Finding Comfort In the Words of David

 David's Psalm of Thanksgiving

Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 22

The Book of Psalms is one of the most beloved books of Scripture in the Bible!

The Book of Psalms is actually the Song Book of Israel.

Although there may be many writers of these songs, it is believed that King David wrote as the hand of God at least two thirds of all the Psalms (songs).

We can also see the hand of the Holy Spirit in every Psalm and David takes no credit for Himself!

It was the Bible translators who penned David's name to the many psalms that he wrote.

In this song, we see David acknowledge what Jehovah had been to him, and it is important that we see the hand of the Lord in our own lives.

If we take a good look at our lives, we can see the hand of God working in our lives.

David recognized that it was Jehovah who had delivered him all his days.

I can also tell you that it was Jehovah who delivered me through the many dangers in my own life.

No doubt most all of us that know the Lord Jesus as our Savior also know He has been our Deliverer, all of our days.

When we can understand this thing, we can know that the Lord has always had a purpose for us and the reason He has kept us alive.

Without having purpose then, what is life all about?

Most of us realize that we have faced many enemies in our lifetime, and would not have escaped them without the hand of the Lord being upon us.

Most of us know that it is Satan, the Devil who has been our true enemy all of our life, but only after we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ did, we did we learn of the wiles of the Devil.

Eph_6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

It is believed that this Psalm was written before David became King of Israel, when King Saul was trying to kill him.

If Saul had killed David, then the plan of God would not be credible and the Bible would have been just another useless book!

Once David was delivered from the hands of King Saul, David became King of Israel and this deliverance was by God's hands and not David's hands.

*****2Sa 22:1  And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 

2Sa 22:2  And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 

2Sa 22:3  The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 

As we read the story of David in the Bible, we must realize that David was acting with a Higher Power more than most others in the Old Testament, even Moses and Abraham.

The thing about songs is that, if they are not enjoyed or they do not cause some movement by the Holy Spirit then, they should be put aside for some other song.

The fact that more than two thirds of the Psalms of David have remained in the Word of God, have proven that they were songs that encouraged those who trusted Jehovah for their own deliverance.

It is the Holy Spirit that caused their remembrance and their prominence in the Word of God!

Many of us here today have found great comfort in reading the Book of Psalms.

Almost every Christian you meet has a favorite Psalm.

If the Lord Jesus is not your Rock, and not your Fortress, or not your Deliverer, then you are not saved!

David was a warrior and probably fought more battles for the right of the nation of Israel to exist, than any other person then and now!

There would be no nation of Israel if God had not used King David to secure their existence in that day!

The Israelites know this and this is why they love King David so much!

It was King David that established Jerusalem as the capitol city of Israel.

It was king David that bought the land where the Dome of the Rock sits illegally.

It was King David that bought all the land of the Temple Mount.

It was King David that set this land apart to be given for the worship and praise for Jehovah, the One True Living God.

It was David that designated that first Temple to be a house of prayer, through his son Solomon.

Why is the Lord our Rock?

Deu 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. 

As we know these things are all true, why would we not call upon the Lord in our hour of need or at any time we just want to talk to Him.

It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can sit down in the throne room of our God and just have a

personal conversation with Him.

*****2Sa 22:4  I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

We see that David knew that the ears of our Savior are always open for those who love Him!

Most of our lives we find that the enemies of this life are too fierce and too powerful so that no man can help us, but God can.

These things are more prevalent today than they were in the time of King David, and we need to stay as close to the Lord as possible and the Lord Jesus knew this when He ripped the veil of the Holy of Holies into, so that we can go straight to God without going through some priest.

Every child of God has also become a priest for themselves and their families.

Rev_5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Talking to a true priest of God is good, but talking to our Creator is much better! 

Sometimes we need both our Heavenly Priest and our Comforter, to feel true comfort!

Our pastors can only help us if he too is a man called of God!

It is only the Lord God Almighty who can save us from our enemies!

1Pe 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 

Snuggle up to Jesus and He will know what we are going through!

Isa 65:24  And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 

It is only the Lord who can save us from our enemies!

It seems like today we are walking through that valley of death constantly.

*****2Sa 22:5  When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 

2Sa 22:6  The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; 

2Sa 22:7  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

As we know, in a war, we could face an overwhelming enemy and I believe many in America are beginning to feel this way.

This is something we have never had to worry about since the time of our wars with England when our nation first became independent of foreign rule.

With the government we have today and the way our taxes are being spent, we may not be that dominating force in this world that we once were, and this is hard to say, but it may be the truth.

The modernization of our military forces seems to have stopped and the many other things that were a deterrent, which have worked for us for ages, may have aged out of beneficial use.

No one in this government we have today seems to care! 

The Democrats are all in step for destruction of America! 

The Republicans argue with each other and nothing can be accomplished.

The swamp keeps growing in full power.

We need to get rid of the whole bunch and start with fresh blood.

Washington ruins the lives of good people because corruption reaps corruption!

Most of us feel this way because "the floods of ungodly men have made us afraid"!

Most of us cannot trust many of the medicines that are created for us, and as we have found out, no one can find a cure for this man-made thing called COVID that has been intentionally released into our world.

Stupid governments are still working on plagues that can render armies useless and bombs that can destroy nations.

There certainly have been waves of death, which have compassed us in the last few years and are continuing.

Our true enemies are all those ungodly men who actually run our nation today, who hide in the dark corners of our nation!

The perils that we have been exposed to for the last several years can be described as waves of death.

Listen to Jonah: Jon 2:2  And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

No one is really working on "waves of life" except the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Giver of Life!

We have only one hope for our world and He is the Lord Jesus Christ, who has already decided that we need a brand-new world that will only be available to those who love Him!

According to the Words of Jesus we do not have the ability to save our planet.

Rev_21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

David was describing a hopeless situation for him and his nation like many of us are thinking today about America.

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer and He will always be the answer and the only answer!

Distress can be described as extreme pain, or the anguish of mind and body, to suffer greatly, harassment, or misfortune.

To David, it was probably the anguish of mind and body because he did not know when Saul would find him or one of his spies and kill him.

We see, we must place our trust in the Lord and keep doing what He tells us to do and He will direct our paths!

*****2Sa 22:18  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. 

No matter what confronted David, whether human enemy, wild beast, or natural catastrophe, the Lord delivered David.

The Lord also delivered David from physical misfortune.

We must understand that the Lord is always present in our hour of need because the Lord is always watching over His children.

Sometimes, the Lord will give us the power to overcome any obstacle the hinders us or the Lord will just remove that obstacle.

Our enemies are never powerful enough to overcome the Lord!

There are many things we need to understand about the Lord.

The Lord is always for us and He is never against us unless we reject Him and His Word!

Psa 56:9  When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. 

Psa 56:10  In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. 

Psa 56:11  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. 

This is why we can be at perfect peace within ourselves no matter what we are facing!

We can be at perfect peace, because we serve the only perfect Savior who has the only perfect Words!

*****2Sa 22:31  As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

We need to celebrate the goodness of God every day of our lives!

The Lord Jesus said:

Mat_19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

We can try to think of good people and we would produce many, but in reality, according to the God's "goodness", in comparison, we could not call them good at all.

God is good because His ways are perfect and we could never be called perfect, until we are standing in Heaven's gates.

There are no human beings who can be said to be perfect. We all have our flaws. 

Jehovah God has no flaws!

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 

Psa 12:7  Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

This is why the Lord can be our "buckler", our "shield" of protection, as we go about our days doing our very best to live according to the perfect Word of God!

When we trust the Lord to guide us through every day, then He becomes our strength!

*****2Sa 22:32  For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? 

2Sa 22:33  God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 

Though the world laughs at us, we still know that there is One True God and He is our Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament.

The Lord gave David a way to travel in his world and that way was the Lord's way.

It is no different for any of us today.

The path He has given to us is to follow is His Word, rightly divided.

This is the reason He is the Rock of our salvation!

This is the reason He is our strength!

This is the reason He is our power!

This is the reason that He is the path to a perfect way of life!

Who are the true saints of this world?

It is not those who have been declared by the Pope, even though they may be true saints of God. 

It is not those who give the most!

It is not even those who pray the most!

The true saints of God are those, who do their very best, to stay on the Path of God which He has given to us, the Perfect Word of God!

It is these who always have a heart ready to praise God for His goodness!

Our way is made perfect by the pure truth of the only Living God!

*****2Sa 22:47  The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. 

We must understand that "life" is the essential attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the Living God in contrast to all the dead gods of this world!

The Living God is among us at all times!

It is the Living God who is strong, who is faithful, and who is able to work out my own deliverance for me!

My salvation, is His gift to me if I love Him! He is the God of my salvation!

It is the same for all those who choose Him to be their Rock!

Psa 18:46  The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 

Psa 24:5  He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 

It is this same Living God who will avenge His Church, and it may not be very much longer before He does this!

*****2Sa 22:48  It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me, 

2Sa 22:49  And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 

Just as David was King and those under him his servants, the Lord has made His Church to be kings and priest and again it is the Lord who will avenge all those who do not know the Lord.

As the Lord's people witness in the name of the Lord, He will not allow them to be shut up by anyone!

Psa 31:8  And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room. 

God will not allow His voice to be stopped until He takes the Church out of this world, and then, the angels will preach the Gospel to the people left behind.

Rev_14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

As long as the everlasting Gospel is preached, souls can be saved!

In other words, we will be allowed to speak the Word of God and act with the freedom to do so, until God removes His Church and this world will not be able to stop it!

Therefore we need to be offering thanksgiving today.

*****2Sa 22:50  Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

We must not be afraid to offer thanksgiving to the Lord in front of our enemies!

We must not be afraid to worship with our voice’s songs of praise in the name of the Lord!

We must not be afraid to state our commitment to the Lord in front of our enemies!

We must not be afraid to praise the Lord no matter where we are, even in unknown circumstances.

Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 

Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 

No one upon this earth is mightier than the Holy Spirit who abides within all God's children!

We know the promises made to King David and we know that every promise has been kept up till now and those that are not complete will be completed.

*****2Sa 22:51  He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore. 

As the joint heirs with Jesus Christ, we know that the promise of Mercy extended to the anointed One of God, has also been extended to His children and His brothers and sisters in Christ!

This is God's plan of salvation, and who are we to question Him or His plans, we owe Him our obedience.

Amen`

God Is In the Saving Business

 The Servant's Mission

Book of Mark Chapter 2

As we go through these lesson's this quarter, we are going to see our Lord Jesus Christ as a Faithful Servant.

As the Lord Jesus is our example in so many things, He is also our example of how to be a servant of God.

He loves us as His dear children, but He expects us to serve Him, not as slaves but out of love and obedience.

We always seem to forget our disobedience is our greatest sin. Just ask Adam.

Before the Lord Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He gave us a job to do.

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This is the same job our Lord was doing before He went back to Heaven!

What is a servant? 

A servant is a person who attends to another person for the purpose of performing menial tasks, at least that is the meaning used by the secular world.

The liberal side of America would tell us that all servants are slaves when a servant is a volunteer to do some work.

A child of God, who is also His servant, is someone who "volunteers" to get involved in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the Gospels that teach us how our Lord came here to serve His Father in Heaven, and give us the example we are to follow.

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior, but He is also our loving Master!

Eph 6:5  Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 

Eph 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 

Eph 6:7  With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 

We can be servants to the Lord Jesus because we know we are more than servants, we are in the family of God, His brothers, and sisters in Christ.

Somewhat like families, who follow in the footsteps of a parent who has done well, we are to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.

**So, it is a family thing! We do the work that our family does that our Father in Heaven has decided, and His Son Jesus has shown us how to do it right!

Our Father in Heaven is in the saving business and we are to follow Him and be in His saving business.  

The first part of chapter two teaches us the healing powers of our Lord, as He heals a man who was paralyzed.

This miracle is so great, not just because this paralyzed man walked under his own power, but we see that word immediately, which means old muscles that had not been used and joints that had not had to do any work, all immediately began to work in this body that had been paralyzed.

As this chapter continues our Lord Jesus takes a walk on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, but not just a leisurely stroll because Jesus had a purpose behind everything that He did.

*****Mar 2:13  And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

By this time, the crowds that followed Jesus were too large to be contained in one home.

By this time, some of the synagogues were closing their doors to the Lord, because He spoke with authority and His message was a message of truth.

This same thing happens in America today, the government and the media decide what is right even when they are wrong and close the doors to the real truth. This is corruption at its highest!

Mar 2:6  But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 

Mar 2:7  Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 

The people knew better and they flocked to Jesus to hear more about this coming kingdom He spoke of.

When these people had questions, our Lord Jesus could answer them because He knows all.

As a Servant to His Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus took every opportunity to teach the truth of the Scriptures.

And then, the Lord was also in the process of choosing the twelve disciples who would later become the twelve Apostles at least eleven of them would. One was a traitor!

*****Mar 2:14  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 

As the Lord Jesus walked and taught, He passed by a tax collector.

We can see that the Romans had a tax on just about everything like we have today.

Matthew was set up to tax the fishermen for their catch of that day.

Today there is a tax on rainwater in many places, and a tax coming on the gas that comes our farm animals, among other taxes to pay for our free spending government.

Food is already to high.

In fact climate change is more about taxes than it is the truth!

Yes, the climate is changing, it has been changing since the Lord created it.

Yes, to live as humans we do produce some things that could harm our environment if they were in large enough quantities but they are not.

Yes we could do a much better job taking care of our world. We could start by picking up the trash.

We could start by holding companies that pollute our environment accountable.

In fact it will be humans who will destroy our world. We are that foolish. Some governments are bound and determined to destroy our world.

No, it is not humans who are causing the climate change that we are see today.

It is natural elements that drive climate change just as they always have.

At least Rome was building roads to every nation that could be used to spread the Gospel.

We cannot get our own governments to fix the existing roads with the money dedicated for that purpose.

Our government is already plotting some sort of tax on electric vehicles to make up for road taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel that will be lost.

There was this man named Levi who was a tax collector who we know as Matthew.

The Israelites considered all tax collectors as traitors and sinners. They were bitterly hated.

They were looked upon as people who had sold their souls out to Rome.

Most of them were cheats and extortioners who lined their own pockets while collecting taxes for Rome and Rome did not care as long as they got what Rome demanded.

Most of them became wealthy off the backs of the people of their own nations.

We can believe that Matthew was this type of tax collector.

We can also believe that the Lord Jesus was always looking for an opportunity to save a lost soul!

Levi was an outcast and hated by those around him, but the Lord loved him as He did everyone else.

After loving on him for a moment, Jesus simply says, "Follow Me" and Matthew left the taxing table and followed the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew lived a life of being hated by those around him no matter where he went.

Matthew was surely craving forgiveness!

Jesus tells us all:

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

This is the same Matthew who wrote the Gospel that bears his name.

Most people called him Levi, even Mark and Luke, but Jesus called him Matthew and so, this is the name he chose for himself.

The name Matthew means "gift of Jehovah". From then on, Matthew stressed God's great mercy upon him.

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

The Lord invited Himself to dinner at Matthew's house, and many more tax collectors were there and we see that the Israelites referred to them as "publicans".

*****Mar 2:15  And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 

There were many such men as Levi who were considered outcasts to society, but many of them were like Levi they wanted forgiveness for what they had done.

This dinner became a huge feast.

Luk 5:29  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 

Matthew had discovered a peace and a comfort that he had never known, and he reached out to his friends who were like him, so they could learn of the peace that comes from forgiveness.

This world will not show forgiveness unless

It is a life-changing experience when we have a meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus gladly accepted the opportunity to meet with these sinners and Jesus took His own disciples with Him, even though they were wary of being associated with publicans.

Anyone who is willing to confess their sins has a willing ear to listen to them, when that ear belongs to Jesus Christ.

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 

Act 17:29  Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 

Act 17:31  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

What this modern generation does not understand, especially those who are transgender or gay, is that the Lord Jesus Christ cannot help anyone who is unwilling to confess their sins and repent!

The Church is open to all comers no matter their sin but all those who know the Lord as their Savior have repented and been Born Again.

What did Jesus teach?

Joh_3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The self-righteous, the self-sufficient, the self-dependent, feel like they have no need to confess their sins and repent of them.

Our Lord Jesus did not ever act above or act better than anyone and this is a great lesson for us all.

Our Lord Jesus also did never compromise His message of repentance!

The Church cannot compromise today or more people will go to Hell because they think they have no need to repent!

The Church must open the doors to all who would enter, no matter their walk in this life, but to be forgiven we must all yield to the Lord's message of confession and repentance.

Our faith must be in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He has done for our salvation, and then, we can confess our sins and begin that work of repentance with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Those unwilling to repent will find that they are not saved and in the end the Lord will say "I Never Knew You".

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Only after confessing the knowledge of the work the Messiah has done for our salvation and repenting of our sinful life, can we become that new person, being "Born Again" into a new life!

Those who are self-righteous will never understand these things!

*****Mar 2:16  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? 

Mar 2:17  When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

If we have noticed the things that are happening in America, we must understand that the sins that America winks at are much worse than those that are already condemned.

Self-delusion, that we have no sin, is the sin that cannot be forgiven because it rejects the reason the Lord came in the first place!

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

There is no one in this world today who is not a sinner!

We can also know that we are to reach out to all sinners outside the Church, but we are not to run with them and partake in their sinful ways.

It is the sinner who can become a disciple and follow the Lord Jesus, and not the other way around.

You see, a religionist who is respectful of the ways of society, will become a judge to those who are trying to reach that society with the Gospel.

Christianity is not a religion; Christianity is medicine for the sin sick soul!

Religion is philosophy, Christianity is the truth of God!

The Lord Jesus expects us to change, but He also knows we need the help of the Holy Spirit to make that change!

It is the sick person (sinner) who knows he needs a doctor (Savior) because he knows he is sick (a sinner).

Those who do not know they are sick (a sinner) will not go to the doctor. (the Savior)

All those who have made themselves self-righteous will never repent!

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

This is where the American society is failing today!

This is where the compromising Church is failing today!

Those who live in their own righteousness will not answer the call of Jesus Christ!

It is Jesus Christ who is the "Great Physician"!

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Those religionists just will not give up and they can ask some really foolish questions.

*****Mar 2:18  And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 

What is fasting all about?

Fasting is the laying aside of food for a period of time when we are seeking to know the Lord in a deeper experience.

Fasting is to be done with the object of seeking to know the Lord in a deeper experience!

There are three types of fasting:

1) Normal fasting involves the total abstinence of food but not water. The Lord Jesus fasted forty days.

Luk 4:1  And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 

Luk 4:2  Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 

2) There is the absolute fast for about three days.

Act 9:9  And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 

3) There is the partial fast where there is just a restriction of diet.

Dan 10:3  I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. 

There are some physical benefits to this type of fast. It would be similar to dieting.

Daniel chose bread, meat, and grape juice to do without.

Remember all these fasts were done to get closer to the Lord!

When the early Church wanted to know the mind of God, there was a time of fasting and prayer and most all the church took part in this fast.

Very little fasting is done today!

What was the answer from the Lord Jesus?

*****Mar 2:19  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 

Mar 2:20  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days. 

How could the disciples fast to get them closer to the Lord, when He was with them every day at this time?

The religious Jews fasted twice a week but for what purpose, we do not know because they were not getting closer to God.

They fasted simply because of religion. It was just another ritual for most of them! It was just another tradition with no real meaning! It was just something else they could brag about.

The disciples of John the Baptist also fasted twice a week just as the religious Jews because they did not have a clear meaning of the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ even though the Messiah was amongst them and John had pointed them to this fact.

They did not have the Holy Spirit until they understood the work of the Messiah.

What was the purpose of their fasting, it was just a ritual!

They should have been fasting for the release of John the Baptist, but it was time for John to cease and for the Messiah to step forward and John had also pointed this out to them. 

They should have understood the purposes of the Messiah. They had little faith.

If fasting is not used to seek a closer relationship with the Lord, it has no purpose other than dieting to lose weight or for health.

Yes, we can fast for an answer to a prayer but if we do not have a close relationship with the Lord, how can we expect an answer to that prayer?

These religionists were just mocking the Lord Jesus asking, how could the true Messiah not teach faithfulness to religion.

Religion will not get you to Heaven! Only the Messiah can get us to Heaven!

If God had wanted John the Baptist out of prison, then he would be out of prison.

The time of John the Baptist had ended so, there would be no confusion about the true Messiah.

John was a powerful preacher whose message had been fulfilled.

Jesus simply stated there is a right way and a wrong way to fast.

In fact, Jesus again, as our example states, we must not judge others for keeping religious rituals. 

Censuring and condemning others is uncalled for!

We must understand that all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are condemned already.

We need to show them the only way to be redeemed and pardoned.

We will not be judged according to whether we keep or not keep religious rituals!

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can judge these things!

Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 

Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

Rom 14:5  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 

Rom 14:6  He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 

Rom 14:7  For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 

Jesus Himself said there were two reasons to fast.

1) Sometimes, we just do not feel the presence of the Lord, then, it is a suitable time to fast.

2) Sometimes, we feel we need that special empowering of the Lord to meet a special need, then, it is a suitable time to fast.

This fast must be sincere and we must lay out the rules of our fast with the Lord and the reason for our fast, and this fast must include sincere prayer.

We must understand that we are going to suffer in this world and it is going to get worse before we go home to be with the Lord!

We must also understand that the Lord is not trying to patch up our old way of life, but we will be "Born Again" into a new life, our old life passed away!

The Lord Jesus is not out to reform an old religious life, but He will regenerate us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tit 3:4  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 

Tit 3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 

Tit 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 *****Mar 2:21  No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 

Mar 2:22  And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. 

God says, if you want to alter the habits of some other person, we must begin by changing their principles.

If we are to plant the Gospel Seed into a rotten heart of some sinner and there must be some sign of progress.

To be a Christian is to be a new kingdom. That old life cannot be patched. 

This is the downfall of many places of worship today. They are trying to patch up an old life and God says we must be Born Again into something entirely new.

There will be a New Heaven!

There will be a New Jerusalem!

The persons in both these places will be a New Person, the Born Again children of God.

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Rev_21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

A patched up sinner will be worse than he was!

The word bottles in this Scripture means wine skins.

A new bottle made of an animal skin would be elastic enough to expand as the gases of fermentation built of pressure.

Old skins that had already been used would be hardened and they could not take the pressure of the fermenting process and that old bottle would burst.

Jesus said that He was bringing a new life built upon expansion and a new excitement for eternal life. A life never ending!

Our old sin nature cannot be repaired!

Just like corruption, it must be removed!

We must understand that all those old forms of religion in this world will one day perish and the only thing left will be Christianity.

The true foundation of life is the Lord Jesus Christ, and our "Born Again" new life will be clothed in the "Righteousness" of our Lord!

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

We cannot be fixed in our own ways; we must be elastic and expandable in the life that Jesus offers to us!

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Amen

Returning To the House of God

Back to Bethel

Book of Genesis Chapters 34 and 35

As we study the Old Testament, we see that these people who preserved the Word of God were just historical people as we are.

These are real people with real problems who found out that it is Yahweh who has all the answers.

These stories of life in the Old Testament are real and they are true.

We see that it is not always easy to be a believer.

We will face many challenges as we try to serve the Lord.

The best solution is the solution the Lord gives us, which is to keep the commandments to God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jacob had to live with the decisions he had made, and he had to find God's "Grace".

The best place to begin in search of God's "Grace" is at the House of God!

We must always understand God does not need our sacrifices God needs our obedience!

*****Gen 35:1  And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 

Jacob had made a vow at Bethel. God had kept His side of the vow, but Jacob had wavered in his vow.

Gen 28:20  And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 

Gen 28:21  So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 

Gen 28:22  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. 

Many a Christian today, who were on fire for God, when they first asked Jesus to come into their heart, have now cooled off and they need to go back to Bethel, the House of God, and renew their vow as did Jacob.

Jacob had been blessed many times over. Jacob had not given his tenth and Jacob had not given his heart to God which is far more important.

During this “Covid” Plague, many of God's children have grown cold and afraid and they no longer give their heart to God.

In fact many have even forgotten to support the House of God!

They have just quit on the Lord no matter their excuse!

Ecc 5:4  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 

Ecc 5:5  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 

We make a vow to the Lord the day of our salvation, the very moment of our salvation, or we are not saved!

God wanted the heart of Jacob just as he had the heart of Abraham!

Jacob did not need to go alone, he needed to take all his family so they too could join him at the altar of God.

But there are always some things that need to be left behind!

*****Gen 35:2  Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 

No matter who we are or where we come from, as Christians we need to renew our commitments to the Lord first and then to each other.

The second will not work without the first!

The family is the first government that our Creator endorsed.

We might say "I have never had strange gods in my life", but we are fools to think so!

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 

Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 

Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 

All these things are false gods that we have allowed into our lives without thinking that they are false.

Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 

We must keep the Lord "first" at all times and those weak and beggarly elements, which are worldly things, need to be replaced with the Word of God, that is the Word of Truth!

We need to be clean!

The Bible does say come as you are, but in this instance, we are talking about the children who are already in the family of God.

We must cleanse ourselves because we spend every day in a wicked and sinful and corrupt world.

Jesus said to Peter:

Joh_13:10  Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

To wash our feet as Christians is to walk holy and undefiled.

We must wash the filth of this world off before we make request of the Lord.

It is called recognizing we are sinners, asking for forgiveness every day and asking for a refilling of the Holy Spirit every day or more often as the need arises. 

We still live in this filthy flesh!

We are still dirty rotten sinners saved only by God's Grace!

That "Grace" comes only by Jesus Christ!

In our Spiritual life, that has been "justified" by the Lord and purified by the Lord, need not think that we are undone if in our walk in this life we will contract some stains. 

We need to wash away those stains!

We get this same meaning where it says a change our garments.

We need to wash away the filth of this world and the Word of God is that cleansing agent.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 

Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

This washing occurs as we are doers of the Word, we are obedient to the Word of God!

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God". 

1Co 6:12  All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 

We cannot allow ourselves to be brought under the power of this world when our power is of the Lord.

We just need to go to the "House of God".

*****Gen 35:3  And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

We are foolish if we do not remember from where God has brought us from.

Where were we?

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 

We must never forget the power of our "faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must remember our deliverance! 

The Lord will always, "Always", deliver those who come to Him in faith and repentance!

2Sa 22:2  And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 

2Sa 22:3  The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 

2Sa 22:4  I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: "so shall I be saved from mine enemies". 

If we love the Lord, truly love the Lord, He will always deliver us from our day of distress!

As far as Jacob was concerned Laban was in the past and it was Esau, his own brother who brought these fears to him.

Jacob may not have known just how to approach Esau but as God does, God said to "let his journey begin at Bethel, the House of God".

This is a great lesson for us all.

No matter what we are going through, we need to go to the Lord in prayer and there is no better place to pray than the altar at the house of God.

Yes, we are to go to our closet and get alone with God.

But a Spirit filled House of God, where others who love the Lord can bring great peace of mind.

God is our deliverer!

Psa 18:17  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 

Psa 18:18  They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Jacob had asked his family to give up all false gods and to go with him to the House of God.

Anything people worship is to them a god!

Anything we put before the Lord has become our god!

But there is only one true God!

*****Gen 35:4  And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. 

Gen 35:5  And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 

If we go back to where Jacob had begun his journey to escape from Esau, we will understand this better.

Gen 28:20  And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 

Gen 28:21  So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 

Gen 28:22  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. 

Jacob had vowed a vow to Yahweh and God was doing His part and had done His part.

God always does what He says He will do!

We must repent of our old life and walk in the Word of God!

We must bury our old gods and seek the Living God!

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

We must put away our own thoughts and seek the "Mind of Christ"!

1Co_2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

What was the mind of Christ?

To do the will of His Father!

Joh_8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

When we are doing the will of our Heavenly Father, we will be doing the will of our Savior!

Until the Lord takes us home, we will still be amongst our enemies!

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy!

*****Gen 35:6  So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 

Gen 35:7  And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 

Luz was a royal city of the Canaanites.

By the direction of God, Jacob was directed right into the mouth of the enemy.

This is the location of the Church today.

As long as we are upon this earth we will live amongst our enemies.

In reality, this nothing to be frightened of.

We are strangers and pilgrims in the land.

Even in the midst of our enemies we can find the "House of God"!

Mat_18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Notice that Jacob had found something that is more important than the House of God.

Jacob came to realize if God is not in the House, then it is not a true House of God.

It is El-bethel, the "God of House" that makes a true Church!

So many places of worship today have forgotten this.

Jesus is finding that in America, He is no longer welcome, much like when He came the first time.

Luk_9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

My question is how have we allowed this to happen?

We as Christians have to be the laziest people on the face of the earth!

We think once we are saved, we can forget the world we live in.

We are left in this world to make a difference and we are failing because we refuse to do the work of God.

It is the "God of the Church" that makes the difference, and He must live within us!

We cannot abandon our places of worship as we are told to today, but we had better bring Jesus with us when we go.

We need revival in America.

Not just for lost souls, as many believe, but to revive all the Church, the "Body of Christ"!

There can be no revival if it does not begin with each Church member, each believer!

Jacob built an altar to sacrifice the tenth he had promised to complete his vow, and he was now much closer to the Lord, the God of the House.

It was not the animals that made the sacrifice, it was the heart of Jacob that was important if he was to be Israel.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

If we do not look to Jesus, then we have not laid aside every weight we carry, and we will be worn out before our journey begins.

It was not the journey Jacob made to get to the House of God, it was the journey he made after he had been to the House of God.

Will the God of the House be with him?

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 

Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

It was a good time for one to repent and give her heart to God.

*****Gen 35:8  But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth. 

We do not know for sure, but Deborah would have been more than 140 years old at the time of her death.

Gen 25:20  And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 

Compare

Gen 35:28  And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 

Deborah had left Haran with Rebekah 140 years before this death.

“Allonbachuth” means, the "Oak of Weeping".

No doubt this nurse had spent many of Jacob's early years teaching him and helping to raise him.

If we set our roots down in a Bible believing Church, we will see over time, many of the Saints of God go home to glory.

These will be days of sadness until we wake up to the fact that they went to where we want to go, to the Glory World of Heaven.

Death and burial is in all our future unless the Rapture of the Church takes place before our day comes!

We must also understand that on our journey to Heaven the true "Promised Land", we will not be exempt from the things that happen to all humans.

Our journey will not always be easy nor is it intended to be.

Life is not all that fun especially as we get older, but we live, knowing that a life given to the Lord is a life that cannot die.

I am so glad I am no longer a "dead man" but am alive forever in Christ Jesus!

So Yahweh came to visit Jacob another time.

*****Gen 35:9  And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 

Gen 35:10  And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 

We might miss this if we are not looking.

God takes the time to remind us who we are!

God provides us that assurance we need to stay motivated!

Once Jacob had given his heart to Yahweh, The Almighty God, He then reminds Jacob he is no longer the supplanter, but he is a prince in the family of God and the priest of his own family.

Rev_1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev_5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Our Lord God likes it get up close and personal and He tries much more than we do to get close to us.

We sometimes forget just how much we are loved by our Creator.

And God said:

*****Gen 35:11  And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 

Gen 35:12  And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. 

The great "I Am" said call me "El Shaddai" there is nothing in this Universe as powerful as the Almighty God.

Why do we express the fears that we do?

He is God "All Sufficient"!

He is able to make good on every promise He has ever made!

We must allow El Shaddai to do His work at His own pace and in His own time.

We can see that He had His watchful eyes on Israel, the man, as He has always had His eyes on Israel, the nation.

Part of those promises given to Abraham would be given to Israel and many of those promises are not yet fulfilled even today, and we should understand that we can only be a living part of God's plan if we listen to what He says and then do as He has commanded us.

Israel would be the father of a great nation.

The tiny nation of Israel today stands a small but powerful nation, because of these blessings given to Jacob on this day we are reading of.

Also the Lord Jesus Christ is the "promised seed" and all nations have within their borders those who love and serve the Lord.

We know that Heaven where the Lord is today is that true "Promised Land", open to all to give their heart to God Almighty, El Shaddai!

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

The things of this world from Creation until today, have come about exactly as the Word of God has said, and things will continue until they reach their climax at the return of our Savior.

We have no reason to doubt the Word of God!

How can we doubt something that has proven to be true over and over again?

*****Gen 35:13  And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. 

Gen 35:14  And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. 

We know God did not meet Jacob face to face or Jacob would have died on the spot, but God did meet with Israel in some visible display of His glory that hovered over him while God talked to Israel just as He did in the time of Moses over the Tabernacle.

When Jacob had first met the Lord at Bethel, he set up a stone he had used for his pillow. 

Israel now took the time to erect a more stately and more lasting memorial probably placing that first stone in some part of it.

Israel then hallowed it with freewill offerings.

If our offerings are not given freely then they are meaningless!

This is the first place the drink offering is mentioned in the Bible.

In many places we will see the English word wine, but alcohol would have never been used in an offering to God.

The Bible says we are not even to look upon fermented grape juice.

Pro_23:31  Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

We know that God will never go against His own Word!

Many so-called religions forsake these words, but Israel would not have.

This grape juice was to be poured on the altar as a sacrifice!

There is more to a drink offering than we think! 

We can call it symbolism, but we use the phrase "typology" which is more appropriate.

He first poured a drink offering of wine and then he poured oil over it. 

If we look closely, we can see Jacob was prophesying about the sacrifice of Jesus by his actions. 

We know that Jacob was the father of twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. 

The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel. 

One of Jacob’s sons was Judah; where we get the word Jew, and we know that Jesus was a Jewish Man from the tribe of Judah. 

Jesus stated emphatically, “Salvation comes by the Jews”. 

Salvation came by the Jews in their act of preserving the Word of God and teaching us by example!

Jacob poured the offering on a stone that he had set up. 

Jacob did not just see a stone and use it; he set it up to make an altar. It was a pillar it was a cornerstone! 

The Bible says God was going to lay a Cornerstone of salvation, a sure foundation. 

The scriptures tell us Jesus is that Cornerstone, set up by God! 

The drink offering of wine or grape juice symbolizes Jesus’ blood, poured out for us. 

After the ‘blood’ came the oil, which symbolizes the third Person of the Godhead; the Holy Spirit, Who has been poured into Christians for us to

‘drink’. 

We know of course, we receive the Holy Spirit after we have been washed in the blood of Jesus; so Jacob poured the offerings in the correct order. 

The "blood of Jesus" is poured upon that lost soul, then the oil the Holy Spirit is pour into that lost soul to cause a New Life!

We see over and over again we can find salvation in the Old Testament played out to teach the Jews of the coming New Covenant by the "Blood of Jesus Christ.

God would never use some fermented corrupt liquid to show us these things! 

"Fermentation" is a corruption of the "Fruit of the Vine"!

Jesus Christ was without sin and without corruption.

if we want to pour out our own drink offering, then when we go to the altar, we need to pour out our heart to a "Righteous Savior" and not some "fermented substitute".

The best place to do this is at the House of God!

*****Gen 35:15  And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. 

Remember the only city that was near this place was Luz a royal city of the Canaanites.

In the future this place would be named Bethel.

In this day of Jacob (Israel), he was saying the House of God!

God will speak to us anywhere and at any time but there is just something special about meeting with the Lord at the House of God.

Isa 43:10  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 

Isa 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Amen