Given what happened in Shechem, it’s no surprise that Jacob is again on the move. But the text is explicit that Jacob is not running away: he’s following the LORD’s instruction to head to Bethel.

Here at Bethel Jacob receives the same gifts that were given to Abraham and Isaac: an appearance, and a promise. “Nations and kings will come from you, and your offspring will inherit this land.” This promise becomes especially poignant as we reach the end of Isaac’s life.

After the brothers reunite to bury their father (just as Isaac and Ishmael had reunited at Abraham’s death), the camera shifts briefly to Esau and his descendants. Esau, whose kingdom was remembered as “Edom,” settled to the Southeast of the Dead Sea. The genealogy reveals a robust kingdom that predates, and then coincides with, Israel’s.

At the beginning of chapter 37 you’ll read the phrase, “These are the generations of Jacob.” This is a formula you’ve heard before, going all the way back to “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth” in Genesis 2. It’s a formula that highlights the beginning of a new section, or chapter. Even though we’ve known Jacob for a while, now that Isaac is dead, this is now the story of Jacob’s family, not his dad’s.

And what a story it is! We pick up with the sons of Jacob when Joseph is seventeen and his brothers – sons of his father’s wives-who-aren’t-named-Rachel – are all considerably older. Joseph has dreams, moxie, and most importantly, his father’s favor. But his brothers have a plan. Watch how the author uses the dialogue to both reveal each man’s character, and push the plot forward.

At the beginning of today’s reading, we hear Jacob call the LORD, “The God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” That belief will be tested, both for Jacob and for his children, in the story to come.

Remember this week’s verse is Galatians 4:28: Now you brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

Genesis chapters 35 through 37. Now let’s read it!

Day 11 Guided Podcast