrained by Divine power that they could not take the opportunity then offered to avenge them. The way of duty is the way of safety. When we are engaged in God's work, we are under special protection; God is with us while we are with Him; and if He be for us, who can be against us?
God governs the world more by secret terrors on men's minds than we are aware of.
"So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan (the same is Beth-el), he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el; because there God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. And Deborah Rebekah`s nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth. And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 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. 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; and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he spake with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spake with him, a pillar of stone: and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el." — Genesis 35:6-15 (ASV)
The comfort the saints have in holy ordinances is not so much from Beth-el, the house of God, as from El-beth-el, the God of the house. The ordinances are empty things if we do not meet with God in them. There Jacob buried Deborah, Rebekah's nurse.
She died much lamented. Old servants in a family, who have in their time been faithful and useful, ought to be respected. God appeared to Jacob. He renewed the covenant with him. I am God Almighty, God all-sufficient, able to make good the promise in due time, and to support you and provide for you in the meantime.
Two things are promised; that he should be the father of a great nation, and that he should be the master of a good land. These two promises had a spiritual significance, which Jacob had some notion of, though not so clear and distinct as we now have. Christ is the promised Seed, and heaven is the promised land; the former is the foundation, and the latter the top-stone, of all God's favors.
"And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some distance to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; for now thou shalt have another son. And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem). And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave: the same is the Pillar of Rachel`s grave unto this day." — Genesis 35:16-20 (ASV)
Rachel had passionately said, Give me children, or else I die; and now that she had children, she died! The death of the body is but the departure of the soul to the world of spirits. When shall we learn that it is God alone who really knows what is best for His people, and that in all worldly affairs the safest path for the Christian is to say from the heart, It is the Lord, let Him do what seems good to Him.
Here alone is our safety and our comfort, to know no will but His. Her dying lips called her newborn son Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow; and many a son proves to be the heaviness of her who bore him. Children are indeed the sorrow of their mothers; they should, therefore, when they grow up, strive to be their joy and so, if possible, make them some amends.
But Jacob, because he did not want to renew the sorrowful remembrance of the mother's death every time he called his son, changed his name to Benjamin, the son of my right hand: that is, very dear to me; the support of my age, like the staff in my right hand.
"And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Eder. And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father`s concubine: and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob`s first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel`s handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Leah`s handmaid: Gad and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram. And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old and full of days: and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him." — Genesis 35:21-29 (ASV)
How grievous an affliction Reuben's sin was is shown by the words, and Israel heard it. No more is said, but that is enough. Reuben thought that his father would never hear of it; but those who expect to keep their sins secret are generally disappointed.
The age and death of Isaac are recorded, though he did not die until after Joseph was sold into Egypt. Isaac lived about forty years after he had made his will (Genesis 27:2). We will not die an hour sooner, but much the better, for timely setting our hearts and houses in order.
Particular notice is taken of the agreement between Esau and Jacob at their father's funeral, to show how God had wonderfully changed Esau's mind. It is awful to witness relatives, sometimes for a small amount of this world's possessions, disputing over the graves of their friends, while they themselves are near the grave.
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