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

 

What Do We Teach Our Children

 Rachel and Leah

Book of Genesis Chapters 30 Through 33

In last week’s lesson we saw that "deception" can destroy a family. 

In this week’s lesson we will see that "jealousy" can reek havoc on any family and "envy" besides being a great sin can also cause many family problems.

There are many reasons we do not need two wives, and in this lesson, we get to see some of those reasons.

Bigamy has never been blessed by the Lord!

It is far better to believe that God knows what He is doing than to go against Him in any way!

We will see in this lesson, that though Jacob had left home because of the fear of death from his brother Esau. 

Jacob had now been away from his parents for 20 years.

We will see that Jacob did not love Leah as he did Rachel, because Leah had been a major part of the deception of Jacob by her father Laban.

Jacob's home was full of tension simply because Jacob was spiritually weak at this time!

It was as much Jacob's fault he was deceived, as it was Laban's.

Lust will blind our eyes to the truth!

We do not know if Jacob celebrated too much at that feast of Laban.

Gen 29:22  And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 

Or it could have been his lust for Rachel that clouded his eyes, which is more the truth.

Gen 29:21  And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. 

We do know that Leah was substituted for Rachel.

Gen 29:23  And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. 

Leah could have told Jacob what was happening, and she did not.

We must remember there was no electricity for lights in those days. When night came it was dark!

Leah wronged Rachel as much as she did Jacob and we can only suspect that she would do anything to get away from her father's house.

We do not know about Rachel other than Laban had removed her out of the picture, probably locked away from Jacob.

None of these things changed Jacob's desire for Rachel!

In God's eyes, Leah became the wife of Jacob and she bare him many sons, one of them being Judah who would carry on with the Covenant made to Abraham.

The Messiah came from the line of Judah.

The title Jew comes from the name Judah.

We all have a tendency to yield our feelings to the love story of Jacob and Rachel, but once Jacob sealed his marriage with Leah then she was his true wife.

One more thing we must see is, that Jacob was a shepherd who worked really hard to obtain a wife. 

In typology this is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ did.

It is by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that we become the "Bride of Christ".

We can see our Savior throughout the Old Testament!

Laban gave Rachel to Jacob with the understanding that he would serve him 7 more years.

Leah who was the less loved, bore Jacob 4 sons in short order while Rachel was barren.

Jealousy and envy brings this family their first problems.

*****Gen 30:1  And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 

Gen 30:2  And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, "Am I in God's stead", who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 

Immediately jealousy now brings with it envy.

We might ask ourselves, why did God show us all these things?

God wants us to know that these were real people who suffer through the same things all people suffer through today.

This is the reason that "God's Grace" is so important!

Where would we be without the "Grace" of God?

It was in fact sin that was working in this family.

Satan was hard at work to destroy this family!

Leah was having children and Rachel was not, so the problem was not Jacob.

Rachel was not so much upset over her barrenness, as she was of Leah's fruitfulness.

This could mean many things which we will not discuss here.

The point is it is God who controls the womb. It is the parent who controls the health of the child in one way or another.

Envy is grieving at the good of another.

There is not much greater sin than this in the eyes of God!

Envy leads to strife, and division, and railing, and hatred, and sometimes murder!

Rachel did not even consider that it was God who made the difference, and we know Leah had been praying constantly to God and God listens to those who are harmed.

Except for bearing children, Rachel had all the advantages of love from Jacob.

We must never be envious of our brothers and sisters in Christ when God has blessed them with some good thing!

One child would never satisfy Rachel! It would take more than one child to stop her envy as she tells Jacob, "give me children".

Rachel decided if she could not have more than one child with Jacob, then she would just die.

We know that Rachel did die with the birth of her second child.

We should be careful what we ask for.

These things would never gain her favor with God. Neither will they work for good in our own relationship with the Lord!

Rachel decided, much like Sarah decided, that she would solve this problem herself, when she should have gone to God in repentance of her sin.

*****Gen 30:3  And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. 

Gen 30:4  And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. 

Now Jacob was God's man, but he allows himself to get caught up in Rachel's envy and jealousy.

Compare Jacob to Job for a moment: Job told his wife.

Job 2:10  But he said unto her, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh". What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. 

These would have been good words for Jacob to tell Rachel.

Jacob had told his wife Rachel that she need not come to him when she should be going to God, which was the truth.

We do not know if she ever did.

What do we know? Whatever we want comes by the hand of God!

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

We can believe this or not, but it is true!

Rachel pleaded with Jacob for more than one child and we know she died with the birth of her second child Benjamin.

We know that in the Scriptures we find Hannah and Hannah was barren and she prayed for only one child from God, and then she had many.

Leah also prayed to the Heavenly Father and had many children. 

We should be able to see the difference here!

The substitution of Bilhah would only add to the sin of Jacob, but by the culture of that day those children from Bilhah would be considered the children of Rachel.

Much like the surrogate mothers of today.

We would have thought that her own sister's children would have given her more reason to love them than those from some surrogate.

Jacob gave in to this sin of his wife.

*****Gen 30:5  And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 

Gen 30:6  And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

Rachel named the first child of Bilhah, a boy, Dan. The name Dan means a judge, because Rachel felt that God had judged her, but now God had given her a son.

Jacob later, when he pronounced his blessing upon Dan, said he would judge his people. 

This could have been a prophecy of Samson who was of the tribe of Dan.

In reality, Rachel believed it was an injustice for God to leave her barren and Leah so fruitful.

This is no way to build upon a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father!

It is a fact, with her attitude she did not deserve the blessings of God, and He certainly would not hear her prayers.

Bilhah gave another son.

*****Gen 30:7  And Bilhah Rachel's maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. 

Gen 30:8  And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.

All of a sudden, we realize that Rachel was trying to make it a competition with her sister as to who could provide Jacob the most sons.

Naphtali was Jacob's fifth son but other than this, we do not know much more about him.

These are certainly things we see in a family where bitterness, envy, jealousy, and strife are!

Now Leah gets caught up in this thing with her sister.

*****Gen 30:9  When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. 

Gen 30:10  And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a son. 

Gen 30:11  And Leah said, A troop cometh: and she called his name Gad. 

Gen 30:12  And Zilpah Leah's maid bare Jacob a second son. 

Gen 30:13  And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher. 

Isn't it amazing how some of these names came about?

Because of envy Rachel had put her personal maid into the bed of her husband Jacob she said she loved.

Now Leah because she was barren for a year did the same.

We can see the power of rivalry.

We also see that mischief and scheming is the result of the ignorance of God's "Grace".

More important, we see the inability to put confidence in the promises of God.

It is in the promises of God where our hope lies!

We should understand the wisdom of God which joins one man to one woman!

Jacob the father of these children, has now became a bedroom servant to his now four wives, rather than a husband and priest to one wife and family.

God was not in all these man-made problems or I should say woman-made in this instance.

We also see the many problems of "bigamy".

We see that God is left out of the picture between these two sisters.

God will never bless bigamy! 

God will never bless these marriages and we will see the results of envy and jealousy portrayed in these children as they grow older.

These children were raised in the roots of bitterness and envy and strife and mischief.

This is the same way they lived until they grew older and matured by getting closer to Jehovah (Yahweh).

These are all carnal things that go against the Word of God!

1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

When we resemble the world we live in, we certainly are not like Jesus and therefore are not Christians.

Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

We see all these things play out in the world today, especially in the politics of our nation which has divided us all.

Let us not get caught up in these things.

Jas 3:13  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 

Jas 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 

Jas 3:15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 

Jas 3:16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 

Jacob decided he needed a change in family and decided it was time to go home.

*****Gen 30:25  And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

Out of respect to his father n law, Jacob asked for permission to leave with his family.

Jacob now had eleven sons and a daughter. He had been in Haran at least 14 years probably more.

Nothing in the plan of God called for him to remain in Haran.

All the promises of God were bound up in the promises to Abraham!

We all of have a yearning to go home if we know our Heavenly Father.

In fact as the children of God, most of us who are on up in years are yearning for our Heavenly home.

We know we are just strangers here on earth.

Jacob knew he would always be a stranger in Mesopotamia.

Jacob knew the promise of God was to his seed, and those twelve children who he now had were those seed.

One of those children, Judah, would lead to the Messiah!

We all as fathers have the responsibility to take care of our families!

1Ti 5:8  But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 

This is not only food and clothing and a place to live but their safety and most of all to teach them about our Savior, who is also our Creator.

If we do not take care of our family in all the ways of God, then we do not have faith in the truth of God and are worse than an infidel.

*****Gen 30:26  Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee. 

We see what Jacob was asking for was freedom.

Jacob sought for the freedom to take care of his own family.

Jacob had been working for Laban all these years and Laban had prospered far above what he could have gained by himself, under the power of his own family.

Jacob's contract with Laban was fulfilled and he had no reason to hold him.

But Jacob's children were also the grandchildren of Laban and he might resist Jacob from taking them away from him.

Laban had deceived Jacob!

We are being deceived by powers we do not understand today in our government and our freedoms are at stake.

We are wrong if we do not try to keep our freedoms!

The biggest problem we see here in America is the fear of losing our freedoms.

Our freedoms are eroding away especially since this plague has begun and our government has seen what they can get away with.

The people have been much more than lenient, but our patience is ending, and this new government is not very promising.

It is our desire to be free, yet most people are under the bondage of not only governments, but more important in bondage to Satan.

Only Jesus can set us free!

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

It all begins with the same faith that Abraham had that caused his righteousness.

Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 

Laban was not ready to just allow Jacob to leave for he knew for certain he would prosper as long as Jacob remained in bondage to him.

In this we see Satan in typology.

Satan prospers every time he captures the child of God!

Gen 30:27  And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

Laban was ready to do about anything to keep Jacob, not because of his love for Jacob, not even because of his love for his children and grandchildren, but because he knew the God of Jacob would cause him to prosper as long as Jacob was working for him.

It was greed that had controlled Laban all his days!

The one thing Laban did not count on was that Jacob could also be a deceiver.

*****Gen 30:27  And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake. 

Gen 30:28  And he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.

Jacob had been a faithful and hard worker for fourteen years working long hours to care for the animals of Laban and Laban had prospered greatly.

Jacob had fulfilled his part of the contract with Laban.

It was Laban who was the deceiver all this time. 

Of course Jacob prospered in his work because God had promised Jacob many things.

Gen 28:15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 

God had also done as He had said He would do!

Laban did not want to lose Jacob because of his skills with animals.

Laban was willing to do just about anything to keep Jacob working for him and now was willing to pay him wages.

Laban entered into a partnership with Jacob.

Notice that even the wicked deceivers know how to speak pleasant words when it is for their own benefit.

This is another trait of Satan and Satan's followers!

Laban had seen the benefits of serving Yahweh, but Laban still considered Yahweh to be just one god among many other false gods.

Today we know there have been many lost souls who have benefited from the work of good Christian employees.

Many companies stay afloat because of good Christian workers and they do not want to lose them, but they are often not willing to treat them fairly.

At this time in Jacob's life, he realized that he was bound in duty to take care of his own family.

As long as he worked under contract for Laban, his family had no benefit. His sons had no future except to be slaves forever for Laban.

It was time for Jacob to think about them!

Jacob was ready to place his future in God's hands.

What would be Jacob's wages?

Gen 30:32  I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. 

Gen 30:33  So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.

Jacob agreed for Laban to remove all such animals from the herds, so there would be no crossbreeding and Jacob could only claim those born in the future.

Jacob believed it was in God's hands for the color of the different animals and we should to.

So it began.

For six long years these things went on and Laban's sons who were to spy on Jacob felt that he was in some way stealing their father’s animals.

Jacob did try some trickery, but that trickery was for the entertainment of those sons or Jacob thinking he could influence the birth of those animals, but the things Jacob had done could not have made those animals change their colors.

Gen 31:11  And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 

Gen 31:12  And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 

Gen 31:13  I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. 

Then Jacob decided it was time to leave with his family and leave in secret.

Many things happened as Jacob left for the Promised Land, but the most important thing was a wrestling match.

*****Gen 32:24  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 

Gen 32:25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 

Gen 32:26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 

Gen 32:27  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 

Jacob had sent his family over the river and decided he needed some time alone with God. (We all do)

He would soon be meeting with Esau, and Jacob had real fear for his life, and for the safety of his family.

What does the name Jacob mean? Jacob means a supplanter.

To supplant is to have a stratagem, a plan, or a scheme to take away someone else s possessions.

Use tricks to gain the advantage on someone else.

We should understand that it was not by Jacob's strength that he prevailed in this match, it was by Heaven's power.

We see again where prayer is the answer to all our problems.

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much

We should understand that when we are discouraged our Lord will not cause us more discouragement. 

The Lord is the answer to all our problems!

*****Gen 32:28  And he said, 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.

The Lord gave Jacob a new name.

Israel means at this time meant "a prince with God" and as a prince he had power with God.

Israel the man, would also have power with men.

Jacob learned that to become a new man he would have to change his behavior.

He could be no longer the supplanter but a true man of God.

Another meaning of the name Israel is "prevailed".

Jacob had prevailed with the help of God and he would prevail against Esau by the help of God!

What is our lesson here?

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. 

2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 

2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

It takes a prayer asking for forgiveness and repentance to gain the favor of God and then by God's "grace" we can also become a prince in the family of God!

God teaches us all these things in the Old Testament so we can see the same truths in the New Testament, and we will know our God is the same today as He was in the time of Jacob.

Amen.

We Will Reap What We Sow

 Esau and Jacob

Book of Genesis Chapters 27 through 29

The one most important of things we deal with in our life is, that God has a plan, and it is a plan of salvation with great reward.

We can only be a part of this plan by being obedient to God's Word!

We can reject God's plan and live in a life of torment forever after our death and most of our life, in one way or another.

We can take God's plan and try to turn and twist it to satisfy our own needs and our own will, which God will not allow.

This is what Isaac tried to do.

We should also notice there is not much information saved by the Holy Spirit about the life of Isaac.

Remember Abraham was such a dynamic man in the Scriptures that he overshadowed his only son Isaac, and much is written about Abraham.

Isaac and Rebekah at first lived a happy life until the birth of twins, Esau and Jacob.

It is at this point where deception entered into this family and changed the relationship with Isaac and his wife Rebekah and their two sons.

This deception caused outcomes that we still see in our world today!

What had God told Rebekah?

Gen 25:23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Since the Lord had said these things, then it was appropriate for this mother to act accordingly in raising her children, but it should never have been done by deceit.

Just as it was for Sarah, the same for Rebekah, God does not need our help to fulfill His promises!

Most of the time the Lord is just telling us how things will be, so we do not get caught off guard.

In fact, this is the purpose of all the Scriptures to tell us how things are going to be in this world!

The end of the Book tells us, that believe in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promises of God, that we are on the winning side and this is enough for me.

God does not need my help to make this happen, but He does invite me to be there when it happens!

It is a plain fact, that if we just accept what God has got to say and be a doer of the Word, our lives will be much more pleasant!

We cannot change the plan of God!

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

In real words, the Bible must be our looking glass, our mirror.

We must dress according to the Word of God.

We must act according to the Word of God.

We must live according to the Word of God.

What do we see?

Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 

Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 

Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

What must we realize?

Luk 12:23  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 

Luk 12:24  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 

Luk 12:25  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 

Luk 12:26  If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 

Luk 12:27  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

Luk 12:28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 

What should we seek?

Luk 12:31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

From the birth of these twins, Isaac knew the will of God and it was not in his power to change what God had commanded!

Gen 25:21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 

Gen 25:22  And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the LORD. 

Gen 25:23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 

Gen 25:24  And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 

Though they were twins, Esau was the elder of Jacob by birth and in the culture of that day, the father's blessings were given to the eldest son.

Another problem that caused harm to this family was, that each parent had their favorite child, and this should never be the case in any family.

We are to love all our children equally, for they will see if we do not!

Gen 25:27  And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 

Gen 25:28  And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. 

A family divided.

We should also understand that God is training us to be shepherds and not training us to be hunters.

What is favoritism? Giving preference to one above another.

Esau was a man of the world. He was addicted to his sports as so many men are today.

We already know that Isaac was a rich man, so Esau did not hunt to provide for food for his family. 

It was a sport like so many others take part in today.

It is not a bad thing to be hunter. We can be hunters and shepherds at the same time.

It is just like anything else we put before the Lord. It becomes an idol!

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Isaac was deceived as he blessed Jacob thinking he was blessing Esau.

*****Gen 27:28  Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 

Gen 27:29  Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. 

We should be very clear, once we know the will of God, we must operate under the laws of God!

We must act according to God's will for us!

We must never use deception to try to obtain what God has promised.

All sin will bring the chastisement of God and it must be this way.

One lie will lead to a second lie.

Deception will lead to further deception.

We must work according to God's timetable.

if we want to have a close personal relationship with Christ Jesus then we must conform to God's Will for us.

Mar 3:35  For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

The way of this world is by lies and deception, and we are not to be a part of that!

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What do we know?

We know that because Sarah interfered with the will of God, Ishmael was born and by him many Arab nations that still to this day have a hatred for the children of Israel.

We know that because of this action by Rebekah and Jacob, the descendants of Esau also hated Israel.

These family feuds could have been avoided if the people involved had not tried to rush the promises of God to suit their own agenda.

This world would be a much better place if our forefathers had been patient enough to wait on God!

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

It was not time for Jacob to receive the blessings of his father and not time for God's will to be carried out through Jacob.

As we study the Scriptures, we will see from this time until he was taken care of by Joseph, Jacob had troubles in his life caused by his own sons.

Much like the things that happened to King David after his terrible error with Bathsheba.

If we could do all things with our own strength, we would not need God! This is the greatest hoax that Satan uses!

Most of the world fall into the category today and the world is growing darker!

Isaac for some reason did not give Jacob the full blessing that had been given to him by his father.

The blessings included:

1) God's material blessings.

2) God's political blessings. Nations were to be under his authority and rule.

3) God would bless those nations that blessed Israel and God would curse those nations that cursed Israel.

What is not mentioned is that "and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" as was given to Abraham.

No sooner than Jacob had left then comes Esau.

*****Gen 27:30  And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 

As for Esau, the blessing as given to Abraham had no real meaning to him, but he did want to be blessed as the elder of Isaac's two sons.

Esau wanted God's will to match his own will instead of his will to match God's will.

This is the problem that still exist today and is growing throughout the modern Church!

The Church wants God to bow to the ways of the world and this will certainly not ever happen!

This is the thing that is destroying our world today!

We cannot be guided by our own will and receive the blessings of God!

We cannot fulfill the desires of our flesh and be in the will of God!

Isaac made an attempt to bestow God's blessings upon Esau, and we hear nothing more of Isaac in the Scriptures.

Esau knowing that he had sold his birthright to his brother, still tried to receive it from his father.

Esau did not love the Lord enough to make Him a priority.

Esau then entered into a mixed marriage with the world and its women.

This in itself would have disqualified him from receiving God's blessings

It was the hand of God that had stopped Isaac from making a terrible mistake.

As usual we see that it is Jehovah who sits in control of this world!

We are not to live as Esau lived and still claim the blessings of God!

The results brought another family feud that is still raging between some Arab nations and Israel.

*****Gen 27:41  And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. 

We immediately see that all those that are blessed of God are hated by those who reject the Will of God!

Those who reject the Will of God, are making plans to destroy those who have received the blessings of God!

We see this play out in our world today.

Notice that Esau would be pretending to mourn for his father as he planned to murder his brother.

How is Esau described by the Lord?

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 

Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 

Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 

We are not to seeking the blessings of this world as was Esau!

Heb 12:18  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 

We are seeking the City of God!

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 

Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 

Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

Isaac knew the thing he had tried to do was against the will of God, so he sent his son away to avoid the wrath of Esau.

*****Gen 28:1  And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 

Gen 28:2  Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. 

Gen 28:3  And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 

Gen 28:4  And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 

Rebekah knew that it was important not only to preserve the life of Jacob, but also for Jacob to find a suitable wife and we already know that the Canaanites were a cursed people.

We should notice another important thing, it is at this time that Isaac gave Jacob the blessing of Abraham, which he had withheld earlier.

This was very important!

Gal 3:13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 

Gal 3:14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

Gal 3:15  Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 

Gal 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 

Gal 3:17  And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 

We know that as Jacob journeyed God came to Jacob in a dream.

*****Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 

Gen 28:13  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 

Gen 28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 

Gen 28:15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 

The vision of what is called Jacob's ladder is one of the great stories in the Bible.

It is also overlooked by many.

As Jacob had begun his journey, he traveled as a lost man, unsure of himself and unsure of his future. Remember Jacob may have been a young man, maybe no more than twenty.

The vision of a great ladder reaching from earth up into Heaven. Some say a better translation would be a stairway, but they basically mean the same thing, but remember not all people can climb a ladder as easily as they can a stairway.

The way to Heaven is a narrow pathway!

What did Jesus say to Nathaniel?

Joh 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

The phrase the "Son of Man" means the Messiah of Heaven and Earth. 

In Jacob's dream the Lord stood above the ladder.

What the Lord Jesus said was that the work that He came to do would link all that believed to His Heavenly Father.

In other words that ladder is a type of Christ, the only true connection from Earth to Heaven!

We know that the Angels of Heaven are sent to watch over us.

We should also realize that there is great gulf between Heaven and Earth, and Jesus provides that only pathway to Heaven!

It is only by Jesus the Messiah we can get to Heaven!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

It is only by Jesus that our prayers can reach into the throne room of God.

Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Even the Angels ascend and descend by means of Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus then verifies the promises given to Abraham and Isaac, are the same promises given to Jacob.

Then the Lord tells Jacob ", I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of"

This is the same promise that is given to everyone who has faith, faith like that of Abraham.

Before the Messiah came sin separated us from our Heavenly Father.

Isa 59:1  Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Since the Lord completed His work by the cross on Mount Calvary, that sin has been removed to all those who believe.

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 

Jesus has assigned His Angels to watch over us until we go home!

Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 

We might ask ourselves just what does Jacob's Ladder mean to you?

Jacob said this reminds me of the Bethel of God.

*****Gen 28:19  And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 

Bethel means "House of God".

Luz means a nut bearing tree. Luz was a royal city of the Canaanites when Moses wrote these words and later became the city of Bethel.

Jacob could not have known these things, so we can be sure he meant "House of God".

Jacob became a believer and he prospered from that day forward, but he was still not perfect. He still had the sin nature passed down by Adam and Eve.

 In typology we can see that many a believer came to know the truth of Jesus Christ at the House of God and still do.

We are still to gather at the House of God!

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

Again in typology we must pledge our life to the Lord.

*****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. 

As we read Jacob's vow, what is our Christian vow?

When we ask the Lord Jesus to come into our heart and save us, we must also make a vow of repentance.

Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mar 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

1) The Lord will be with us throughout our lifetime.

2) The Lord will keep us in the Jesus way.

3) The Lord will provide my food.

4) The Lord will provide my clothing.

5) The Lord provide that peace of knowing salvation.

Then shall the Lord be my God!

That "Stone" is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The House of God must be built upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is this same place where we will give at least a tithe. That word tithe means a tenth of these things that the Lord has given to us.

We see we are not much different from Jacob the day he met the Lord.

But the deceiver also gets deceived.

*****Gen 29:25  And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? 

We should understand that even if we belong to the Lord we will suffer for our sins.

Jacob had deceived his father Isaac into giving him the blessing of the first born, even after from his birth our Heavenly Father had said he would rule over his brother.

Gen 25:23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

I believe the Lord chose to show Jacob how deception felt to his father.

We must learn from our mistakes!

You know God still says to honor our parents and will reward us for doing so.

Exo 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

It was bad enough to deceive but to deceive his father was sin.

For the reason of greed, Laban deceived Jacob.

Jacob had worked seven years for the hand of Rachel but in the darkness of the tent at nighttime Laban had provided Leah.

We live in a world where lights are everywhere, but the darkness of sin is also everywhere!

Laban had been unrighteous, but the Lord remained righteous in providing a wife for Jacob.

Laban offers up his excuse because, he knew God had prospered Jacob, and Laban had been the receiver of that prosperity, and he knew Jacob would do almost anything to gain the hand of Rachel.

*****Gen 29:26  And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 

Gen 29:27  Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. 

Gen 29:28  And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. 

Gen 29:29  And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. 

Gen 29:30  And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. 

There can be little doubt that Laban had planned his deceit of Jacob for some time.

We must understand God's rule of law. We will reap what we sow!

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 

Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

God had not needed for Jacob to deceive his earthly father. 

God had already given his plan to Rebekah and we can be sure that Isaac was aware of it.

God's plan will continue to work no matter how we accept it! He does not need our help.

We can be a part of God's plan willingly or not at all.

Jacob had given himself to the Lord at Bethel.

He was so hungry for Rachel that Laban was able to fool him easily.

Abraham and Isaac had settled in their minds that they were to have only one wife at a time.

For Jacob to get Rachel, the one he desired, he would have two wives and be against the wishes of God.

Laban took advantage of the covetousness and lust of Jacob for Rachel.

It would seem to us, that Jacob would have come to know his bride to be, enough to realize this deception.

Pro 5:18  Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 

Pro 5:19  Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. 

Pro 5:20  And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 

We do not know how Jacob was deceived but he was.

When we try to see great differences in Rachel and Leah, we actually see that they were only different in their faces which was covered by a veil.

Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself. 

The truth is, had Leah so desired, she could have stopped what was happening, but she saw this as a means to escape her deceiving father for a new life and we know she began to pray to Jehovah over her children.

Jacob did not ever love Leah for his love was for Rachel, but Jacob continued with Leah and she bare him many children including Judah who would be the son who would carry on with the covenant given to Abraham.

As far God was concerned, Leah was the wife of Jacob though Jacob never loved her.

Gen 29:31  And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. 

Again, we see that we need to very careful as we seek a wife.

The world is full of deception.

Jacob was so caught up in his lust for Rachel, he was easily deceived by the world!

We live in a world full of deception as we see all these things going on around us with this climate change hoax, the handling of the virus plague, the elections, and the loss of our freedoms every day.

Just recently saw where our politicians would rather help foreign governments who have proved to be our enemies rather than help the American people. What a joke they are.

The Church is under attack more in America than it ever has been.

It is not time to quit on God in fact it is time to stand up for what we believe while the laws are still on our side!

Those laws will change to be against us!

The laws of God will never change, and the greatest law is the law of "faith"!

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Where is our faith today?

Amen

Marriage Must Begin With the Love of God

 Finding A Wife for Isaac

Book of Genesis Chapters 24 Through 26

The one thing Abraham realized and we to are to realize is, that it is just a great thing to be involved in the plan of God.

It is a great thing to be in the family of God and being left upon this earth to do the work He has assigned to us.

We must make the will of God for us to be our own will!

We should understand that God takes these little things that are so important in life and with them, teaches us the great mysteries of the Bible and the truth of His Word.

A marriage is of great concern to our Heavenly Father. 

A marriage that follows the Biblical design will be a lasting marriage and also teaches us the relationship of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Church.

Yes, the Church belongs to Jesus Christ. 

It astounds me that so many so-called churches have removed the Lord Jesus Christ and are no longer a part of God's Church and no longer married to the Lord Jesus Christ though they still claim to be and their members who have rejected the Word of God.

They reject the truth of Jesus.

They reject that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

They reject the truth of the Scriptures allowing man's law to take priority.

They reject the Virgin birth.

They reject the Cross.

Yet they claim to know the way to Heaven.

God cares who we marry and to marry is one of the great decisions we make in our lifetime.

A good marriage will be filled with love, joy, and peace just as our relationship with our Savior will be.

A marriage will be between one man and one woman and God decided their sex at birth.

A marriage to the wrong person will only bring heartache!

It was time for Isaac to get married.

*****Gen 24:1  And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 

Gen 24:2  And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: 

Gen 24:3  And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: 

Gen 24:4  But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

In the day of Abraham it was common for the parents to arrange the marriage of their children.

Abraham was 140 years old and Isaac was now 40 years old and mature.

Sarah, Isaac's mother had been dead for 3 years and Isaac still mourned for his mother.

We should understand that God has a time for us to think about marriage!

God is not involved but only in part, in the marriage of unbelievers.

Remember unbelievers do not know the Word of God nor do they respect the Word of God.

They are best described as those people who lived in the day of Noah before the flood destroyed them.

No doubt that Abraham had discussed these things of marriage with his son Isaac.

Abraham was insisting that Isaac would not marry a maid of the Canaanites.

We already know the Canaanites worshiped false gods and had wicked and immoral beliefs.

God had already destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and three more cities of the plain, and there had been no survivors.

It is probable that the remaining Canaanites did not realize why such a thing would happen and brushed it off as something natural.

This still happens today!

The world does not see the acts of God nor the miracles of God and brush them off as accidents or blame them on nature or other people, such as this Climate Change hoax that is blamed on humanity rather than the promises of God.

Certainly, the climate is changing and if people are worried about heat, they had better learn how to avoid Hell!

God has said things will get worse and we see it in plagues, in the climate, in wickedness, corruption, and immorality and the wickedness in high places.

We know Jehovah is righteous and it is the right thing to do to destroy unrighteousness, but only God has this knowledge to do so.

The Canaanites were a cursed people.

Gen 9:25  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 

Abraham would never have chosen a daughter of the Canaanites!

To Abraham there was only one choice for Isaac this wife was to be chosen from Abraham's home country, the descendants of Noah's son Shem.

We used to have a tradition to swear an oath by laying our hand on the Holy Bible.

In the day of Abraham and oath was sworn by a hand upon the thigh.

It was a sacred thing and was not to be broken.

In our father’s day a handshake was as good as an oath!

Today you have to sign your name a hundred times just to get a loan.

As we follow the journey of this eldest servant, we will see another lesson in typology.

We will see this eldest servant as the Holy Spirit.

Isaac as the Messiah.

Abraham as Jehovah.

Rebekah as the Church, the gentile bride of Christ.

Abraham said to his servant that Jehovah would send His angel to guide him.

Abraham knew if his son was in the lineage to the Messiah, then Jehovah would be involved in his marriage!

One thing we should clearly understand, it is better not to marry than to enter into a bad marriage!

As Abraham instructed his servant, if the woman does not come willingly then Isaac will not marry her.

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Remember to be saved we must willingly give ourselves to the truth of God and repent from the ways of the world.

Believers should marry true believers or not marry at all!

*****Gen 24:10  And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. 

Notice just as the Holy Spirit is God, just as God the Father and God the Son, this eldest servant had control of all the goods of Abraham.

The journey to Mesopotamia was as much as a 500-mile trip and it would take a lot of supplies to go and return from such a trip. 

It is the will of God that we marry a true believer, and we may have trouble finding one. It may take some time and we must be prepared for the journey.

If we are to find our soul mate, we must trust the Word of God and the Will of God and that He will lead us to that person who He has chosen for us.

In reality, it would be wise to not even date someone who does not meet these qualifications given by the Lord.

This servant came to the end of his journey, and he prayed for guidance.

*****Gen 24:11  And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. 

Gen 24:12  And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. 

We must always pray for the guidance of the Lord!

I fail in this myself and usually just dart off on my own.

What is God's promise?

Psa 32:8  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 

What is our prayer?

Psa 119:133  Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. 

Psa 25:4  Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. 

What should I clearly understand? The promises of God.

Psa 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

And why not pray for good speed, remembering we must understand that God's timing is the best timing!

And why not pray before for specific things before we meet anyone who might be that perfect mate!

*****Gen 24:14  And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 

This servant prayed to God for a sign.

We make huge mistakes when we do not pray before we choose a mate.

If God is not involved with us before our marriage, how do we expect to have a good marriage?

Notice how specific this prayer was.

This precious lady would be the one God had chosen for Isaac.

This precious lady would approach this servant of Abraham and ask him if he wanted a drink of water.

This precious lady would then draw water for his camels. This was in itself no easy task. A camel can easily drink 20 to 30 of more gallons of water and there were 10 camels.

It would be almost impossible to find a precious soul willing to do these things for a stranger, but nothing is too hard for God.

Her name was Rebekah, which means "she could ensnare you with her beauty".

*****Gen 24:15  And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

Rebekah was one who, when she walked into the room, you could not take your eyes off of her.

Not just her beauty but her work ethic and friendliness.

Even before this servant said Amen, his prayer was answered!

Rebekah was God's choice to be the bride of Isaac!

I believe when we are men of sincere prayer, God will provide that soul mate for life.

It is not our custom today to send someone else to find us a wife, we must do this ourselves, but God must be involved!

We should still listen to our parents if they are godly parents.

We still need God and we still need prayer and God does not mind providing a wife for godly men!

Gen 2:18  And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 

Pro 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. 

Ecc 4:9  Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 

Ecc 4:10  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 

Ecc 4:11  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 

Ecc 4:12  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

1Pe 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 

And Rebekah was certainly beautiful.

*****Gen 24:16  And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 

What is a virgin according to the Bible, a lady that has never been with a man in a sexual encounter!

Even though Rebekah was very fair to look upon, she did not stand still and allow this man she had just met to just gaze upon her.

Many today blessed with beauty take advantage of it in not so godly ways.

It is also very true, that beauty is only skin deep, and inner beauty is more important than outer beauty.

Being humble, courteous, with a charitable disposition will make us more pleasant to the eyes of those watching us and there is always someone watching us including the Lord.

These are the things that bring a reward from our Heavenly Father.

Mat 10:41  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 

Mat 10:42  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Not part of our lesson but verse 21

Gen 24:21  And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 

Notice this servant was amazed at the things he was seeing as he had prayed.

As this servant questioned Rebekah, he found that she was from the family that Abraham had sent him seeking a wife for Isaac.

He then bowed his head and worshiped again amazed at the ways of God.

The only thing he did not know then was "if she were willing".

Like the Holy Spirit this servant showed Rebekah some of the treasures of choosing the truth of God.

Gen 24:22  And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 

We also see the secular side of this family.

Gen 24:30  And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. 

It is the lust of the eyes that got the attention of Laban, Rebekah's brother.

This servant of Abraham knew God had prospered his journey and it was not time to linger. 

*****Gen 24:56  And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. 

When our prayers our answered such as this one from Abraham's servant it was not time to linger with unbelievers.

It was very clear, that God was involved in the things going on with this marriage of Rebekah to Isaac.

When we accept the gift of salvation then we must understand this is a new life, a living life.

We live in a dyeing world, but Heaven is a place of Glory.

The servant showed Rebekah and her family the riches of Abraham.

Gen 24:53  And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. 

When we give our dead life to the Living Savior, we obtain a new life!

Heb 10:18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 

Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God; 

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 

We begin to prosper as we begin our journey with the Lord.

We must give ourselves willingly.

*****Gen 24:57  And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. 

Gen 24:58  And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

What are some great lessons we can learn from this simple story of seeking a wife for Isaac?

We must saturate our work for the Lord with prayer.

We must wait on the Lord for direction.

We must praise our Heavenly Father.

If we see Rebekah as that lost soul, then we must imagine her as someone who hears the Gospel.

She had to realize there was a great father reaching out to her.

He had only one son, His only begotten son and He was well beloved.

He was in search of a Gentile Bride amongst all of the world.

She would be the bride of His dear Son, forever and forever.

She was not worthy of such blessings.

This in typology is the way God calls us all.

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

*****Gen 24:59  And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. 

Gen 24:60  And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. 

What we see is that the journey home has begun.

As Rebekah has willingly given herself to Isaac even at a distance, she has consented to be his wife.

Each of us who have given ourselves to the Lord are now on our journey home.

Rebekah, a Gentile Bride, espoused to God's chosen son Isaac.

From Isaac would one day come the Messiah.

Rebekah, thou art also our sister!

Now that she was going to be a wife they prayed along the lines of God's blessings.

She would certainly be the mother of millions as every "Born Again" child of God adds to this number.

Without a doubt many of her seed will possess the gate of those who hate them as Israel entered into Canaan Land and forward into the Millennial Kingdom.

What had God promised Abraham?

Gen 22:16  And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 

Gen 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 

Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

*****Gen 24:61  And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 

As the bride to be began her journey, the servant began his journey home.

You see as we are the Bride of Christ, the Holy Spirit will lead us to Jesus.

It may not always be a pleasant trip because we live in the world of our enemies, but we have no excuse for not enjoying it.

After all we are not going to Canaan Land, but we are going to Heaven, the true Promised Land.

The same land that Abraham was seeking and never found because he knew it was not of this earth.

Those who think Heaven will be upon this earth are wrong and foolish to believe that God would say He is giving us the best and then stop short of doing so.

1Co_2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

As Rebekah rode upon a camel, we ride upon the "Grace" of God.

2Co_12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2Co_13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

The Holy Spirit will only lead us to the Bridegroom!

Joh_15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

*****Gen 24:62  And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. 

Gen 24:63  And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 

Lahairoi means "the well of the Living God".

Jesus said 

Joh_Psa_42:2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

If we are not craving the water from the Living God, then we had better check our salvation.

Psa_84:2  My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Psa_42:2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Isaac was dwelling near this well at this time waiting upon his wife to be and the Lord Jesus Christ is that well of "Living Water" and He will soon be coming to take us home to present His Bride to His heavenly Father.

Where is the best place to meditate? Near the well of Living Water.

What did Jesus teach the Samaritan woman?

Joh_4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Isaac could not have known the camels would be returning on this day.

Isaac was alone, still mourning the death of his mother who loved him so much. 

Isaac had been the only begotten son of Abraham and Sarah.

Isaac was the promised son!

Jesus said:

Mat_6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

On this day, this field in the evening time, near the well of Living Water, was the place where Isaac felt closest to the Lord.

We all need a place where we can meditate on our relationship with our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

No doubt one of the thoughts of Isaac was this wife his father had sent for and we can be sure he prayed over this matter and lo and behold to Isaac his prayer was answered.

Rebekah knew this thing also.

*****Gen 24:64  And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 

Gen 24:65  For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. 

In those days it would have been unmannerly for Rebekah to remain seated when she saw Isaac walking. There was no exception even made for a woman. 

Rebekah would not even wait until the camel she was riding came to rest, but she lighted off the camel. She simply jumped off the camel which is taller than a horse in her excitement.

She quickly recovered her composure and covered herself with a veil.

I ask myself what will I be like when I first see Jesus?

Will I lose my composure as did Rebekah?

Will I regain my composure and show respect?

Will I fall on my face before the glory of the Living God?

In reality, I believe I will be in great fear until the Lord says, "peace be with you".

To be honest I believe the Lord God of this Universe will be waiting with open arms.

If we cannot be excited about going to Heaven, then something is wrong with us!

If we cannot be excited about being saved, then maybe we are not thinking right.

When we recover, we will remember we stand before a Holy God, who has loved us into His Own Home, and we will forever be welcome in His House!

Heaven will be a happy place, not solemn and gloomy!

Isaac wanted to know all the details of the journey of his bride.

Jesus will want to hear us describe our journey to Him for He will be just as excited as we will be.

*****Gen 24:66  And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 

Gen 24:67  And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. 

The Holy Spirit would not have saved all these details if they were not important!

It is love that filled the tent of Isaac.

It will be love that will fill the Temple of God in Heaven.

God will never love us less then He loves us now and he cannot love us more because He has that true love.

We are not lured into Heaven. Heaven is a place desired by both parties.

The Lord Jesus went back to Heaven to build us a mansion in His Father's House.

This is the truth of salvation!

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Jesus has given us the instructions on how to get to Heaven.

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

With the love of his wife, Isaac was comforted from the death of his mother Sarah.

As we live upon this earth there may be many of our loved ones who have gone on before us.

When we see all those in Heaven it will be a great comfort to see them again and then knowing we will never be separated from them again.

There will also be some that we loved who will not be there and we will be comforted by our Savior for those we will never see again.

Those who are married in a Christian home have a little taste of the relationship of the Bride of Christ to the Bridegroom Christ Himself, but we that know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior will experience the greatest life that exist when we get to Heaven.

I love you Jesus!

It has been worth every mile of the trip.

Amen.