THE GOD OF BETHEL

                                          

One afternoon we were scheduled to do a concert outside of Wellworth department store in downtown London. The weather looked menacing, but we knew the Lord wanted us there. We prayed that there would be no rain and expected a miracle. As we arrived at Wellworth, the menacing sky menaced more; it broke out into a thunderous downpour. We felt quite letdown by God. Hadn’t we prayed in faith? Hadn’t we gone there at the risk of our lives to serve him? At the last moment our guide found another venue, a store around the corner where we could set up and sing, even with the pounding rain. Then in the middle of our concert BOOM! A bomb had gone off right in the door next to Wellworth, the place where we would have been had the Lord granted our request (Ed Vasicek ,2010)  lo

After serving 14 years for his two wives, Jacob approached his uncle Laban about returning to Canaan (30:25-26). Laban responded “Stick around a while... the Lord has blessed me on your account. Name your wages.”  Jacob made a proposal that sounded too good to be true. He said that if all the spotted, speckled animals will be his, he will go on tending Laban’s flock. These animals were rare, so Laban quickly agreed to it. Both men thought the agreement was one that they could manipulate to their own advantage and at the expense of the other. Each of them must have left chuckling to himself.

Laban immediately removed all such animals and put them three days’ journey away to prevent them from breeding with the flock Jacob was tending (30:25-36).  Jacob immediately went to work implementing his scheme. He peeled fresh tree branches and put them in front of the watering troughs where the strongest animals mated (30:35-43). Jacob’s breeding scheme seemed to work, the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob; this time he had won. But, in a dream the Lord revealed to Jacob that it’s not his crazy scheme which was working, it’s God who ensured all the mating males were streaked ,speckled and spotted “for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you...I am the God of Bethel” (31:10-13).  

The God of Bethel was with Jacob, watching his every move! The dream must have made Jacob reflect on what had been happening. He could now see God’s hand on him over the 20 difficult years; his prosperity and protection had come from God. He told his wives “your father changed my wages ten times; however God has not allowed him to harm me. If he said “the specked ones will be your wages”, then all the flock gave birth to specked young and if he said “the streaked ones will be your wages”, then all the flock bore streaked young. So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me” (31:7-9). Jacob had fled to Haran with nothing (32:10) but he had become “exceedingly prosperous” (30:43). 

We are not told about God speaking to Jacob during the years he struggled under Laban. But after 20 years God spoke to him and said “I am the God of Bethel, where you made a vow to me, now leave this land at once and go back to your own home” (31:13). Had Jacob forgotten his vow to God (28:20-22)?  Up to this point God had fulfilled his promise (28:15); he had taken him safely to Haran and watched over him over there (31:5). Now it was time to take him back home (31:3). God had proved to Jacob that he was faithful, mighty and ever present.

God introduced himself as “the God of Bethel”. Jacob had a memorable encounter with God at Bethel 20 years before. It’s good to remember the times and places where we encountered the Lord in wonderful ways. God reminds us he is still the same and that he can still do it again. In Deuteronomy 8, God told the Israelites “remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years (v.2)...your cloths did not wear out and your feet did not swell (v.4). Your God is bringing you into a good land with brooks, streams, wheat and barley (vv7-8). When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you, be careful that you do not forget your God (vv10-11). 

Otherwise when you build fine houses and settle down and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land with venomous snakes and scorpions (v.15). You may say to yourself “my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me (v.18). But remember the Lord for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow to them you will surely be destroyed”.

God had already planned for the departure. First he put in Jacob the desire to go back home (30:25). Then life in Haran became unpleasant. One time he overheard Laban’s sons saying that he had taken away all that their father had; he also noticed that Laban’s attitude had changed (31:1-5). God spoke to him and told him it’s time to go home (31:13). The increasing antagonism of Laban’s house hold encouraged Jacob to obey God’s command. His wives were more than willing to go with him (31:14-16). All this was the doing of the God of Bethel.

Jacob presence (30:27) and hard work (31:6, 38-42) had made Laban rich. So he knew that Laban would not release him easily. But God’s promise “return…and I will be with you”(31:3) should have given Jacob confidence to leave the right way instead of sneaking out (31:19-21). Jacob took what was rightfully his and fled towards Canaan. When Laban heard about it, he went after him. What Laban did not know was that he had to reckon with someone stronger than Jacob. Laban told Jacob “I have the power to harm you, but last night the God of your father said to me “don’t say anything to Jacob either good or bad” (31:24, 29).  

Laban initiated a peace treaty with Jacob, which served to establish a border for Jacob, so that he was never tempted to return to Haran (31:52). It locked him into the forward course toward Canaan, in spite of his fears of Esau. There’s a humorous contrast here between Laban’s idols and Jacob’s God. Laban pursued Jacob to retrieve his gods. Jacob’s God appeared warned Laban to leave Jacob alone. What is the value of gods that can be stolen? They even got sat on by a on her menstrual cycle.

Jacob’s failures can get us surprised. Even after getting Gods promise, he did not trust God. He still tried to rely on deceit and shrewdness. How marvelous was God’s patience with his unworthy servant! In his own time and way, he would lead Jacob to the right path and enable him to fulfill his purpose in life. We should exercise similar long-suffering with others in spite of all disappointments. It’s up to God to mold, transform and sanctify his children as they journey through life.  As the clay is in the potter’s hands so are his children in his hands (Jer. 18:1-6).

Recognize and submit to God’s hand in the daily events of your life. We all tend to see God’s hand in the big events, but we need to see His hand in the little details as well. Submit to God when you reap the consequences of your sin. He doesn’t do this to get even or because He is cruel. He does it out of love to teach you how serious sin is. A deceiver doesn’t think deception is all that bad until he gets deceived! A dose of our own medicine helps us to see how our sin hurts others and displeases God.

In spite of Jacob’s immaturity and mistakes, God graciously cared for him. He never took his eyes off him; he was always watching to protect him from any form of danger. God watches over each of His children that way. He protects them from the world in spite of their blunders. Possibly when we get to heaven, God is going to replay some scenes from our lives so that we will see how, time and time again, he graciously protected us from situations where we could have destroyed ourselves.