A Generational Case Study by Brother Curtis Hansen

          Good morning. If you would this morning, turn to the book of Genesis chapter 35. We are going to read starting in verse 1. 

       35 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

        2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

        3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; 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.

        4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

        5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

        6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

        7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

        8 But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

        9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.

       10 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.

       11 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;

       12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

       13 And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him.

       14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon.

       15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.

       16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

       17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

       18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

       19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

       20 And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.

       21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

       22 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.

        This chapter has a lot of content to go over. A lot of things happen. Jacob building an altar to God, a pillar which he gave a drink and oil offering named Bethel. Jacob also received a name change from God. He was no longer known as Jacob but as Israel.

        This morning in light of these scriptures I am thinking about blessings and cursings. How does that go about? In scripture it goes in a few different ways. Who curses who? What happens when you obey the word of God? Do blessings happen? This chapter is a snapshot of a family line three generations deep. The first point I want to make is that if you obey the word, you're blessed. The blessing is the destination. We choose if we are walking toward a blessing or a curse. 

        Looking at the the three generations here in this chapter. You read about Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Now, in the story of Abraham's life, would you consider it blessed? Yes. Despite his failures and disobedience, Abraham was considered blessed in the scripture. His son Issac was considered blessed and Issac's brother Ishmael was cursed. Issac had two sons. Jacob, who the Lord loved, and Esau, who the Lord had.

        If you go back through and read the entirety of chapter 35, is it an illustration of the perfect family? No, they are not perfect. There are blessings and curses through this family line. The question I want to ask of you is are you living where and how God has called you? God has a destination and desires you and I to reach it and not go off on our own individual path. The where in this is very important. Are you where God called you and where he needs you to be? Are you worshipping not only in the sanctuary but are you doing it in your house? In your vehicle on the way to work? Is your worship merely an outfit you put on for the church? Or is your worship part of your relationship with God? 

        If you look back in verses 2-4 of the scripture reading, Jacob told his family and those around them to put up the strange gods among them, to clean, and change their garments. Reading this today, have you removed anything which may be a hinderance to your worship to God? There are a lot of people who believe in God, but there's a plus attached to the belief. The plus takes the place of true faith, where a person is "I believe in God, but I also believe in the healing property of crystals". or "I believe in God, but I also believe man has been reincarnated over a 1000 times". 

        The book of Genesis doesn't just lay out what happens, it tells what ALWAYS happens. When God spoke at different times to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, they would put things away, clean themselves up, and change their garments. You cannot truly live for God and not follow anything from verse 2.

        Another question to pose to you this morning is Are you seeking to be fruitful and multiply? I'm not speaking about having children but of something more far reaching. There are many threats to the body of Christ that come from within its members and not just outside in the world. One threat is the spirit of narcissism. Another threat is hedonism. As a believer, do you have your eyes set ahead toward the future or are you just sitting here in the moment today? Being fruitful and multiply is more about what kind of legacy you have when you're gone. 

        Here's a hard question about a touchy subject for some of you. Are you encouraging sexual purity in your house? If you look at the life of Jacob, he had two wives and two concubines. What does that encourage? If you don't put the problem under the blood and under you, your kids will have to deal with it. If you don't cleanse it, you will have the issue pass down to your children. If you don't lead and manage your house Godly, you will have ripple effects down the generations.

        Are you setting up the next generation for success? Where ever God moves you to, you should follow him by his lead. Are you where God needs yo to be where he can use you? You won't get the blessing if you just follow yourself. Are you handing down to your kids knowledge and a strong testimony?

        Are you living for Jesus? Let's talk about the family in this chapter. What Abraham put off and put on aided Issac in his life. What Issac put off and put on aided Jacob and Jacob had to put off stuff and put on other things to receive a blessing. The family slowly grows, putting off old things and putting on other things. You are going to have sin, but you need to find forgiveness. The difference may not show up immediately in your life.

        Lastly, I want to speak about Edom and the Edomites. Esau had cursed himself and his line through his action. He despised following God's lead. How is God showing up in your life? If God comes down to correct you it isn't considered a blessing. Correction all the time is similar to God's dialogue with Esau. In the bigger picture historically, Edom joined Syria to fight against King David. The prophets Malachi, Obadiah, and Jeremiah all warned the people about Edom. In the story of Esther, the antagonist Haman was from Edom. Even in the time of Jesus on earth, King Herod would be traced all the way to Edom. You need to look closer at your family lineage. 

        What kind of life are you living and legacy are you leaving behind? What's being passed down to the next generation?