Have we ever buried something, telling ourselves we've dealt with it, when really we just know exactly where to dig it back up? That question sits at the heart of this walk through Genesis 35, where Jacob finally returns to Bethel after the disaster of chapter 34 — a season when he was camped just thirty miles short of where God had called him, outside His will for roughly a decade. Before Jacob can go back to the place where he first met God, he has to deal with the idols hidden among his household's jewelry. The Hebrew carries two shades of meaning here: he hid them, or more literally, he flung them away as rubbish — and that distinction becomes the heartbeat of the message. Are we hiding our sin like a stash we intend to retrieve, or are we burying it like a grave, putting it to death for good? From there the story reaches back to the very first hiding in history, Adam and Eve in the garden, and reminds us that God's knowledge of our location — and our circumstances — can be both terrifying and deeply comforting. He is never surprised by our sin, yet He is also the One who invites us back into relationship rather than running from us. The message turns toward worship that has gone stale through routine, calling us back to our own first Bethel, the place we first encountered God, before closing with the picture of God's protective terror going ahead of Jacob's obedient steps. What is it we're still clutching instead of flinging away?
Sermon Notes
1. Setting the Scene: Genesis 34, a Bad Chapter
- Jacob camped 30 miles short of where God called him (Bethel)
- Likely stayed in that place roughly 10 years — outside the will of God
- Genesis 34: Jacob's family took matters into their own hands, resulting in serious sin and consequence
- God still comes to Jacob despite the mess
- God often steps into our mess right at the biggest moments.
2. Hidden or Flung Away? (Genesis 35:2-4)
- Jacob commands household to put away foreign idols before returning to Bethel
- Text says he hid them — but more literal Hebrew: he flung them away as rubbish
- Preached both angles: positive (dealing with sin rightly) and negative (concealment)
- Are you burying things to dig them back up, or burying things to put them to death?
- Do we have a stash or do we have a grave?
- Sanctification: no matter how long we've walked with the Lord, there's still something God is working on
3. The Pattern of Hiding Goes Back to the Garden (Genesis 3)
4. God Knows Us Even When We Hide
5. God Knows Our Circumstances, Not Just Our Location (Philippians 2; 2 Samuel 11-12)
6. Returning to the First Altar (Genesis 35:1, 3)
7. The Fear of the Lord Goes Before Them (Genesis 35:5)
Practical Applications
Discussion Questions
