Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read Genesis 35.
• What makes Bethel a significant location? What else happened there? (Genesis 28:10-18).
• What did Jacob have his family do with their idols? Why did he have them do this now?
• What does Jacob mention about God in v. 3? Why is this significant in this moment?
• What does v. 5 show us about God in light of the actions of Jacob’s sons in Gen 34?
• Why is it significant that Jacob’s name was changed? Have we heard this name change before? (Genesis 32:28) Why would it be repeated here?
• What are the components of the promise God gave to Jacob in verses 11-12? Where have we heard this before? See Genesis 17 to refresh. What does this mean for Jacob?
• Why would Jacob change the name of Rachel’s son? How does this point to his handling of her death?
• How do these 12 sons of Jacob listed here find their way through the rest of redemptive history?
• Which sons were born of Rachel? Which were born of Leah? Remember how Jacob can pick favorites? Keep an eye out for this in the weeks ahead.
• How has Jacob overshadowed Isaac’s life throughout these chapters leading up to Isaac’s death? Why do you think this is?

Prayerfully Meditate

• What does the idolatry in Jacob’s family highlight about them? How does it maybe explain ch. 34? How should we respond to idolatry in our hearts?
• Briefly refresh yourself on Genesis 34. Why would God bless Jacob here in vv. 9-12 just after the mess of sin outlined in Genesis 34? Is it because of something Jacob had done? If not, what does this show us about God’s promises? If God is faithful to his promises despite Jacob’s sin, what does this mean for us?
• Why are there a number of deaths scattered throughout this passage? What could this be highlighting?
• How does this chapter lead us into what we find in the rest of the book of Genesis?