Once more, let us consider this passage. We noted that God repeated the promise to Jacob, the promise that had been given to Abraham and Isaac. This second time at Bethel was important for names. First, God renamed Jacob, calling him “Israel.” This name means, literally, God prevails. This is interesting. God first brought up this name to Jacob after the wrestling match at Mehanaim (Gen. 32:28). And now, it is as if the naming is repeated. But in Gen. 32 it is Jacob who prevails with God. Yet, the name means, God prevails.
This is the nature of Jacob’s life and
relationship with God. He was often
scheming of ways to do God’s work for him.
While he accomplished some things, he kept getting into trouble,
highlighted by his great trepidation when he returns to face Esau. In the end, it was always God who was keeping
His word, His promise to provide for Jacob.
So, the man who seems to prevail, gets the name that “God prevails.” God will share His glory with no one
else. And after 400+ years in Egypt,
during 40 years in the desert, you see that the name fits the nation: always worried
that God won’t care for them, and yet always seeing God’s hand at work. It's the nation’s character, and will be, until
the King returns and reigns from Zion.
God also announces His name that is special to
the Patriarchs: I am God Almighty (El Shaddai). God first introduced Himself in this way to
Abraham (Gen. 17:1). He used it with
Isaac, and it is frequently used in the book of Job, who is believed to have
lived in the time of the fathers. The
name gives Jacob an important connection with his father and grandfather. We often note that a person’s relationship
with God must be personal; we cannot live off the faith of our parents. That is actually what is happening here:
Jacob is finally seeing God as his ancestors did. In other word, his faith is becoming
personal.
We see this personal connection with God in v7
when Jacob names the place, El Bethel.
This means, God of the house of God. The first time Jacob was at Bethel, he got up
in the morning and said, “God if you are real, and if you keep your word to me,
I’ll worship you with a tenth of all I have.”
That might sound significant, but that is just another of Jacob’s
schemes to get what he wants. This
second time, there is no bargain with God.
There is Jacob, humbled to a great degree, coming, erecting an altar,
and confessing that he has come to know the God of the place. He knows Him personally, not at a distance as
before.
The end of the passage tells us that Jacob
went on from Bethel. Deborah died while
they were there; Rachel would die near Bethlehem, Isaac would die in Hebron,
and Jacob would become one of the Patriarchs.
Life would go on. And we don’t
know that he ever returned to Bethel.
And that is how it is with us. We
don’t stay in the place of deep and sweet communion with God; life goes
on. But it goes on with a deeper faith,
living out of God’s promises, until our own pilgrim journey comes to its
appointed end. How we need these times
when, with our Bible, we come into the presence of God and stay for awhile.
listening, speaking, communing with our God.
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