 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, 7 and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth. 9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. 11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.[e] 12 The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac 16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.”18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day. 21 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. 23 The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob's firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Naphtali. 26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. 27 And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Meditation Life is mingled with blessings and burdens, brokenness and benedictions. We experience both glory and grieving in our daily steps. God reveals Himself as One who is involved in every detail, working all things according to His promises. God directs Jacob to Bethel (1) and Jacob directs his family from their false gods (2). Only the one true God is “a God who answers” in our times of troubles (3). God reveals Himself in history, a terror to His enemies but comfort to His people (5-8). God blesses Jacob, changing His name to Israel and confirming His promise of progenies (9-13). God is “El-Shaddai,” God almighty, the same name He used in His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17. God is mighty and keeps His promises! The place of personal revelation was Bethel, literally “the house of God” (15). God meets with His people. Mingled in blessing is the brokenness of life. The delight of dealing with Divine faithfulness is interrupted with death, first Rachel and then Isaac (18-29). The joy of family revival is interrupted by the rebellion of a son (22). Jacob moves from mountain tops of celebration to the valley of dysfunction and discouragement. God reveals Himself in both the blessings and the brokenness of life. God is not absent in the death and dysfunction of daily life in a fallen world. We must hold to His promises, knowing He is with us. He hears us. He is working all things according to the council of His will. He is faithful. We can trust Him. Richly Dwelling -God reveals Himself personally to His people. What are two ways God has revealed Himself to you personally? -Where has God blessed you richly? Where do you see the Lord’s faithfulness to His promises in and through His blessings? -Where are you experiencing troubles, the burdens of the broken world? How can you hold to GOD and HIS promises in your troubles? What do you need to remember? Key Verse 15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. Comments are closed.
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