Text: Genesis 28:10-22; Acts 9:1-9
Genesis 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
18 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.
19 And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
20 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,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
22 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.
Jacob robbed his brother Esau of blessings prepared for him. Out of fear of what Esau would do to him, his mother counselled him to flee and this he did, fleeing to Haran. While on this journey, he got to the land of Luz and there, he had an encounter with God.
In his encounter, God reminded Jacob of His covenant with his father and grandfather, Isaac and Abraham. God assured him that He had not forgotten and thus, He would never leave Jacob until all the promises are fulfilled. He had an awesome encounter with the most High in the least expected place and this made him when he rose up, to name that place Bethel - meaning House of God.
The Relevance of Bethel to Man
Having established that Bethel is the House of God, the following are what characterizes the house of God, or God's presence.
Bethel is a place of Covenant. (I Samuel 1:9-11)
Hannah made a covenant with God in her place of encounter with the Lord. When you make a covenant in God's presence, ensure that you fulfill your part, because God is a faithful God and as well, He is a jealous God.
I Samuel 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
Bethel is a place of Remembrance. (Gen. 28:13-14)
In His presence, God reaffirms His promises to us and assures us of fulfilment. He reminded Jacob of promises He made to his fathers and gave an assurance of its fulfillment in his lifetime.
Bethel is the place of Surrender. (Acts 9:6)
God's presence is not a place where you struggle with Him. It's a place where you reduce, that He may increase. It is a place of total surrender - total surrender to His will and His purpose, Just as it happened Saul who being a notorious persecutor of the church was transformed by an encounter with the Lord.
Acts 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Bethel is a place of Sanctification and Rededication. (Gen. 35:2-3)
Holiness is essential in assessing God's presence. That's why you must be sanctified and dedicated to God. No filthiness must be found in you, because He that you seek is holy, so you also must be holy in all manner of conversation. Jacob charged his household to lay aside every filth and be sanctified as he returns to Bethel.
Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
Bethel is the place of Destiny Transformation (Gen. 35:10-12)
Lives and destinies are transformed in God's presence. Hopelessness is changed to bright hope, sickness is changed to sound and divine health, and so on. Jacob, who was known to be a swindler received a transformation that changed his generation for better.
Genesis 35:10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
Bethel is the place of Spiritual Empowerment and Prosperity. (Acts 13:2; Acts 26:11-18)
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
In Acts 26:11-18, Paul narrated his salvation experience to king Agrippa. He described how Jesus appeared unto him and gave him a new assignment, one which is totally contrary to that which he was doing. In that experience, he was empowered for the spiritual assignment.
Bethel is the place of Signs & Wonders (Exodus 3:2; 34:29-30)
Signs and wonders always characterize God's presence because He can do all things and He is dynamic in His ways. In His presence, impossibility becomes possible, lack becomes prosperity, miracles are wrought.
Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
- Bethel is the place of liberty (II Corinthians 3:17)
- Bethel is a place of prayer (Isaiah 55:6)
- Bethel is a place of safety (Proverbs 18:10)
Bethel is a place of Terror (Genesis 28:17; II Samuel 6:7)
In God's presence, your enemies are crushed, rebuked or silenced. Hosnpresence drives away demons and all agents of darkness, as darkness cannot stand the presence of Light. Like in the case of Uzzah, Ananias and Sapphira, God purnishes disobedience, and He will not allowed His Spirit to be grieved.
2 Samuel 6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
Cast your mind back to an encounter you have had with God, in which He gave you specific instructions or you asked Him for help in one area or the other. That was Bethel for you. Take note of each instruction and ensure that you do according to His instructions. Always cultivate the presence of God in total dedication and sanctification. Do not be a visitor of His presence, but be a carrier of His glory everywhere you may go.
God bless you...
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