Today’s Reading: Genesis 28, 32, 35:1-15

ENCOUNTERING GOD

Jacob had just been sent away by his father to travel alone to the home of his mother’s brother, in order to find a wife. And as he set up camp and laid under the stars with a rock for his pillow, Jacob encountered God. This moment was a turning point in Jacob’s life — a moment when God let him know that He was not only the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, but He was also the God of Jacob. How wonderful it must have felt for Jacob in that moment when He heard God’s promise:

“I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth!…What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised.” — Genesis 28:13b-15

In this encounter with God, provision was promised — provision for Jacob and for his numerous descendants. God promised to provide and to protect. He promised to be with Jacob, and what could be better than the provision of God’s presence? So Jacob set the pillow God had provided up a pillar, poured oil on it and named it Bethel. And in this moment, he made a vow to God just as God had made a vow to Him — If you are with me, then I am with you!

“If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.” – Genesis 28:20b-22

That day Jacob began a covenant relationship with God. He responded to God’s promise and committed to being present in the relationship. Just as God was reaching out to Him, Jacob was seeking after God. But life gets busy and offers so many distractions.

WRESTLING WITH GOD

Fast forward to Genesis 32 and you find Jacob encountering God again. He has made peace with Laban, after more than twenty years of being on the receiving end of his uncle’s deception. Now he is returning home to make peace with his brother, and God has faithfully sent angels to meet him. After hearing the news that Esau is on his way to meet him, Jacob fearfully begins dividing out his household in hopes of saving at least half of his group.

Jacob began to pray to God, recognizing the kindness and unfailing love that God had so generously shown him over the years. He took the time to verbalize his fears, asking for the God of his fathers to rescue him once again. Jacob positioned himself to be alone in the camp in order to spend some time with God. A man appeared and Jacob wrestled with him until dawn. When the man told Jacob to let go of him, Jacob demanded a blessing from the man.

“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” — Genesis 32:28

HEARING FROM GOD

In Genesis 35, God called Jacob to return to the place where he had first encountered God. So Jacob returned to Bethel. Life had been difficult for Jacob, but he recognized that God had been present. Jacob recognized that God had faithfully kept His covenant, but that he was in need of renewing the promise He had made to God. The influence of the world around him had made an impact on Jacob’s family, and he needed to once again cleanse himself. He needed to bury the idols his family had accumulated and recommit himself to God.

The God of Jacob’s past faithfully appeared to him again and blessed him, showing Jacob that God was not only the God of yesterday, but the God of today and the God of tomorrow. And God reminded him that his identity had been changed; he was no longer Jacob with a rough past, but he was now Israel with a beautiful future.

Perhaps God is calling us back to the place where we entered into a covenant relationship with Him. This world we live in and the stress of life have had an impact on us and we need to RENEW our promise. Let’s declare that the God of our yesterday is still who we desire to be the Lord of our today and the Keeper of our tomorrows. God is faithful and still desires to produce fruit through our lives.

I AM YOUR GOD AND I AM WITH YOU!
IF YOU ARE WITH ME, THEN I AM WITH YOU!

Lord, I choose to renew our covenant and desire to keep it fresh and growing stronger each day. I promise to look to you as the God of my past, to make you the Lord of my day, and to trust you to be the Keeper of my tomorrow. Thank you for making your presence known to me this morning. If you are with me, then I am with you. I love you and choose to act out of that love today, depending on you to provide and protect. Amen.