Bethel

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Va-yeitze, meaning, "And he left". The title speaks about the moment when Jacob had to leave his home and parents because his brother, Esau, threatened to kill him. The reading begins in Genesis 28:10: "Now Jacob went out (yasa - go out, go forth, come out of, proceed toward something with a purpose or for a result) from Beersheba and went toward Haran." Haran was the place of his mother Rebekah's family where she told Jacob to go until his brother's anger had cooled. Jacob didn't know at the time that he would be away from home for twenty years.

     After Jacob left his home, "...he came (paga - meet, reach, make intercession, entreat, encounter, to reach the mark, to strike upon, pain, inflict, to strike a covenant, to assail with prayers) to a certain place (root word qum - rise, arise, stand, endure, be proven, to persist, be fulfilled, ordain, establish, ratify, confirm, build, set up, bring on the scene) and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took (laqah - take, receive, married, fetch, seize, take a wife) one of the stones ('eben/bana - a stone used to build, a natural stone, plummet, headstone, slingstones/to build, establish, build up, repair, obtain children) of that place and put it at his head, and he laid down in that place to sleep." (v. 11).

     We can say, perhaps, that Jacob not only came to a physical place, but, because of the meanings of the Hebrew words in the above verse, Jacob also came to a spiritual place. It was a spiritual place of intercession and covenant, but also a place where these things are established and built. There is a stone connected to both what is being entreated or interceded for, and what is being fulfilled or completed.

     As Jacob slept, he had a revelatory dream of a ladder which was set up on the earth, and reached up into heaven with angels of God ascending and descending that ladder. Jacob saw the LORD standing above the ladder who spoke to him and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad...and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (v. 13-14, see also Mt. 28:18-20, Heb. 13:5-6).

     This was a very powerful revelation, as the LORD spoke directly to Jacob in his dream, and Jacob saw the movement of the angels between heaven and earth in order to fulfill God's will. Jacob also recognized the importance of what he experienced: "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!' Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar (masseba/nasab - image, pillar, garrisons, monument, altar/to station or stand  [see also Eph. 6:10-18] in an upright position, establish, erect), and poured oil on top (ro's - head, beginning, chief, top, summit) of it. And he called (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the name of that place Bethel (bet-el [2x]/bayit - "house of God"/house, dwelling, habitation, family, descendants as an organized body, palace, temple); but the name of that city had been Luz (meaning "almond tree", former city of the Hittites located on the border of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin) previously." (v. 16-19).

     The stone became the anointed head stone over a pillar that was built from it, and Jacob pronounced the place's name as the House of God, or the Temple of God. This is the same way in which the Messiah/Christ (the anointed One) Jesus built His assembly of believers, both Jew and Gentile. It is not a physical place, but a spiritual place built upon the revelation that He, Jesus, is the Messiah/Christ, the Son of God (see Mt. 16:13-19). He is the Head Stone or Chief Stone (see ro's above) of this House of God which is being built from Him. Jesus also described the authority and power that would be given to this spiritual place being built from Messiah/Christ: "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." In the same way that Jacob "saw" a ladder that connected heaven and earth, the spiritual building being established or built from the anointed Head Stone of Messiah/Christ connects heaven and earth. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He included in the prayer to the Father in heaven: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Mt. 6:9-15). Again we see in this prayer that was taught by Jesus Messiah/Christ the idea of a direct connection between heaven and earth through prayer or intercession (see paga above) in establishing the will of God, and not our own will. Jacob was terrified and reverent in the face of this revelation at Bethel. Do we understand what has been entrusted to us as this spiritual House of God?

     The apostle Paul wrote of this spiritual House of God, which we are: "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22).

     Paul wrote this to a group of believers in Ephesus, a city dedicated to, and revolving around the temple of the Roman goddess of Diana the huntress that was in its midst. We will see more about the spiritual battleground that tries to destroy the pillar (see masseba/nasab above), the spiritual House of God built from the anointed Stone of Christ.

     The apostle Peter also wrote to the believers of Asia Minor who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus about the living Stone who is Jesus, and the spiritual House of God that they were being built into: "Coming to Him (Jesus) as to a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ..." (see 1 Pet. 2:4-10).

     The story of Bethel is not complete without mentioning its cautionary history. We can understand the spiritual danger that encompassed Bethel because of its great spiritual significance in the life of Jacob. Bethel would later belong in the territory of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin. The ark of the covenant was kept at Bethel at one time also, and the LORD was worshipped there. (Judges 20:27). Both Elijah and Elisha, the prophets of Israel traveled through Bethel. However, when the nation of Israel became divided, the northern kingdom of Israel, also referred to as Ephraim in scripture, went to war against the tribe of Benjamin in the south, they took Bethel away from Benjamin and it became incorporated into the northern kingdom. After the split of northern Israel from southern Israel, which was called Judah, the king of the north, Jeroboam made two calves of gold at Bethel, and also Dan, and told the people, "Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt." (1 Kings 12:26-29). Bethel is also mentioned in the Book of Amos the prophet. The Word of the LORD by the prophet told His people to seek Him and live, and not to seek Bethel. An unquenchable fire would devour Bethel the LORD said because of the idolatry there. (Amos 5:4-7). The priest of Bethel, Amaziah, told the king of Israel to forbid Amos to prophesy in the northern kingdom because of his prophecies of judgment there. (Amos 7:10-17). How sad the story of Bethel became in their idolatry. The "House of God" built upon the head stone anointed by Jacob worshipped the golden calves of the false god, Ba'al. 

     There is no mention of Bethel in the New Testament. However, there is mention of the House of God in Jerusalem, the Temple, which Jesus rebuked and cleansed from the idol of wealth, money-changing, merchandizing and profiteering. The House of God, both physical and spiritual, will always be a target for the corruption of false gods and the lusts of man because of the Name of God and the anointing that it represents.

     Paul wrote to the rich church at Corinth about the danger of uniting the spiritual House of God with darkness and idolatry: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial (apistos - unbelieving, faithless, without trust in God, disbelieving, infidel)? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (2 Cor. 6:14-16). The danger of corruption still exists for the House of God in the form of the believers in Messiah/Christ Jesus.

     However, in another portion of this Sabbath's reading, Hosea urges God's people to return to Him. The door of return would be offered to Israel, not because of the physical existence of Bethel, but because of the promise made to Jacob by the LORD at Bethel: "Yes, he (Jacob) struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept and sought favor with Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us - That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name. So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually." (Hos. 12:4-6). The Words and promises of God are eternal.

     Bethel is not a physical place. It is a spiritual place - the House of the LORD - where His Name and His Word prevail forever, where heaven and earth connect to one another, based upon the revelation of Messiah/Christ Jesus as being the anointed Living Stone from which a whole spiritual house, a pillar, is being built, and we are the living stones from which it is being built and established. That anointing oil pours down from our Head Stone, Jesus, to cover all of the stones of the House.  That House calls for all to return and seek God and live. That spiritual House prays always, declaring the kingdom of God, and His will accomplished on earth as it is in heaven. Blessed be His holy Name.

     If you would like to know more about the House of God, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, help me to understand and to live in the manner that You have appointed for Your living, spiritual House, a House built upon Your Son, Jesus, the Living Stone, the Head Stone. As Your House, cleanse me, Lord Jesus, from unrighteousness and idolatry so that I will bring honor and glory to Your Name, Jesus, and to the Name of the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Your spiritual House is a House of prayer to which all nations may come and find You. I thank and bless You for creating this living House of Your Name. In Jesus's Name, I pray. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

Leaving

      The title of this Sabbath's reading portion is Va-yeitze, which means "And he left." The title comes from the first verse of the reading portion: "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran." (Gen. 28:10). The Hebrew word for "went out" as used above is yasa, which has a very rich and full meaning: "out, forth, proceed, go, depart, go forward, proceed to something, go forth with purpose, to deliver, be brought out, break out, bring forth, lead out, be risen, to germinate and expand like a plant, water flowing or gushing out of a fountain, running through a boundary, the end of a period of time." Up until this point, the only guidance that Jacob has had from the LORD is through the advice of his mother, Rebekah, who received prophetic revelation from the LORD regarding her two sons. According to the meaning of yasa above, Jacob would now be going forth from something and proceeding toward something else. Old boundaries would be overrun. Like gushing waters breaking out, however, the journey will not be controlled by Jacob, but by his own personal interaction and revelation from the LORD. The only guidance he has in leaving his familiar home and the murderous rage of his brother, Esau, is his parents' instruction to go find a wife from among Rebekah's relatives in Haran (see Gen. 28:1-5).      

     As we will see, the LORD takes us out of our familiar circumstances, sometimes having to push us out, in order to bring us into a deeper place with Him. He brings us into a time when He will give us a prophetic promise, and then the test comes as to whether we will hold on to that promise through both good and trying circumstances. We read in the Psalms: "He sent a man before them - Joseph - who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him." (Ps. 105:17-19). Upon receiving the prophetic Word of the LORD will we hold on to it through all testing circumstances? Peter wrote: "And so we have the prophetic word (regarding the prophesied appearing of Jesus as the Son of God) confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;" (2 Pet. 1:19). The interaction with the LORD, which is often prophetic, is the light that continues to be present even in the darkest days, until those days become light within us. The light within us cannot help but manifest outside of us as well.

     As Jacob travelled north from Beersheba, he came to "a certain place" and spent the night as it had gotten dark. This "certain  place" will turn out to be about the first tenth along the way of the journey to Haran, his destination. "And he took one of the stones (eben/bana - a stone especially associated with building or repairing, obtaining children) of that place (maqom/qum - rise up, establish, stand, confirm, continue, abide, sure, accomplish) and put it at his head (as his pillows: (mera'asot/mer'asot/ros - bolster, pillow, at his head/place at the head, dominion, headship, principality/head, chief, beginning, captain, first, choicest, height, top), and he lay down (sakab - lie down, rest, sleep, in death, death bed, be poured out, of those who are dying, in speaking of the death of kings) in that place to sleep (sakab - see previous)." (Gen. 28:11).  By placing that stone at his head, Jacob built or established something for himself and his future children which would be his ruler, his chief, his prince. We will see later who this stone represents. We also see a parallel with the sleep of death here as well. Receiving the prophetic direction or revelation of the LORD into our lives, we must go through a certain kind of death to self and death to the things of this world followed by an awakening to a new understanding and acceptance. We have to bow our knee to the higher, far superior God of all.

     While sleeping, Jacob had a special dream. He saw a ladder "set up on earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it..." (v. 13). In the dream, the LORD confirmed to Jacob His covenant promise made to Abraham for the land and the multiplication of his descendants. The LORD again repeated to Jacob the covenant made with Abraham: "...and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (v. 14). The LORD added to the promise: "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (v. 15). Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." (v. 16). Jacob woke from sleep and was afraid (yare - fear, afraid, tremble, dreadful, inspire reverence or godly fear or awe, stupendous) and declared, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" (v. 17). It is almost as if Jacob had experienced a spiritual resurrection from death after experiencing this remarkable sight in his dream.

     Jacob immediately created a memorial in that place: "Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) stone that he had put at his head, set it up (sum - set up, ordain, mark, appoint, establish, transform into, make for a sign, call a name, convey, preserve, purpose) as a pillar (masseba - monument, personal memorial, column, standing image, something set upright), and poured oil (semen/saman - olive oil, as medicine or unguent, for anointing, fruitful, fatness that breaks the yoke: see Isa. 10:27/to shine, to cover with fat) on top of it. And he called the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) name-of-that-place Bethel ("house of God - bet'el/bayit/bana - temple, family, dwelling habitation, shelter or abode for animals, family of descendants, sepulchre, eternal home/build, establish, cause to continue, built up, repair, obtain children); but the name of that city had been Luz ("almond tree/hazel" - the first tree that awakens in spring after winter sleep) previously." (v. 18-19).

     To me, the aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega stone mentioned above that is anointed with olive oil is a prophetic picture of the Messiah/Christ to come, who also, as the ladder mentioned in Jacob's dream, reconciles together all things created in heaven and earth. (Col. 1:15-20). Once the promise or prophecy is made by the LORD, His presence will not leave the person as the LORD said to Jacob. (see also Deut. 31:8, Mt. 28:19-20). In another verse of scripture, the LORD says to Joshua in a later generation: "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Josh. 1:5). This is the light that Peter wrote of above that rises within us as we hold onto the prophecies and promises of the LORD to us. 

     Jacob left again on his journey to his relatives from that *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega place of Bethel as a changed man. However, there has been a change. When the scriptures say that "So Jacob went", we have a different Hebrew word and meaning after Jacob's encounter with the LORD. The word used here for "went" is nasa, meaning: "to lift, carry, support, sustain, endure, be lifted up, exalted, rise up, be carried, forgive, furnish, grow, increase, set up a banner, raise up and carry like the ark of the covenant." Jacob would not be going on his journey alone any longer, but with the presence of the LORD that goes with His prophetic promise.

     Although the prophetic promise of the LORD given to Jacob tested him (see Ps. 105 above) for twenty years, through some trying circumstances and disappointments, the light of the favor of the LORD was discernable in his life. His relative and father-in-law, Laban, became aware that he personally prospered after Jacob came into his family, and was very reluctant to allow Jacob to leave to return home. Laban said to Jacob: "Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake...Name your wages, and I will give it." (Gen. 30:27-28). That light of favor becomes apparent if we treasure the prophetic promises of God within us.

     From another of this Sabbath's reading portions it is written: "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold...By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life." (Prov. 22:1, 4). It is not by the ways of the world, but by the ways of the LORD that we live and are sustained.

     From another of this week's reading portions concerning yasa or "leaving", the king of Syria, Ben-Hadad, with thirty-two other kings mustered up a large army together to come against Samaria, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. They were coming for the gold, silver, and royal household of the King of Israel. King Ahab, the king of Israel who was rebellious towards God, was facing certain defeat against this large enemy coalition army. King Ahab consulted with his advisors, who told him not to give the King of Syria what he was demanding. The huge enemy army had just been commanded by their drunken leaders to get ready to attack: "Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab, king of Israel, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD... Then he (King Ahab) mustered the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) young leaders of the provinces...and after them, he mustered all the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) people, all the children of Israel - seven thousand." (1 Kings 20:1-13). "So they went out (yasa - see above) at noon...The young men of the provinces went out (yasa - see above) first. These young leaders of the provinces went out (yasa - see above) of the city with the army which followed them....Then the king of Israel went out (yasa - see above) and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter." (v. 16-21).

     The army of King Ahab, led by (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) young lads "went out", with the prophetic promise of the LORD, against a huge enemy army. The prophet came back after the successful battle and warned King Ahab to "take note and see what he should do", because the same king of Syria would be back again to come up against him in the spring. When the time came in the spring, the LORD again sent a prophet to direct King Ahab by the prophetic Word of the LORD, which the king only partially obeyed (1 Kings 20:42-43). This would lead to Ahab's eventual downfall.

     The prophetic Word of the LORD works powerfully through His *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega Messianic/Christ people. The Book of Revelation says: "...I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit (pneuma/pneo - Holy Spirit, a life-giving spirit, life, spirit, breath, breeze/to breathe, blow, the wind) of prophecy." (Rev. 19:10). 

     Jacob had to leave his home behind for many years, but he was accompanied by the presence of God and the Word of prophetic promise. It is breath and life-sustaining power in us from the One who IS the prophetic Word. It becomes the light within us that sustains us and others with us through the darkness.

     If you would like to know more about the role of the prophetic promise of God in our lives, either through His written Word, or by the revelation of His Spirit, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father from Whom all perfect gifts flow, I treasure and rely upon Your prophetic promises to guide my leaving and my arriving in my natural and spiritual travels. Your Word becomes light and favor that all can see as You promise to be with me. Let me not rely upon my own strength nor my own will in determining my course but direct my path according to Your great godly wisdom and knowledge. Let that prophetic promise that You have placed within me always guide me back to You if I wander off of the path that You have set for me. I ask these things for myself and for my household in Jesus' name. AMEN."

     *NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

     

     

     

Sent

This week's scheduled sabbath reading is titled Va-yishlach, which means "he sent". What does it mean to each of us to be sent by God? I found through these readings that it means more than I thought. Added to that is the fact that we are still in the Book of Genesis, or B'reshiet in Hebrew, which means the Book of Beginning. The accounts that we read throughout this Book deal with beginnings and foundations that will affect, and even rule, future events and conditions for God's people. To begin our reading in Gen. 32:23, we find that on his way back to his homeland, and to a dangerous meeting with his brother, Esau, Jacob sends his wives, and children ahead of him, over the ford of the river Jabbok: "He took them (laqah - carry away, take out, take with the hand, take in marriage), sent them over (abar - cross/pass over, pass through, leave, pass away, pass beyond, vanish, cease to exist, pass into other hands, dedicate/devote, cross a stream) the brook (nahal - river, torrent-valley, mine shaft (depth, descent)/inheritance, possession, to be allotted, bequeath, inherit (as a mode of descent), and sent over what he had." The river being crossed over by the family is the Jabbok (yabaq/baqaq - emptying, make void, utterly empty, devastate, empty out, pour out). The wives, children, and all that Jacob has, passed over or through the "utterly empty, devastated, void" place, through a ford (ma'abar - passage, transit, a crossing place, a passing over, a narrow valley). Considering the Hebrew meanings of the words used in this verse, we can see that Jacob spiritually passed his wives, children, and all that he had into Another's hands, God's in this case, as if they ceased to exist, thereby dedicating and devoting them. We would also be reminded of what David said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;" (Ps. 23:4). Sometimes, if we desperately want to preserve something, we have to give it up, give it away, into God's hands, allowing it to become a "dedicated" or "devoted" thing which He receives from us. Along with his precious family, Jacob also sent "what he had" across the river (Gen. 32:23). What he had were the streaked (aqod/aqad - marked with stripes, to bind or tie with things), speckled (naqod -mark by puncturing, marked wwith points, little spots), and spotted (tala - diverse colors, clouted, having large spots, mended with patches, sewn together) flocks that he had bred in front of rods (Gen. 30:38-39). These flocks that had been miraculously created by the sheep gazing upon the striped, speckled and spotted rods while they were at their water, took on the markings similar to the markings inflicted upon Jesus. As Jacob consigned his flocks into Another's hands as they passed over "death, it is possible to me that these flocks represent those who would come to Christ. Perhaps each mark of abuse upon Christ's body drew specific "sheep" to Him. Some came to the stripes created by a whipping administered while He was bound and tied, some to His speckles, or puncture wounds, and some to the large spots inflicted upon Him from a beating that made Him look like pieces sewn together. It brings to mind the verse about the Messiah from Isaiah: "But He was wounded (kalal- pierced through, perforate) for our transgressions, He was bruised (daka - bruised, smite, beat to pieces, crush) for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes (habura/habar - wounds, blows, blueness, bruises, stripe, mark of a stroke on skin, black and blue/join together, be united, variegated with colors, have fellowship) we are healed (rapa - heal, cure, repair, to mend by stitching, to sew together, to restore, comfort, pardon). All we like sheep have gone astray...and the LORD has laid (caused to land) on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isa. 53:5-6). For me, the similarities are too many to be coincidence. It is possible that we were prophetically represented in those miraculous flocks that Jacob sent across the river. Back to our story: After sending his people and flocks across the river, Jacob was getting ready to take a stand for his future generations, which God had promised him at the place Jacob renamed "Bethel", meaning "the house/family/desendants/descendants of an organized body of God" (see Gen. 28:12-19). We read: "Then Jacob was left alone (yatar - remain, remnant, reserved/preserved, show pre-eminence, excel, to be beyond measure, to exceed bounds, abound, profit, gain a victory); and a Man wrestled (abaq - grapple, float away as a vapor, pound to make small as dust) with him until the breaking (ala - come up, ascend, depart, light, raised, exalted, to be offered) of day (sahar - dayspring, morning, light, rise, wings, end of dark night and coming of dawn, to seek early and earnestly, diligently seek, to painstakingly search for, to break forth as of light, to seek God and long after Him)." (Gen. 32:24). The picture being created to me by these Hebrew words is that Jacob stayed behind to wrestle (become dust, vapor) a Man, not an angel -some say the Man here is Christ- for resurrection life after death. I do believe that the Man was Christ, because He had the authority to bless Jacob, and to rename him "Israel" (see Isa. 62:2, Rev. 2:17). The Man also asked the question, "Why is it that you ask about My name?". That seems like a "Jesus kind" of question to me (see Lk. 18:18-19, Lk. 9:18-20). Also the Person that Jacob wrestled with was connected to resurrection, according to the meaning of the words, "breaking of day", used here. So we can see, the nation of Israel born from a blessing and promise of resurrection to Jacob, would also eventually produce the Person of Resurrection who said: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Mt. 15:24). Also Paul wrote of the connection of Israel to the resurrection: "For if their (Israel's) being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches." (Rom. 11:15-16). Jacob's wrestling for the blessing was a beginning. Resurrection was going to come from out of his promised descendants. In any case, Jacob was sent by God, and in turn, sent his wives, children, and all that he had, in a way that would ensure the survival and restoration of their future generations to come, as we will see in our next sabbath reading portion from Malachi 3. Malachi prophesied a promise from the LORD. The LORD, the Messenger of the Covenant, would come to the house of the LORD suddenly: "Behold, He is coming,' says the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 3:1). This is going to be a problem for Israel, because they would not at all be prepared for such an event. The prophet asked: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap." (v. 2). This is the Messiah, Jesus, of whom the prophet is speaking. He comes, not to destroy Israel and its priesthood, as deserved, but He will purify, purge, and refine them so they are not destroyed: "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed (kala - consume, end, finish, vanish, perish, be destroyed, exterminate), O sons of Jacob." (v. 6). The LORD specifically identifies His people who will receive this saving mercy of purification as "sons of Jacob". The LORD, instead of consuming His people for their disregard, will send the Refiner to spare them based upon His covenant promise to Jacob, who sent his children to cross over "death", and dedicated them into the hands of the LORD. In Gen. 35, another portion from this Sabbath's readings, God repeated the promise made to Jacob when Jacob had travelled back to Bethel: "Then God appeared to Jacob again...and blessed him. And God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.' So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.' (Gen.35:9-12). The name of a man, and also the name of a nation are given again by the LORD in this encounter. This is the beginning of Israel as a nation. Jacob left Bethel, but where would God send him next? Jacob had traveled only a short distance until he and his company came to a place called Ephrath (meaning "place of fruitfulness"), where his dear wife, Rachel, went into labor with her second child, who would be Jacob's twelfth and final son. Rachel would die after giving birth to the son that she named Ben-Oni ("Son of My Sorrow'), but whom Jacob named, Benjamin, meaning "Son of the Right Hand" (Gen. 35:16-20). Both of the names given to the child prophetically identify Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:3 prophetically called the Messiah to come, "A Man of Sorrows" ("pain, anguish, grief"), and Jesus Christ is said in scripture to be seated at the right hand of the Father, God (see Mt. 22:41-46, Mk. 16:19, Acts 2:30-36, Rom. 8:32-34, Heb. 10:10-14). So where or what is this place named Ephrath where Rachel died? It is also known as Bethlehem, of course! The LORD would later prophesy concerning Bethlehem: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth from Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old (qedem - aforetime, beginning, eternal), from everlasting (yom-olam/alam - day, time, always - ever, everlasting, continuous existence/secret thing, hidden, concealed)....And He shall stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth." (Micah 5:2, 4). The death of Rachel after childbirth was very sad, however, the LORD was not finished with Rachel. He used her life as a beginning from which to later prophesy the return of "her children" from captivity in another portion from this sabbath's reading schedule. He promised the following in order to comfort both Rachel, and Israel: "At the same time', says the LORD, 'I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.' The LORD has appeared of old to me saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel!...For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim (of the same meaning as Ephrath/Bethlehem) is My firstborn...Thus says the LORD: 'A voice was heard in Ramah (a city within the tribe of Benjamin), lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.' Thus says the LORD: 'Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded,' says the LORD, 'and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is a hope in your future', says the LORD, 'that your children shall come back to their own border." (Jer. 31:1, 3-4, 9, 15-17). Rachel was long gone at the time of this prophecy, but her living prophetic voice was still being heard by the LORD. From the beginnings established through Rachel in this case, and Jacob, the relationship between God and Israel, both the person and the nation, was established out of eternity and into time. Jacob didn't just wander according to his own plans, he was sent by God, every establishing step of the way. If you would like to know more about being sent by the LORD, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, in my life, I pray to be like one sent by You, rather than by my own will and plan. Guide the steps of my life, and use them to establish a future and hope in You for those who will follow now and in the future. I see Your omniscient knowledge in these sabbath readings, not only meant to teach me about Who You are, but to assure me that my submitted steps have divine and everlasting purpose in Christ. My voice will never die, and my resurrection life is firmly established from before the beginning through Jesus Christ. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can walk with eyes that see, and ears that hear, and a heart that perceives You. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Departure

There is a point in our lives when we make a departure. We leave our parents' house, and begin a life on our own. We leave the familiar and begin a path that is unknown. Spiritually speaking, when God calls us, He leads us from what we have known, and we begin a journey into newness with Him. When the moment comes that God separates us out, He does it in a way that we remember all of our lives. In the most challenging circumstances, we look back at that moment, and we are reminded that God has His hand on our lives in a special way. This moment happened in Jacob's life also. He was forced from his parents' home because of his brother's threats against him. He also began a journey to his mother's family in Syria to find a wife from among her people. This past Sabbath's assigned reading comes from Gen. 28, and is titled "Va'yeitzi", meaning "And he went out". Jacob left from Beersheba (meaning "well of seven-fold oath)" towards a place called Haran (mountainous, to loom up). He went from a place of being well watered, and a place of sabbath (seven) promises, to an arduous, and looming destination. Shortly after his journey began. Jacob fell asleep one night taking one of the stones of the place under his head for his pillow. He had a dream in which he saw the angels of heaven: "...a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and to the south; and in you and in your seed all the famiies of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." (Gen. 28:12-15). Jacob awoke and thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." The use of the word, ladder, here in the dream is the only time it is used in scripture. Notice that the ladder goes from earth up to heaven, rather thn the other way around. The Hebrew word for ladder is cullum. It means "ladder, raise up, exalt, extol, esteem highly, to cast up in a heap like a pile of rocks that are piled on the side as a road is leveled". Worship, thanksgiving and praise raise up that ladder from earth. Relationship with God through Christ (the stone under Jacob's head: Ps. 118:22-24, Isa. 28:16, Mt. 21:42, 1 Pet. 2:4-8) raises up that ladder from earth to heaven. As Jacob began his exile from his home, he now had seen the activity between earth and heaven, he had heard the LORD's voice himself, and he had received a covenant promise from the LORD. In that promise, the LORD also told Jacob that he would someday return to the land he had left. Jacob now knew the LORD for himself, rather than from what his grandfather and father had relayed to him. He had a personal experience. In the days and years ahead, including twenty long years of servitude in his conniving uncle's house, Jacob must have recalled that experience with the LORD, and encouraged himself by it. His uncle's name was Laban. The root meaning is "to make white, to purify, to cleanse, to purge oneself, to make bricks". Although his uncle tricked and took advantage of Jacob at every turn, it would be for a cleansing and building experience for Jacob. A spiritual structure was being built within Jacob from the bricks of cleansing in his trying experience. He must have thought again and again about seeing the angels of God ascending and descending that ladder from earth into heaven. As God has promised to those who love Him and are "the called" by Him, He will make all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28). After Jacob woke from this powerful dream, he took the stone upon which he had laid his head, and poured out oil upon it, and called it a pillar (monument, image, to fix, establish, be determined) in the place "Bethel", meaning "the house of God". As Jacob set apart Bethel as the house of God, he also made a promise to God that ended, "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." (v. 22). Paul in Ephesians wrote about a structure that is built from that same type of stone to become the house of God: "Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22). This is a very special stone indeed, that begins the building of the house of God in Spirit. Peter described this beginning stone as a living stone. In this living stone, Jesus, we also are made living stones that complete this special dwelling of God. As God promised, in Jacob, all the families of the earth will be blessed. As Jacob established a pillar of the house of God with that anointed stone, he also promised God a tenth, or tithe, of all that Jacob would possess in the future. Some today have a problem with tithing. They believe that it is legalistic, something done under the Law. However, with both Abraham and Jacob, tithing is practiced before the Law of Moses was given to the people. However, Abraham and Jacob were not being legalistic in the giving of their tithe. They both had experienced the miracle and revelation of God directly, and they expressed their worship and thanksgiving through the tithe they gave. They gave as part of their covenant with God. God didn't need their tenth, but He accepted it as their thanks, awe, and worship. Remember, the ladder in Jacob's dream represented the exalting and extoling of God, according to the meaning of the word. He received it as their recognition that nothing they had came from their own efforts, but by the unmerited favor and covenant promises of God. Surely a tenth is not too much to give as "Bethels" are built from our lives, as ladders to heaven are extended through our worship and thanks. All things done by the Spirit bring forth fruit in the Spirit, including tithing. The haftarah portion of this past Sabbath reading is from Hosea 11 and 12. The LORD points out how Jacob sought God's favor for his provision in the unknown, yet God mourns for Jacob's descendants who have walked away from God in their hearts, and have sought wealth through man, and the ways of man, rather than through God's favor: "I taught Ephraim (a grandchild of Jacob and a tribe of Israel and used to refer to the Northern Kingdom) to walk, taking them by their arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them...My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him." (Hos. 11:3-7). Though God touched Ephraim from the time they began, they did not know Him personally nor recognize Him. Though they knew His name, they never exalted Him. In a similar manner, Jesus talked about the fact that not everyone who claims to know Him will enter the kingdom of heaven, even if they did works in His name. Only those who do the will of His Father in heaven will enter. Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me..." (Mt. 7:21-23). In our spiritual walk, each of us must know God personally, having an experience with Him, as Jaoob did. We cannot know God because our father or mother knew Him. Though Ephraim had the evidence of God's hand upon them, according to these verses, they never established a personal, living relationship with Him, never sought to do His will, and therefore drifted away from God. May we each understand our place as a living stone, in the likeness of our chief cornerstone, Jesus, building up the house of God. Our Father has called us to establish His house. If you would like to experience Jesus, our living chief cornerstone, for yourself, and be established by Him in the House of God, you can do that with the belief in your heart that Jesus died on the cross for your sin, and the confession that God raised Him from the dead: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins, and that You rose again from the dead, so that I may have eternal life in You. I believe that You will shepherd all of my days in You, turning all things, even tryng times, for my good. I believe that by You, I enter into the household of faith, the House and family of God. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as I become part of, and build, the House of God, in Your name, AMEN."