1 – Gen. 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.

RAF: It appears the presence of foreign gods here would be related to verse 29 of the previous chapter where the Shechemite women and children were taken captive.

2 – “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:” (Genesis 35:22, NIV)

RAF: As Jacob did nothing upon the news of the rape of Dinah, so he did nothing here either. The unresponsiveness of fathers to the sins of their children is a recurring theme throughout Bible. This pattern will be repeated in Eli, Samuel and David – each time with disastrous results. We must learn that no response is in fact a response, and does not clear us of responsibility. Doing nothing in the face of evil, whether at home, or in society, is to give tacit approval.

Note sons: For this sin, though Jacob took no action here, Reuben lost the position of the firstborn among his brethren. Sin unaddressed by human hands, will still be addressed by God. Non “gets away with it”. God is a God of justice.

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