Last 5 Days
A Prince in God’s House
1 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. 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.
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.
Names and naming – these are very personal and important to an individual – It describes a person’s identity, and even more, his or her personality, and what it stands for. When I was in Primary school many decades ago, there was a female classmate, I don’t really remember how she looked like. The only thing I remember is her name: Ong Lai Chwee, because in the Hokkien dialect, it means pineapple juice!
In this chapter, we read about the interesting change in names over 2 occasions. The first is the change in name of the Patriarch Jacob to Israel. He was the younger twin brother of Esau, and in coming forth from his mother’s womb, his hand was grabbing his brother’s feet. (Gen 25:25-26) So his parents called him Jacob, meaning “one who takes by the heels,” or “one who cheats.” How would you like to call you son Jacob, one who cheats? Thus, in our present chapter, God gave him another name, eh… a better name: Israel, meaning “a prince who strives and has prevailed with God and men.”
“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28, KJV)
Besides changing the name of Jacob to Israel, God specifically spoke to Jacob about the building of an altar in the place of Bethel. He obeyed and did all that God had told him. (v. 15) He also made preparations for himself, his family and everyone who lived in his house that they should put away all foreign gods, purify themselves and change their clothes. (vv. 2-4) In doing so, not only had Jacob obeyed God individually, but he had the support of everyone in his home and family in his obedience to God.
This is something that I desire and pray for myself and everyone that God has entrusted to me, my family and everyone that God has led to come under my roof may live in obedience to God. May this also be your prayer and desire. We read that when they had done this act of purification, a strange sense of fear fell upon all the nations around them so that when they journeyed to Bethel, no one dared to pursue them. (v. 5) This is an indication of God’s favour and protection.
The second occasion of name changing is the change in the name of a place, from Luz to Bethel. Verses 6, 15 tell us that Jacob arrived in Bethel (formerly Luz). This brings us back to Genesis 28:12-19, when Jacob had a remarkable dream of the angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder that leads to heaven, and when he awoke, he called the place Bethel, meaning, “the house of God.”
So Jacob built an altar in obedience to the word of the Lord, offered a drink offering and oil on it, in the place he called Bethel – the House of God. (vv. 6-7; 14-15) What a wonderful day it was: The Prince of God worshipping the Almighty God of heaven and earth, in the House of God.
In verses 11-12, God personally reiterated to Jacob the original command that he gave to Adam: Be fruitful and multiply, and the same promise that he gave to Abraham and Isaac: The promise of a nation and many nations, and the promise of the land of Canaan (Palestine) to him and his descendants.
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. 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.”
Today, these promises God gave to Abraham have been fulfilled. Today, the command to be fruitful and multiply is reiterated by our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples, to go into all the world to preach the good news of salvation and make disciples of all nations. (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20)
Dear Almighty God, thank you for your Son, Jesus’ coming into this world so that everyone who calls upon his name might have forgiveness and abundant life. And this eternal life You gave us is guaranteed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thank you that through Christ, the veil was broken, and we have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we could worship you whenever and wherever. This is such a privilege! Help us to treasure your presence and blessings and bear much fruit for your glory. Amen!