The God of Bethel

 God is always faithful. When God makes a promise, we can trust Him to keep it every time. When God establishes a covenant with us, He will never forsake that holy agreement. We see both of these things in Jacob's life. When Jacob left Canaan to go find a wife from Laban's daughters, God met him as he laid down to sleep that night. God passed down the Abrahamic Covenant to his descendant, Jacob, and He promised Jacob to be with him on his journey, finally bringing him back home safely. (Genesis 28:13-15) When Jacob woke up from seeing the ladder to heaven and hearing from God, he took the rock upon which he laid his head and anointed it with oil, and made a solemn vow to God. Genesis 28:20) He promised to make God his God, if He would watch over him on his journey, feed and clothe him, and bring him home safely. (Genesis 28:20) God did all of that, and Jacob was faithful to the Lord all of his 20 years with Laban. Then, when God told Jacob to return to the land of his birth, God reminded him of the place where he made the covenant with him and gave him the promise. Jacob had named that place Bethel, which means, "House of God." (Genesis 31:13) God came to him as the God of Bethel to show His faithfulness. God does the same for us, as we believe in Him and His promises today.

Can you remember the times in your life when God has come to you and revealed Himself and His will to you? If we have every trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, I am sure we remember that place and time. That is when God established His New Covenant with us in the death and resurrection of Christ. He promised to forgive our sins and give us eternal life, if we would turn from our sins, trust Jesus to save us, and surrender to Him as Lord. That is our part of the covenant. We can be sure God will never break that covenant. Also, if we have every had a special encounter with God in which He revealed His will to us, we remember that place and time. I know it has happened to me several times in my life, and I cherish each memory and the commitments I made to do what He called me to do. These are spiritual markers we can remember, so we see how God has blessed us and led us in the past. That gives us great confidence that He will continue to do the same in the future. That is why Jacob knew God would be with him as he went home to his family. The God of Bethel was with him, and He is with us.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 32-34.