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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."
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. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone."
So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.
Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.
Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.
Genesis 35:1-8
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we turn to Genesis, chapter 35, we find Jacob in a place where he’s very concerned about reprisal from neighboring peoples after his sons murdered all the men of Shechem and pillaged their town in revenge of their sister Dinah who had been raped by Shechem himself.
It is in the place, in the midst of this distress, that we find God entering into, just as He often does in times of need. The scriptures tell us that the Lord provides the following direction to Jacob:
“Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."
You’ll remember that Jacob wrestled God at Bethel just before he encountered Esau in their blessed moment of reconciliation. You’ll also recall that Jacob would not let go of God until he received a blessing. We know his faith was rewarded then and it was about to be rewarded again as we see him respond to God’s command to go to Bethel and build an altar.
In other words, the Lord was sending Jacob to Bethel to construct a place of worship.
Well, Jacob willingly receives this order and sets out to do what the Lord commanded but note that before he left for Bethel, there was one matter he had to get corrected. For he had to prepare His people for worship and a trip into the very presence of the God Most High.
The scriptures tell us that Jacob gave the following order to his household:
"Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone."
Jacob knew his people were nowhere near ready to approach the Lord in their present spiritual state. It’s obvious that they had been greatly influenced by the polytheistic ways of the neighboring pagan cultures, devoting themselves to foreign gods which had no standing or power when compared to the one and only God. And so Jacob demanded that his people develop the right mindset before worshipping the Lord, one of complete commitment and dedication to Him and Him alone.
How would the people respond?
We read where they listed and did what Jacob ordered, a testimony to the great respect they must have had for their leader.
Well, at the end of this passage, with Jacob’s people properly prepared for worship, we see him lead them to Bethel and the scriptures tell us that "the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them."
In other words, God placed His almighty protection around Jacob and his people as they set out to build the worship altar and then pay tribute to their Lord for His goodness and grace. In the end translation, Jacob’s concerns were taken away so he could complete the task that God asked Him to do.
So what do we take away from this short passage of five verses?
I believe the Lord reveals some important truths about how we need to live in His presence. They include:
1. Lead and live life faithfully toward God and you can help save others who follow you.
During his wrestling match with God, Jacob had shown the Father that he was unwilling to hold onto anything in life more than Him. In return, his faithfulness was rewarded by God not just once but twice.
First, it was creating a reunion where Jacob met a loving, not murderous, Esau.
And now, He shielded Jacob from any retribution from any neighboring peoples after the vengeance exacted by his sons. The scriptures tell us how God sent terror on those would do him and his people harm, all because the special relationship he had with his heavenly Father.
Today, we too get the opportunity to influence other for the cause of our Lord and we should be committing to it every day in response to Jesus’ great commission to make disciples of all nations. We live among people who worship everything except God. It’s our responsibility to help His light shine into their dark spiritual space so to lead them to worship Him and Him alone.
2. People who respond obediently to God and render proper respect to Him, especially as they approach Him in worship, find favor and protection from Him.
Jacob ordered his people to "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes" but they could have told him to get lost while continuing to live the way they had been.
But they didn’t.
Rather, they did away with anything associated with other gods and went with Jacob to Bethel so to build an altar and worship the Lord there. Their actions pleased God to the point where He made sure they were defended, allowing them to adore and honor Him.
3. No matter what circumstances might exist, God is in control.
As neighboring towns heard of the Shechem massacre and may have wished to do the same to Jacob and his people, God took control of the matter and ensured that His will was done. Through this, we are reminded that God blesses those who are loyal and obedient to Him. We also see that He rewards those who approach Him in the right spirit of worship, just as Jacob’s people had done.
Friends, through this story of Jacob and his people, we learn the importance of faith, obedience, and having the proper spiritual attitude before we approach our Lord in worship. Whether it’s on Sunday morning or coming into His presence daily, let us discard anything that might be unacceptable to Him and then devote ourselves to Him properly with all our heart, mind, and soul while giving Him the honor and respect He deserves.
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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