16 JULY GENESIS 35

Entering into Full Fellowship with the Lord

Genesis 35:1-6 (NIV) “Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. 6 Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. 7 There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother”.

Jacob had returned to Canaan and lived in Succoth and Shechem. But this whole Shechem incident (The place where Jacob’s daughter has been raped) happened precisely because Jacob went to Shechem and settled in instead of to Bethel, where he was supposed to be.

God’s divine direction comes to him. He is told, “Go up to Bethel and settle there. He was there previously, and there the Lord appeared to him and said, Genesis 28:15 (NIV) “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Jacob was preoccupied with prosperity and security at the expense of purity and holiness. He is near Bethel but not near to the God of Bethel. He was to return to where his spiritual journey began and live there. In Succoth and Shechem, Jacob had ignored God's standards of holiness and purity, but now he wanted to eliminate anything impure before coming into God's presence. Jacob knew there were foreign gods in his camp, but until now, he hadn't done anything about them. Jacob knew there could be no approach to God in an impure condition.

In obedience to the command of God, Jacob finally returned to Bethel, where he built an altar, calling the place El-Bethel. The Hebrew name Bethel means “house of God.” So, God is calling Jacob back to where he first met Him. God is calls him to return to the place of worship, to rededicate himself to God. For Bethel, God’s house, the idols must be removed. Furthermore, everything impure, filthy, or defiled must be cleansed.

At Peniel, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel (meaning one who struggles with God), but Jacob did not have much experience with this new name. At Bethel, Jacob was renewed and became a new person, a transformed person. Genesis 35:27 (AMP) “Jacob came to Isaac his father at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived temporarily”.

After experiencing the more profound and personal dealings, Jacob entered into full fellowship with God at Hebron (Hebron means fellowship, communion). In Hebron, Jacob enjoyed complete rest, joy, satisfaction, intimacy, and fellowship with the Lord. It was in Hebron that he began to mature in life.

Hebron means fellowship and communion; fellowship at Hebron means intimacy with God, peace with God, and satisfaction and joy with God. God is faithful, He called us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 (AMP) “God is faithful , and through Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”.

I conclude with “After experiencing the deeper and more personal dealings, Jacob entered into full fellowship with God at Hebron (Hebron means fellowship, communion). Abraham had come to Shechem (12:6), had passed through Bethel (12:8), and had dwelt in Hebron (13:18; 18:1), and Isaac spent nearly his whole life in Hebron. Jacob followed Abraham’s footsteps to come to Shechem (33:18), to pass through Bethel (35:6), and to dwell in Hebron. In Hebron Jacob enjoyed full rest, joy, satisfaction, intimacy, and fellowship with the Lord. It was in Hebron that he began to mature in life.” - (Genesis 35:27, footnote 1 in Holy Bible Recovery Version)