And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. {Genesis 28:18-22}
I love the story of Jacob. It is one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible. Jacob started out a coward, a momma’s boy, someone who was content to sit in his tent and create lentil soup in his pot. Literally the Bible tells us Jacob was a simple man, content to sit in his tent. It tells us,
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. {Genesis 25:27}
But Jacob had an ambition and he had dreams. He may have been a simple man, but there is something he wanted more than he could ever wish for in his life: his brother’s birthright. It wasn’t enough for him that he was a twin to his brother, probably just minutes behind him in birth. But he must also have his brother’s birthright. Meaning, he wanted to have the blessing normally given to the first born, and the inheritance of their father. To Jacob it wasn’t just any father’s blessing of material wealth. It was also the blessing of his grandfather Abraham who met God, and was a friend of God. God had a promise to bless the children of Abraham, particularly to create a nation that He was going to bless. Who was this nation going to belong to? Who was God talking about? We know about this scene when God was talking to Abraham,
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. {Genesis 15:12-14}
We can imagine the many nights this promise was rehearsed in the ears of Jacob and Esau. We can see them at the end of the day sitting before a bonfire in the wilderness, with no lights around except the stars. Surely they heard the stories of God talking to Abraham, and promises of wonderful things that will happen in the future. Isaac, and maybe even Abraham himself told the stories to the boys, and told them what was coming in the future for one of them. But since Esau was older, that promise of blessing was going to go to him. There was no chance Jacob could have it, unless Esau gives his birthright away. But what’s the chance of that?
The chance of that did happen. Was it coincidence? I don’t think so. I believe God created that situation where Esau had become so famished he was willing to sell his birthright to Jacob for a piece of bread and pottage of lentils. The scene is so obvious that there is no way that this could have been a coincidence. God granted Jacob’s heart’s desire, because he valued that promise of God’s blessings more than Esau did.
But it wasn’t going to be an easy road for this simple man Jacob who was content to sit in his tent. Now that he had the birthright he must also claim it. God did not leave him without help however. We know the rest of the story of how his mother came to his rescue, and told him step by step what he needed to do. Jacob ended up overcoming his fears and his cowardliness, and went in and deceived his father Isaac by pretending to be Esau so that he could claim his birthright. Later his mother encouraged Jacob to go and get a wife from her father’s family in Padanaram, so that he could get away from Esau’s fury. Jacob struggled with marrying two sisters and dealing with his in-laws for twenty years, and finally returned to his birthplace to see his family and his brother again. Jacob became one strong man in the process of time, and God turned around and changed his name to be called Israel. He indeed one day became that father of a nation we call Israel today. He became a great man and went through many sorrows and trials in his lifetime, because there was something he never forgot to attend to and never neglected. Whenever he was in trouble or whenever he was in need of help, he went to his altar. Jacob’s altar was everything to him. This was his source of strength, his source of power and overcoming every trial and tribulation that he faced in his lifetime. He became great because Jacob had an altar.
When Jacob left his father’s home and his mother’s comforts, God brought him to a place where God showed Himself to him. God’s blessings that He had promised to Abraham had indeed been given to Jacob, and now God confirmed it. Jacob created his altar and called the place Bethel. Throughout his lifetime Jacob continued to go to this altar where he could meet God and find his help and his strength.
Jacob became great and was given the promise of God, because he desired it more than anything in his life. But what kept him strong and enduring throughout his trials and tribulations until the end, was his altar. Time and time again God would meet Jacob when he came to Him.
In our day and age it is so important that we have an altar before the Lord, where we can come before Him and talk to Him. We will never make it otherwise if we don’t have one. Satan and the principalities of this world are just too powerful for any human being to resist against and win. Only through our relationship with Jesus Christ can we win, by daily coming to Him and communing with Him, and finding His help and His strength. Only He overcame Satan and the devils of this world at the cross. Only Jesus shed His precious blood for the remission of our sins, so that we can find forgiveness and power to call on the name of the Lord in time of need. Only the Lord can help us in all our sorrows and tribulations. As He helped Jacob in all of his sorrows and tribulations, we too can find His help when we come to Him and find Him at our altar.
Having an altar is so important in the lives of people in the Bible, that whether you knew about the God of Israel or not you created an altar. This was their lifeline and this was their source of strength. This was where they met God. Both heathen and Jews had altars to talk to God. Abraham had an altar, so did his son Isaac and later Jacob. Later on when Moses came on the scene to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, God told him to build a tabernacle and an altar. Ages later King David would go to the tabernacle to talk to God. Afterwards his son Solomon built God a temple and also most definitely built an altar for the Lord.
Having an altar where we can meet with God is so key to our success in this life. Without it we will never make it to the end. We must create an altar and we must attend to it, and make it the most important place in our life.
So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to him as he fled from his brother. {Genesis 35:6-7}
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. {John 14:6}
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. {Matthew 11:28-30}
Prayer
Father God in heaven, thank You so much for Your great love for us. Thank You Father that today through Your precious Son Jesus Christ we can find You. We can come to You and find our hope and our strength to make it through in this life. I thank You Father that You will never fail us. You will come and meet with us any time and any where we call upon You. You are our help Jesus, we are lost without You.
Please Lord Jesus, help me to always come to You, whether at home or at work or on vacation, create my altar and sit and talk with You. For You are the most important thing in this life I can ever spend my time on. You will bless me. You will help me. And You will carry me through until the end. You are everything to me. Please Father help me to always talk to You and come to You everyday I live. I pray Father in Your most wonderful and precious name, Jesus. Thank You Father. Amen.
Related Topic: Creating An Altar (Part 2)
