JANUARY 22: BETHEL THE PLACE OF MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S PRESENCE

Jacob was the second son of Isaac, who deceived his brother Esau and took away his birthright from him. Esau was angry and Jacob had to flee to Padan-aram, on his way the Lord appeared to him at a place called Bethel (Gen.28). Bethel was the place where Jacob had his first encounter with God. Bethel was the place where God began to reveal Himself to Jacob. An encounter with  God is always an exciting experience.

In our text for today, after Jacob had been gone for over twenty years, the Lord called him back to Bethel. While he was away, Jacob and his family had embraced other gods; it was as if Jacob had left his first love. God thus called Jacob back to the place where he had made a promise and a commitment to God. Today, what is God calling us to go back to? May be to the place of prayer, a place of the study of the word of God, or is God calling us back to the right place to worship him in a specific manner. God is calling us back to the right place of relationship with Him and with the people around us. How did Jacob respond to this call? In Gen 35:2, we see that Jacob is prepared to do what God asked him to do. Jacob also recognized that the spiritual state of his household was a problem. He called his family to put aside their idols and purify themselves (Gen 35:3). The foreign gods that they had brought with them, their associations to idolatry in the form of earrings, everything that they clung to that was not God was to be buried in Shechem and would not follow them back to Bethel (Gen 35:4). God’s presence should compel us to put aside anything that will hinder us from experiencing His presence in our lives.

Prayer: Our Father, we thank you for the call to return to the place of intimate relationship with you, help us to put aside all hindrance and help us to head in the direction of the place of worship and winning.