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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel."
So he named him Israel. And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."
Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.
Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.
Genesis 35:9-15
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
After Jacob returned to Bethel and constructed the altar of worship as God had commanded, he returns to Paddan Aram where we find the Lord once again appearing to him. We read that after He blessed blessing Jacob, He told him:
"Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.”
And that’s just what God did.
Of interest, you’ll remember that this isn’t the first we are hearing about this name change. For right after Jacob had wrestled with God before his encounter with Esau, we learned this in chapter 32 of this book:
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” v.28
As we examined in the message, Grab Onto God and Don’t Let Go, Jacob was no longer a deceiver or someone who would supplant another through treachery as he had in the past. And so he didn’t need to keep the name that defined his sinful nature. After his encounter with the Lord, he was a new man and so God gave him a new beginning with a new name at Bethel, a new name that we know the Promised Land bears to this day, the name of Israel.
Now, as we go back to our passage for today, we see that a name change wasn’t the only thing that the Lord gave Jacob. For as we see, He gave Israel the same covenant promise He had made with Abraham. Look again at these words from God:
"I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."
With this, the Lord’s promised blessing that had been transferred from Abraham to his son Isaac was now passed onto Isaac’s son, Israel.
As we look at this shifting of blessings from one of God’s chosen leaders to another, we should take note of three very important things:
First, God establishes His dominion and authority saying, "I am God Almighty."
In other words, He essentially tells Israel that He will do everything He is about to say because He and He alone is God and there is nothing beyond the work of His hands.
Next, God issues the following command:
"Be fruitful and increase in number."
Note that the Lord didn’t say enjoy yourself in life and, if you get a chance, have children. No, He commanded Israel to be fruitful and increase in number. God gave Israel no other option and as we know Israel ended up having twelve sons and so his obedience became evident.
Finally, God makes it clear that His vow to Israel would be passed on further, saying:
"The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."
As we saw prior, God was transferring the covenant he made with Abraham and Isaac prior but He was adding the assurance that the promise would be passed onto Israel’s descendants as well.
With all this, now let’s pivot toward thinking about the blessings we receive from God. Maybe they don’t seem as significant or substantial as passing possession of a nation but they do follow the same three part general pattern we just covered if we think about it.
First, God would want us to remember who He is and have us acknowledge His awesome power and majesty. Further, He would always want us to remember that there isn’t anything beyond the work of His almighty hands.
As the classic doxology begins, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow…"
Indeed, any good and perfect gifts (aka blessings) originate with Him (James 1:17).
Second, He expects us to carry out all He has commanded.
We have seen through many of these messages how God blesses those who are obedient to His word and will. We find affirmation of this in the first two verses of chapter 28 in the Book of Deuteronomy:
"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God."
Indeed, God showers down His blessings who follow Him, His Word, and His will in obedience.
Finally, God stays true to His promises.
In the 23rd chapter of the Book of Numbers, we read this:
"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" v.19
This very Word of God should be etched in our minds so we can remember it anytime we start to doubt whether God will stay true to what He has promised.
In the final analysis, He never fails us nor breaks any promise he has made.
Before I close, we need to cover one other important item of note from our scripture passage today.
For after receiving God’s blessing, we find Jacob "set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him” before pouring “out a drink offering on it” as well as oil.
In other words, Jacob immediately distinguished the place where he encountered God, marking it as holy. The scriptures tell us he constructed a pillar where he was able to worship the Lord and present an offering of thanksgiving to Him.
And so the receipt of a blessing initiated a response of gratitude, reverence, and thanksgiving to God, from whom all blessings flow.
Friends, we need to follow the lead of Israel in this passage, formally remembering and mentally marking significant times and places where we have experienced God’s providence so to keep us keenly aware of how good He has been to us. Doing this will help us when we experience life’s trials because we will be able to recollect how we have been far more richly blessed than not by our Lord and certainly blessed more than we deserve.
As we finish, I think a good discipline for Christian believers can be found in the old saying:
“Count your blessings every day and when you finish, count them over again.”
We need to take a moment to write down all the many ways we have been blessed this very moment and spare no detail when we do. For I believe when we’re intentional about doing this, we will be reminded of just good God has been and remember that our good God who possesses the power to do all things is the same God who is always true to His promises.
Won’t you join me in giving Him thanks today?
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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