Author: Beth Duncan

Genesis 36:6 Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. 

My youngest graduated from high school last night, and I attended my last high school graduation as a faculty member at the school where I’ve taught for 29 years, so today has me thinking about endings and new beginnings. The graduation speaker, a precious young woman whom I’m thankful to have in my life, encouraged the audience to think about the question: “Who am I right now?”

Genesis 36:7 Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock. 

That’s a wonderful question for graduates to ponder, but it’s a good one for all of us to think about. I’m not sure she realized that God was using her words to speak to my heart, too. She went on to say, “Life isn’t a race. What matters is that we keep moving forward, keep learning, and keep growing. So no matter where you are in life, it’s important to remind yourself that you are not behind. You are becoming.”

Genesis 36:8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the graduates, no matter what stage of life they are in. Thank You for the wisdom of our youth, for Your ability to speak to us through anyone who allows herself (or himself) to be used by You. Thank You for endings, sad because they are so meaningful, and for new beginnings with their sense of hope and potential. Thank You for the act of becoming. Help us each day to become more like You. Amen.

Genesis 36:9 This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 36:1 This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).

As I read today’s scripture, it puts me in mind of my oldest sister. She loves genealogy, and she’s got a great mind for it. Names change spelling? Dates are off? Here’s this person that we’ve never heard of before showing on the census in the same house? She not only catches it, she understands it, gets excited about it, shares it. 

Genesis 36:2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— 

I’m definitely more of a “teflon brain” when it comes to genealogy, but I do recognize that knowing where you come from, being able to understand the history of those who came before you, can help you make sense of life. Knowing about your ancestors definitely helps to give you roots, just like knowing about your Savior helps to give you wings.

Genesis 36:3 also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

Precious Savior, Thank You for those who can see and instantly understand the intricacies of genealogy. Thank You that knowing our histories can enrich our present. Thank You that our past doesn’t dictate our future and that we need both roots and wings to really soar. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 36:4-5 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.

Have a blessed day. 

Genesis 35:27 Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 

I think today’s scripture is a good look at the restorative power of God. Early in this dysfunctional family saga, Isaac was livid with Jacob for stealing the birthright blessing, Esau was livid with Jacob for cheating him, and Jacob fled from his home, afraid for his life because of his trickery.

Genesis 35:28 Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. 

Now, here we are at the end of Isaac’s life, and Esau and Jacob are reunited, their relationship restored. And we haven’t heard anything about the reparation of Isaac and Jacob’s relationship, but I’m hopeful that since Esau and Jacob were restored, perhaps Isaac and Jacob were, too.

Genesis 35:29a Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. 

Precious Savior, Family can be difficult, especially with so much shared baggage to anchor members together. Thank You for showing us that even when family relationships aren’t ideal, that with You, they can be mended. Help us to seek to repair broken family relationships in our lives. Show us Your way, especially when we can’t see a way forward. Amen.

Genesis 35:29b And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 35:21 Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 

Commentary calls Jacob’s family dysfunctional, and that seems pretty fitting based on all that we have seen of them in the last few chapters. Commentary also says, “[God] chose them and used them by His grace alone.” That, I think, is an important reminder for all of us.

Genesis 35:22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons:

I suspect that I am not alone at getting cocky when things are going well. “Oh, yeah, of course God is using me. I’m awesome.” (It hurts me to type those words, but I’m absolutely guilty of the attitude.) However, I have found that God uses me–maybe even more often and more effectively–when I have to admit to my failings and missteps, perhaps because my weakness showcases His strength and grace so perfectly.

Genesis 35:23-24 The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

Precious Savior, Thank You that You can and will and do use me in Your kingdom work–not because of who I am but because of who You are, because of Your fierce love and overwhelming grace. Thank You that I can shine Your light, even on the bad days. Help me always to shine for You. Amen.

Genesis 35:25-26 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 35:17 And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” 

Recently, I was able to watch video from the 2004 ACHS prom. I was able to see folks whom I barely remember as high school seniors, whom I’ve known for years and years as adults–parents, teachers, upstanding citizens–in all their high school “glory.” Who they were then is not who they are now. They are older, wiser, more mature. Aren’t we all?

Genesis 35:18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. 

Yet on the night of their senior prom, they felt incredibly mature. They were as old as they had ever been, and they had more of life figured out than ever before. They didn’t know what they didn’t know. Isn’t that the way of life? We think we know so much until we realize that we don’t. God allows us to continue to grow and mature, so that we aren’t stuck in our current ineptitude (which we don’t even fully realize in the moment).

Genesis 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the ability to continue to grow and mature. Thank You that each new day is a new chance to get things right, to learn some of the many, many, many things that we don’t know that we don’t know. Help us, no matter the stage of life we are in, to remain mindful of the fact that we still have things to learn. Amen.

Genesis 35:20 Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 35:13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.

Today has me thinking about the places where God has talked to me. Definitely my recliner, where I sit each morning as I read scripture, ponder God’s word, and drink my coffee. My bed, as when I inevitably wake up at 3am and toss and turn, God and I often talk. My yard, where God and I have wrestled over agonizing life events, where He reminded me He doesn’t always make the pain go away, but He always holds me, always walks with me.

Genesis 35:14 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. 

The thing is, the places where God has talked to me are common, ordinary places. It’s not the location that is significant, it’s the state of my heart. Am I in a space to seek, to listen, to hear? Sometimes the answer is no and my recliner, my bed, my yard are just…ordinary. But when my heart is right, when I am truly listening, God can and will and does talk with me wherever I am.

Genesis 35:15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You talk with me, listen to me, guide me. I am so laughably far from perfect. I fail every single day. But I love You, and I try to seek You. Thank You for being with me, for showing up, for whispering to my heart. Amen.

Genesis 35:16 Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 35:9 After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. 

As I was reading today’s scripture, particularly verse 10, Isaiah 43:1 came to mind: … “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” God not only calls us by name–as Jacob/Israel shows us here, He also reminds us who we are in Him. No longer Jacob but now Israel. 

Genesis 35:10 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.

And as salty as I am about Jacob’s ridiculousness, as much as I want to say, “Seriously, God, You want to give him *another* chance?,” the messy, fallible human in me says, “Thank You, Jesus, that You never gave up on him, that You never give up on me. I do not deserve the second and third and fourth chances, but I am so grateful You give them. Thank You.”

Genesis 35:11 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. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that the words of Isaiah 43:1 are not only for Jacob/Israel, but also for me: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Thank You that You do not cast us aside just because we mess up. Thank You that You give us chance after chance after chance to get it right, that You show us example after example in Your Word of Biblical stalwarts who messed up time and time again. It’s not about our perfection, it’s about Your fierce love. Thank You. Amen. 

Genesis 35:12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”

Have a blessed day. 

Genesis 35:5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

Loving God, It is so easy to pass judgement on Jacob and his family as they fumble around, trying to get things right. It’s easy to shake my head and shake my finger and say, “God’s right there. Why doesn’t Jacob trust? Why doesn’t he obey?,” but I know I’m just as guilty of headstrong obstinance when it suits me. Forgive me.

Genesis 35:6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 

Holy Father, Nothing seems so clear, so certain, as “armchair quarterbacking” someone else’s mistakes, dissecting them, judging them. “Oh, they should have….” “Oh, I would have….” “Oh, If only….” but I am just as guilty of fumbling around in my own life, trying to get things right, trying to find my way. Forgive me–for my judgment and my fumbling.

Genesis 35:7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

Precious Savior, You are my Rock, my salvation, the One I cling to when everything feels like it’s falling apart. Help me to seek You first, before things start falling apart, instead of saving You for a last resort. You are where my peace can be found. Always. Amen.

Genesis 35:8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 35:1 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.”

With my last child set to graduate high school in a week, today’s scripture has me thinking a lot about the foundations we have laid for our children and the fact that those foundations will only take them so far. At some point, sooner rather than later, they will have to make our foundations their own.

Genesis 35:2 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.

What I mean is that when they are in our house, we set the rules. It’s Sunday. Time for church. It’s time to eat. Let’s pray first. But when the youngest goes off to school in the fall, he will get to make those calls, decide whether he believes what we believe, whether he wants to adhere to the systems we adhere to. It’s scary and exhilarating, probably for all of us.

Genesis 35:3 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.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the years we have had to grow and nurture these young men in our home. Thank You for trusting us to be the parents they needed. We didn’t always succeed. Sometimes we messed up royally, but we have given them a solid foundation of love in You. Be with them as they find their wings. Keep us all grounded in Your love. Amen.

Genesis 35:4 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. 

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 34:28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 

This entire situation is horrible. Dinah was raped, which was beyond terrible. But her brothers’ response–murder, destruction, plunder–definitely did not help anyone move towards light and healing. And Jacob’s response to his sons’ actions? I’m paraphrasing here: You have brought trouble on *me*. What if they retaliate? This family isn’t big enough to fight them off.

Genesis 34:29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.

All of this makes me wonder about Ch 32 when Jacob wrestled with God and won, receiving the name Israel to show he was a new person. These actions, this response, are definitely from the old Jacob, not the new Israel. There appears to be no change, no growth.

Genesis 34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

Precious Savior, Is it wrong to take comfort in the fact that You have called and powerfully used people who still messed up and made mistakes, even after You acted in their lives? I take comfort because I know how often I mess up, even when I try to do what’s right. It brings me comfort because I know You won’t cast me aside just because I am still so fallibly human. Thank You for Your fierce love. Thank You that You can use me even when I stumble. Amen.

Genesis 34:31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Have a blessed day.