Do you value and treasure meeting with the Lord? Jacob finally came to that point in his life. Let’s look at the steps he took to prepare to meet the Lord.
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.”
And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. Genesis 35:1-4
God met Jacob for the first time at Bethel when he was running away from Esau having deceived his father and stolen his brother’s inheritance through lying. (Genesis 28:15)
In Genesis 35, after years of being away from parents, marrying two women and having twelve children, Jacob is finally coming back to Bethel. In all the years that transpired Jacob was a schemer and self-preserver, but now things are finally different.
Jacob instructed his household to do the following:
Put away foreign gods: Jacob instructed his entire household to put away foreign gods. When we get comfortable in our spiritual walk, it’s easier to take on the ways of our culture, follow its path, and making it our standard. For example, we can pay a lot of attention to sports, entertainment, lofty college goals for our children, making them the focus of our prayers instead of praying for character, faithfulness, integrity, or their choice of future mate. There is nothing wrong with any of those activities as long as they have proper place in our lives and don’t become a distraction. The distractions of this age are not what we should spend “all” of our effort pursuing, but we must teach ourselves and our children to navigate in the midst of all the good stuff and choose the best of what God has for us. This means learning how to hear God and prioritize.
Purify yourselves: Jacob knew putting away foreign gods is just the beginning. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence”. Matthew 23:25 While it is important to put away the foreign gods, it is more important to allow the Lord to purify our hearts of any wrong motives, selfish ambition, deceit, lying, jealousy, envy, ungodly desires, and competition. Those things are obstacles to faith, obedience, and impede a person from truly trusting God.
Change your garments: Taking a bath wasn’t a daily activity in the ancient Middle East because water was not easily accessible. As a result people changed clothes after they had a bath which could be several days apart from each other. They also changed garments when there was a special occasion and were ready to celebrate something or attend a special event such as a bride and groom wearing their special garments to prepare for their special day!! In this case, Jacob was preparing himself to meet with the Lord, and he wanted to have everything right!!!
It takes effort to stay close to the Lord and meet with him. Just like a relationship with another person, it takes two to make the relationship strong and vibrant; both people have a part to play. For many years, God was merciful to Jacob in spite of Jacob, but there came a time that Jacob understood he needed and desired this relationship too, and it required him to put his sinful & immature ways aside and start living the life that honored the Lord.
Immaturity and sinfulness were not enjoyable to Jacob and they can’t be enjoyable to us either. There is a distaste for the things of the past because the Lord has changed our heart. They must not bring the satisfaction they brought to us years ago. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel which means “God prevails”!! Jacob is a changed man who has been prevailed by God and now God could trust!!
We can’t afford to be stuck in immature or sinful ways!! Are we willing to do what it takes to have a strong and vibrant relationship with the Lord?
Then Jacob built an altar: Jacob reminds himself and his family that the God who met him there years ago when he was a single man, running away from his brother is the God who has been with Jacob, and has protected and provided for him all these years. This is a huge change for many of us including Jacob. If you are a talented, and a hard working person, it is easy to think that you have accomplished everything through your hard work. The Lord has changed Jacob’s heart. He has come to the end of his scheming years and settling into trusting God. Having done all of the above, Jacob came prepared to have a meeting with the Lord of the universe!!!
I am so thankful that the Lord did not give up on Jacob, and he doesn’t give up on us either. Every day we have a new invitation to walk closer with Him because His mercies are new every morning. Thank you Lord for your mercies towards us, and for being long suffering with us. We value your presence and you meeting with us. We love you and we desire to love you more!!!