The Awesome Place

 

A couple of Sunday's ago, the preacher preached from Genesis 28 about Jacob's journey to Paddan-aram in search of a wife.  Part way there Jacob had his famous dream about the ladder that reached from earth to heaven as the angels of God ascended and descended upon it.  The angels got their exercise that night.  Ha!

That's besides the point though.  Jacob then saw the LORD who stood above the ladder and spoke to Him.  Afterwards, Jacob exclaimed that that wayside station area was an "awesome place" because he felt that it was

"none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven." 

So he named the place, "Bethel".

The preacher's point and focus however, was on what the LORD said.  He told Jacob, 

"I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac ..."

Notice anything missing from that?  At least from our viewpoint now so many thousands of years later?

Usually there is a third "God of ...."

That is, the God of Jacob.  The preacher noted this saying that even though the two generations above Jacob had made God their personal God, Jacob had yet to do so.  Thus, God's pointed omission.

This is often true of many who have grown up in a Christian family.  The children have grown up saturated in church-going, Bible reading and perhaps even service to the Lord and church.  Yet sadly, they have not made the Lord, the Lord of themselves.  There is hope though that they will.

Look at Jacob by the end of this portion.  He vowed that,

"If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God ... and of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you" (vs 20-22).

Wow!

When we read through the rest of the chapters about Jacob in Genesis, we see how much God did do for him despite his scheming ways.  At the end of his life we're told that, 

"By faith Jacob, when dying ... [bowed] in worship ..." (Hebrews 11:21 ESV).

The Bethel experience was pivotal in Jacob's life making it truly an awesome place.  Pray for each of your children, and yourself too, if you have not as yet made God your God and Jesus your Lord.  By faith, may we each worship this God and our Savior who has been and still is with us and will be for all eternity.  God always keeps His part of a promise.

Flip over to the Psalms.  The sons of Korah make mention of "the God of Jacob," and the "LORD of hosts" being with them (Jacob's descendants, the children of Israel).  I stumbled on this verse just this morning while the sermon was still swirling around my mind.  Truly awesome!

God had wanted Jacob to know Him like his father and grandfather had.  Now, again, the sons of Korah, in song, encouraged Jacob's descendants towards the same.

"Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  The LORD of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress." [emphasis mine] 

Don't you think this is so brilliant!  Multiple times in the Bible we now read that God is "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".  Isn't this amazing!?  May this be similarly true of your family tree too!

God, you make all things beautiful in Your time.  I ask that our children will find their 'Bethel' moments, where they will sincerely call that time and place 'AWESOME' because they have now made You their God.  In Jesus' name I ask, amen.

                                                      ~ ERC  March 2025 ~

Based on Genesis 28:10-22, esp vs 13 and psalm 46:1, 10 & 11 ESV.

Sing, O God, Our Help in Ages Past, along with Reawaken Hymns.