The Story of Jacob
The School of Suffering
Genesis 34-37
I am not a good loser. I never did like to lose. More than once, when blocked from any further moves on the checkerboard, rather than going down in defeat, I would kick the table, send the checkers flying and stomp off to my room.
It's interesting to me how easy it is to take credit for the victories, but defeat is a whole other story. Someone has well-said, “Success has a thousand fathers but failure is an orphan.”
No one likes to stand up and say, “I blew it.” It’s easier to point fingers and play the blame game. When life begins to unravel at the seams, we frantically begin looking for a scapegoat.
But life has a way of forcing us to face the truth. Just when we think we’re riding a wave of success, it suddenly breaks, sending us crashing into the jagged rocks on the shoreline of hard reality. Some lessons endure, being repeated from one generation to the next:
Life is hard.
No one stays on top forever.
Into each life some rain must fall.
Perhaps the most important observation is this: We learn very little from success, but failure is a wonderful teacher.
Ask anyone who’s ever gone bankrupt … or anyone who has gone through the agony of divorce … or experienced the pain of losing a job … or watched a loved one die slowly. In the dark moments of life, when time slows down to a crawl, when we sit in the waiting room while the minutes become hours, it is then that we begin to learn what life is all about. The rest is just fun and games.
We are studying the life and story of Jacob. And Jacob knew what it was to have troubles in life.
1. Jacob’s Troubles
In fact, as his life moves toward its end, he faces a long series of personal tragedies that come one right after another. In studying these crises, one is struck with the fact that all of them involve his family—his only daughter, his father, his wife, his oldest son, and ultimately his favorite son. Jacob was pre-eminently a family man, and his personal sorrows came very close to home.
- A Family Crisis
Genesis 34
The first crisis started when Jacob decided to settle his family near the Canaanite city of Shechem.
The story revolves around a girl named Dinah. And according to the first verse of the chapter she was born to Jacob by Leah. So she was his first and only daughter by his first wife.
The other major player in the story is a young man named Shechem who is identified in verse 2 as a prince because he was the son of Hamor who was king of the Hivites.
Now , verse 1 tells us Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land, and while she is out, she gets raped by Shechem. He tries to gloss it over and talks about how he loves her and wants to marry her, but it is a violent crime against an innocent woman.
Well, before long, both Jacob and the King hear about and get together to discuss what should be done. Hamor wants them to be married and for the families to intermingle and become one big happy clan.
But Dinah's brothers decide to come to her rescue and protect the family name. And beginning in verse 7 and continuing through the rest of the chapter you have the details of what they decided to do, and a key verse is
verse 13
To sum it up they hatch this plan to agree to the proposal, with one stipulation and that is all of Hamor's men will be circumcised and become like the sons of Jacob.
They agree, which I'm sure took quite a bit of convincing, and according to verse 25, three days post procedure, while all the men are in pain, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, draw their swords and kill all the males, including the king and his son.
They take all their belongs, plunder their houses and carry off their wives and children.
And Jacob, noble man of God that he is nonchalantly responds by saying,
verse 30
To which the brothers reply, "He shouldn't have treated our sister like a prostitute."
This is not the best example of a godly family that you will find in Scripture! But don't miss the fact that it all happened because Jacob decided to take up residence too close to the Hivites to begin with. And Shechem first noticed Dinah because she is fascinated by the way women outside of her own Jewish culture lived.
It’s a picture of what happens whenever believers begin to “love the world.” Our call is to be in the world but not of the world.
When we are in the world—that’s good. But when the world is in us—that’s bad. And now as a result of worldly living, Jacob’s family is in crisis.
The second crisis involves
- Three Deaths
Chapter 35
The chapter begins with Jacob being instructed to return to Bethel, build an altar and order his family members to get rid of their foreign idols.
Once again, God speaks to him and reaffirms His previous promise.
verses 9-12
All of this was God’s way of saying, “Jacob, you’re not perfect, but you are still my man. I chose you for a purpose and I’m not through with you yet.”
And interestingly, at this moment of great spiritual victory and reassurance, the very moment when God once again speaks to Jacob, tragedy strikes:
verse 8
Then as they are leaving Bethel to travel back home. the second tragedy comes when Rachel dies while giving birth.
verses 16-19
Third, Jacob’s father Isaac dies at the age of 180. He was living near Hebron.
We find the details of his passing in
verses 27-29
By the way, this is the last recorded time that Jacob and Esau meet. Many years earlier they had separated because of their father; now they had come together to bury him.
There is nothing remarkable in all of this, save the solemn reminder that if you live long enough you will attend a lot of funerals. No one lives forever.
If you live to be 80 or 90, you’ll end up burying most of the people you know.
The next crisis is centered on
- Reuben’s Sin
35:21
Here we have a shocking violation of family values. The oldest son sleeps with his father’s concubine. I'm not even going to try to explain or deal with the whole issue of multiple marriages and concubines and polygamy and all that.
I will say that most of the time when it is seen in Scripture, it always involves heartache and sadness.
Never mind all that. Just concentrate on what Jacob’s oldest son did. He slept with a woman who belonged to his father.
More than that, he slept with the mother of two of his brothers. And it appears, at first, that Reuben has gotten away with it.
But then we are told, “Israel heard about it.” Dad knows what his son has done. But that's all we are told in this text.
However, if we read far enough in the book of Genesis, we discover dad never forgot what happened. Years pass and apparently the incident is forgotten. No one ever brings it up.
But eventually, Jacob is on his deathbed. And in his dying moments, he calls his sons to his side and blesses them one by one.
The blessings he gives will dictate, not only their inheritance, but also their place in God’s plan for many generations.
He begins with Reuben the oldest—who should receive a double inheritance. Listen to his words
Genesis 49:3
What a beautiful tribute to the first-born son! Reuben must have been about to burst with anticipation as he waits to hear what dear old dad will say next!
verse 4
The old man may be dying, but he still has his memory! He hasn't forgotten a thing! He knows his son. He knows his strength. He loves him as his firstborn, But he also knows his turbulent, uncontrolled, untamed nature. A wild and undisciplined man, he never mastered his own impulses.
And in spite of his greatness, his power, and all his admirable qualities, Reuben has dishonored his father. And Jacob never forgot what Reuben had done. On his deathbed, Jacob takes away Reuben’s birthright and leaves him with nothing but shame and humiliation.
The final crisis moves us to the other end of the birth order and
- The Loss of Joseph
chapter 37
The story is so well-known that it needs very little explanation. More years pass. Jacob has settled in the Promised Land. All is well and at last Jacob seems to be at peace with himself. The long years of difficulty have given way to prosperity and some measure of happiness. Although his beloved Rachel is gone, Jacob can console himself in the fact that God has given him 12 fine sons.
Then one day, out of the wild blue, what began with parental favoritism and sibling rivalry quickly escalates into envy and outright hatred as Joseph’s brothers come up with a plan to get rid of their brother.
Their first intention is to kill him, but they wind up selling him into slavery. Then they deceive their father into thinking that his beloved Joseph is now dead by taking the famous “coat of many colors” and dipping it in the blood of a goat. When Jacob sees the bloody coat he concludes that Joseph has been eaten by some ferocious animal. And nobody steps forward to tell him the truth.
Did you ever consider the irony of that deception? Years earlier Jacob had deceived his father Isaac by offering him goat meat. Now his sons deceive him with the blood of a goat.
And convinced that his favorite son is dead, Jacob cannot be comforted. He truly believed his son was dead.
verse 35
Only those parents who have lost a child can fully understand what he's feeling.
Jacob has now reached the lowest point of his life. Over the span of just three short chapters, his daughter has been raped by a pagan. Two of his sons butcher an entire town. Then his mother’s nurse dies, then Rachel herself dies. Then his father dies, his son Reuben disgraces him and he is led to believe Joseph is dead.
So how do we assess experiences like this? Is it simply the law of the harvest coming to bear? Or is Jacob, like Job, a man chosen by God to suffer in extra-ordinary ways?
I think most of us would not be satisfied with either of those suggestions. My personal conviction is these chapters are included to remind us that Jacob is a man whose struggles are very much like ours. Unlike some Bible heroes who seem to be bigger than life, Jacob is intensely human. At so many points, we see him struggling with the same things we deal with every day.
And in considering that truth is where we find
2. Our Consolation
There are five primary lessons we learn from these chapters. First, they remind us that
- No one is exempt from suffering.
Job said, “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” (Job 5:7) Every time we sing "Amazing Grace", we are reminded that “through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.”
Being a Christian brings many blessings, but it does not bring you an exemption from the pains and tragedies of life. All God’s children must spend some time in the School of Suffering—whether we like it or not.
Second,
- God uses suffering to teach you many lessons you couldn’t learn any other way.
Three positive things happen when you go through hardship and difficulty—no matter what the cause:
You slow down and begin to think. You calm down and begin to listen. You look up and begin to learn.
Why doesn’t that happen every day? Because we go so fast that we don’t have time to think about what we are doing. God has to slow us down, and often the only tool he has is suffering. It’s not that God isn’t willing to speak to us in the midst of life; we’re usually too busy to pay attention.
Third,
- God is at work in your suffering to produce Christlike character in you
When the ancients wished to separate the wheat from the chaff, they used an instrument called a tribulum. By beating the grain with the tribulum, the heavier wheat was separated from the lighter chaff.
Our English word “tribulation” comes from this word. Tribulations truly separate the wheat from the chaff in human character.
That’s what Paul means when he says that “tribulation produces patience; and patience, perseverance; and perseverance, hope.” (Romans 5:3)
A minister once visited a famous china factory in Derby, England. While there he saw artisans applying various colored paints to the china—yellowish-brown, bluish-black and dirty-looking red. They circled the edge of the china with black paint. The end result of the painting was an unattractive mixture of dark colors.
But when the china was placed in the furnace, the fire worked an amazing transformation. To the minister’s surprise, when the pieces were removed, they were exquisitely beautiful. The black had become bright gold. The blue and red had become lustrous and gleaming.
In the unerring wisdom of God, some of his choicest saints are subjected to the fiery trials of life. What seems on this side to be all dark colors will one day come forth as the brightest colors of the rainbow. And those who amid suffering seem to be common earthenware will eventually be transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ.
Fourth lesson:
- Your suffering can never separate you from the love of God.
No question plagues the mind more than this: “If God loves me, how can he allow this to happen?”
In moments of great anguish we are prone to think that God has forgotten us. But it is not so.
Does God still love you when your marriage breaks up? Does God still love you when your career takes a wrong turn? Does God still love you when you end up in jail? Does God still love you when your wife has an affair? Does God still love you when the doctor says, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do"?
If you are a parent, you already know the answer. Do you still love your children when they get into trouble? Do you love your daughter when she lies in bed writhing in pain? Do you love your son when he loses his job? Every Mom and Dad knows the answer. Of course you do. If possible, you love your children even more when they are in trouble.
Let Paul ask and answer this question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35,37)
And finally,
- God intends that those who enroll in the School of Suffering should someday graduate Summa Cum Laude: With Highest Honor.
Most universities offer special awards to those who pass their courses with distinction: You may graduate cum laude, which means with honor. You can graduate magna cum laude, which means with high honor or summa cum laude, which is with highest honor.
God has a plan and design for you and me and that is to someday see us graduate from the School of Suffering summa cum laude—"With Highest Honor.”
The courses are difficult, the teachers sometimes seem cruel and the assignments are progressively more difficult. Not everyone makes it. Some get stuck in a freshman class and never get out. Others get angry and quit. But for those who stay in school, there is a great reward.
Picture in your mind's eye the throne room of heaven, somewhere off out there in the future. Multitudes are gathered for the commencement exercises. Friends and family members eagerly wait for the ceremony to begin. Former graduates are in the front rows.
The angelic concert choir sings “Glory to God in the highest.” A massive chorus of 500,000 men and women rise to sing “Crown Him With Many Crowns.” In come the dignitaries—Abraham and Isaac leading the way with Jacob limping behind them, Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, the apostles James and John, and Peter who was crucified upside down. Following them are the martyrs from across the centuries—men and women who paid the ultimate price for their faith.
Look! There is Jan Hus who was burned at the stake. And over there is Jim Elliot who was killed by the Auca Indians. Hundreds and thousands strong, they march in one by one.
Then at last a voice cries out, “All rise.” In comes the Lord Jesus Christ—clothed in pure white, dazzling in beauty. Look! He’s smiling.
This is the day he has been waiting for. Now the names of the newest graduates are called. Names like
"Jack Sloan. With Highest Honor.” "Marilyn Davis. With Highest Honor.” "Debbie Doughty. With Highest Honor.” "Della Tolbert. With Highest Honor.”
"Vicki Mitchell. With Highest Honor.”
On and on they come—the servants of God, entering into the joy of the Lord. On this earth they suffered in so many ways. No one had an easy passage to heaven. Some knew sickness, others broken dreams and others were abandoned and forgotten. But the Lord knew what they had done for him. And he never forgot them. And now they are entering into their eternal reward.
Oh, I want to be there in that day. I want to cheer for my friends and give a standing ovation for my loved ones. And more than anything else, I want to live so that when that great moment comes, I can hear him say: “Terry Tolbert. With highest honor.”
You say, "Preacher, it that really possible?" I believe with all my heart it is. God intends that all of us should pass through the School of Sorrow. But thank goodness, school doesn’t last forever. Those who stay in school and learn their lessons well will one day be greatly rewarded. In the end, no one will regret the sufferings of this life. The blackest moments will be transformed into eternal light and we will shine like the sun forever.
Let's pray.
