God of Bethel

Gen.31:13, ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ”

 After recieiving the blessings from his father, Jacob set out his journey from Beersheba towards Haran where his uncle Laban lived. Beersheba was the place where his grandfather , Abraham dwelt. The place was named as Beersheba because of the vows made by Abraham and A-bimelech towards each other to be kind to each other (Gen.21:31). Its literal meaning is ‘well of oath’. Abraham and Abimelech dwelt in that land on the basis of this covenant and they dwelt peacefully. Now as Jacob was being sent away by his parents to Laban, Isaac blessed Jacob and  charged him not to take a wife from Canaan. Gen.28:7 says that Jacob agreed & obeyed his parents and set out his journey. He submitted himself to the decision of his father  not to take a girl from Canaan as his wife. This was a covenant made between the father and the son. The blessings spoken over Jacob would come into pass only if he would keep the charge given to him.

Israelites were  sanctified to form the people who belonged to God  for the holy seed of Messiah to come forth. Hence, they were commanded not to take girls as wives from any  heathen  people (Deut.7:3-4). This was  a covenant with the Lord. The divine blessings would be on Israel as long as they would walk in the holiness of the Lord. A Christian life is a life of covenant. The covenant has been made on grounds of holiness, without which no one can see the Lord.

Jacob set out from Beersheba and came to an unknown place. As the sun was setting, he tarried there all night and put stones as pillows to lie down and sleep. Soon he saw a dream which he had not sought for. He had sought only sleep and rest but was given a vision instead. A person whose life is based on divine covenant receives divine vision without being sought for. This is also termed as the divine calling of heaven. None of us sought  a ‘calling’ from heaven. We were  ‘called’ even before we were born on this earth and was manifested to our inner eyes as we were sanctified to live a holy life. This vision robbed the sleep from the eyes of tired Jacob and made him set up his stone pillow as a pillar. A called person cannot remain in comfortable mode of life for long. The vision given to him pulls him out of the comfort zone to be watchful over his own soul and the souls around him.

Gen.28:19, ‘ And he called the name of that place ^d]Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.’ An unknown  place becomes a known place when a ‘called and predestined person’ steps into it. God’s presence in this place  made this place special and unique.  Jacob did not realize this till he saw the dream. It’s the divine vision and mission of our life which makes us realize the continuous presence of the Lord in our lives. Bethel became the place of covenant made between the Lord and Jacob.

Further, Jacob made a vow before the Lord saying “ And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you.” A person who realizes his unconditional calling works towards the destination of this calling through covenants and vows. Here, Jacob himself enters into a covenant with the Lord. Though the calling of a person is unconditional, the destination of the calling is conditional.

Jacob  continued his journey to Laban’s house, where he  settled down as a family person with two wives, Rachel and Leah and thirteen children. He increased in wealth and possessions. All through out, he kept the covenant of not taking a wife from Canaan and the blessing pronounced upon him became more and more visible upon him. Soon a time came, when Jacob realized that he did not enjoy the favor of his uncle, Laban any more. He became helpless and anxious. But the Lord’s eyes watched over Jacob. His angel spoke to Jacob in a dream. Gen.31:13, ‘ I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’ ” Here, we see that the Lord reminded Jacob of the covenant made in Bethel by  calling  Himself ‘God of Bethel’. Covenants made with the Lord are registered in heaven. Jacob was being now delivered from the hands of Laban on the basis of this covenant. One’s deliverance and protection  is based on the divine covenants one has made in life.

 Gen.31:44-55 again witnesses a covenant. This was between Jacob and Laban, where they agree to be in peace with each other and (V 50) where Jacob swears not to afflict his wives, Rachel and Leah & not to  take any other wives other than the two who he already had. Gen.31:53, ‘Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.’ Jacob feared the God of his father, Isaac. He swore with the complete realisation and submission before the holiness of the Lord. We need to commit & re-commit our lives again and again  on grounds of holiness, which alone strengthens the covenant relation. A heap of stones were set as a witness of this covenant. Habakkuk 2:11 says that even the stones and the beam out of the timber shall witness against the ones who break the covenant of holiness with the Lord.

Gen.32:9-10 speaks about the prayer of Jacob at the time he faced Esau, his brother. The prayer begins with a reminder to the Lord about the promise He had made to Jacob in Bethel.  Gen.32:9, ‘Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’:…”.  Previously, God reminded Jacob of his vow and here, Jacob reminded God of His promise. This is the beauty of a covenant. They give us the privilege of reminding each other of the agreement made and motivate us to order our lives on its basis.

Jacob met the Lord face to face in a place which was later named Peniel (Gen.32:30).  He wrestled with the Lord in prayer all night all alone till the God of Bethel blessed him with the divine blessings as per the covenant made. Blessings of covenants come into lives in its fullness only through face to face encounters with the Lord time and again through steadfast, fervent  and intimate prayer life. Jacob was a different person after this encounter. Divine covenants transform the lives of the covenant maker.

Gen.35:1, ‘Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”’ The final word of the Lord to go and dwell in Bethel came in. Immediately Jacob commanded his house to keep away strange gods and to be clean. Holiness and deeper holiness is the only way to get into the fulfillment of the covenant. The covenant  made in Bethel  was finally coming into pass in its completeness. The God of Bethel proved His faithfulness to His promise and so did Jacob, who made the covenant with the Lord. Its only the faithfulness of covenant makers that ultimately make the covenants come into pass. Jacob proved his faithfulness inspite of the turbulent life he lived.

Abraham, who was the father of nations entered into a covenant with the Lord and the whole nation of Israel based their lives on this covenant. Both God and the congregation of Israel were bound to each other through this covenant  till the promised seed of Messiah was born. God of Bethel refers to God of covenants. In the New Testament, we who are the seed of Abraham by faith, have entered into the new covenant with the Lord through the blood of Christ, which justifies us and makes us righteous in His eyes. As apostle Paul wrote, let us work towards our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil.2:12). As long as we walk in obedience and live a life lead by the Spirit of God, we are in this new covenant. And this covenant relation leads us to the fulfillment of  His promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus, our messiah. A life out of this covenant is out of God’s plan for the concerned life. May we be reminded of the covenant made with Christ, our redeemer and be faithful till the day of redemption.

God bless us all

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