| Subject: Genesis 35 vss 22-29 Post 173 |
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Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 08:47:14 12/23/11 Fri
Genesis 35:22-29 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: 24 The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: 25 And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali: 26 And the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram. 27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
The elimination of the candidates for the line to the promised seed continues with an act of fornication by Reuben. Not only does he commit fornication but he does it with one of his step mothers. We should remember that this is well before the law was given to Moses and under which Reuben would have been taken out and stoned along with Bilhah. While not told so in the scriptures I get the feeling that Bilhah most likely instigated the episode. Reuben was young and probably muscular in frame as well as probably handsome. Bilhah would have been in her middle years and probably not into menopause.
What ever the actual circumstances led to the act Reuben messed up and loses out in the end. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. 2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
Following the pronouncement of Reuben's transgression we are given the 12 sons who are the original 12 tribes of Israel. We will see later that the number will be brought to 14 because of Reuben's transgression but these are the 12 birth sons of Israel who was Jacob.
In the order given, which is not chronological, we see the sons listed according to legitimacy. The six sons of Leah are first then we are given Rachel's two sons. Following that then we are given Bilhah's two sons. Bilhah was Rachel's handmaid and it was Rachel who first offered a handmaid to Jacob. Last we have Zilpah, the handmaid of of Leah, with her two sons. Dinah is not mentioned as this is pertaining to the heads of the 12 tribes.
"And Jacob came unto Isaac his father--". I don't think this statement should be taken to mean that Jacob had not seen his father since leaving him to go to Laban in Padanaram. Jacob had been here in the land for many years since coming out from Laban's household. Surely he would have gone to his father at an earlier time to see him again. I feel this meeting was not recorded but there is really no way of knowing. My guess is that Isaac is about the die and "the family is called in". Both Esau and Jacob are there to bury there beloved father Isaac. Isaac was 180 years old when he "gave up the ghost". Again we see the soul (ghost) does not stay with the deceased body. A very familiar verse in the Book of Psalms alludes to this: Psalm 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. By the time of David the average years had dropped from the extended lives of the patriarchs to the more modern span of 70 to 80 years.
"Gathered to his people" could be a reference to his burying place which Abraham purchased for their personal "cemetery". Genesis 49:30-31 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. It also could be a reference to the "holding place" we find mentioned in scriptures called Abraham's Bosom or Paradise which was discusssed in reference to Rachel's death..
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