Title: Out of the World into Bethel
Text: Genesis 35: 1-15
Date: July 19, 2015
Place: SGBC, New Jersey

When Christ wrestled with Jacob at Peniel, we saw how Christ brought Jacob’s works to nothing. Christ wrestled Jacob to give him a blessing.He did so by bringing Jacob to have no strength in himself, by makinghim to cry out for Christ to preserve his life. So by the Prince of peace, Jacob had power with God and prevailed.

Do we ever have to be chastened and turned by Christ again? As long as we live in this body of death, Christ has to do this for us again and again.In our text, we find just that.

Genesis 35: 1: And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

Why is God having to tell Jacob this again? At least 15 years before, God said, “I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” (Gen 31: 13) God said, “I am the God of Bethel.” God made it clear which place he was speaking of, “Where thou anointedst the piller.” He reminded Jacob of his unfulfilled vow, “Where thou vowest a vow unto me.” Then God commanded Jacob to go back to Bethel, “Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” But it has been over thirty years. Jacob has not paid his vow. He has not gone to the house of God, to Bethel, as God commanded.

I want to show you that because Christ paid all we owe, God will have mercy on his people, Christ will turn his people from our way and the Spirit of God will continually bring us to back to the feet of Christ to God’s house.

THE BELIEVER’S PROBLEM

After Christ wrestled Jacob and blessed him, Christ also gave Jacob a peaceful meeting with Esau. But soon after Jacob gradually drifted away from Christ nearer to this world—Genesis 33: 16: So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17: And Jacob journeyedto Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. 18: And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came FROM Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. 19: And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money. 20: And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.

Jacob began to settle down in Succoth. Then he left. He pitched his tent toward Shalem of Shechem like Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom. He bought land from the children of that land. Paid them with lambs God had given him. Indeed, Jacob built a separate place to worship with his family, calling it “God, the God of Israel.” But he built it in Shechem rather than Bethel. God said, “I am the God of Bethel.”

Do we see a mistake in allthis? Jacob is to be a stranger in this land, looking for a city whose builder and maker is God—separate from the people. So are we who believe. But he saw this fertile valley of Shechem. He invested in a piece of ground unlike Abraham or Isaac. Neither of them ever owned land in Canaan, except to be buried.

Also, when Jacob made his dwelling place at Shechem, he stopped short of Bethel by about 20 miles.God had told him, “I am the God of Bethel.” Bethel, not Shechem, was where Jacob was to go; Bethel is the house of God; Bethel is where God revealed Christ to Jacob; Bethel is where God gave Jacob his covenant promises; Bethel is where Jacob first believed on Christ.But Jacob built an altar in Shechem instead.

We see here a believerwho hasdrifted away fromChrist whilebecoming friends with this world. He came from Padanaram but not out of Padanaram—not in his heart. He is attempting to worship God and serve the world. Will it work? No way!

TROUBLE AND SORROW

Soon trouble and sorrow came to Jacob—Genesis 34: 1: And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2: And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. 3: And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4: And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5: And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

Don’t you know Jacob’s heart was broken! Dinah is his only daughter!He hears through the grapevine that she’s been defiled by the idolatrous heathen prince of Shechem.

TEMPTATION

Then on the heels of trouble and sorrow came great temptation. King Hamor and his son, Prince Shechem,came telling Jacob of his son’s desire to marry Dinah. His son was the prince, Hamor was the King of the whole land! Now, listen to the great offer with which they tempt Jacob—Genesis 34: 8: And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. 9: And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10: And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. 11: And Shechemsaid unto [Jacob] her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. 12: Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

This is the King and Prince of the whole land.They offered Jacob the world if he would just give his daughter to the prince of this world.How many of us would jump at such a flattering proposal by a king? But remember, what satan said to Christ. Satan promised Christ all the kingdoms of this world if Christ would just bow down and worship satan. But to do so would mean Christ would give up his elect, his daughter, his church. The one reason God’s elect are continually saved from such temptation in this world is because Christ overcame the world and crushed satan’s head just as God promised. (Gen 3: 15)

MURDER, ROBBERY AND SHAME

Then after trouble and sorrow, after temptation, came murder, robbery and shame to Jacob. Jacob’s sons were angry—Genesis 34: 13: And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: 14: And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: 15: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; 16: Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17: But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone…25 : And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26: And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. 27: The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28: They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, 29: And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house. 30: And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 31: And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

It was not the place of Jacob’s sons to speak to the King for Jacob. But Jacob remained silent. Though his sons were laying a trap, it appears Jacob was going to allow his family—God’s family—to become one family with idol worshippers. So the men of Shechem agreed to the son’s proposal and were circumcised. Then on the third day when the all the men of the city were sore the sons of Jacob murdered, robbed and shamed Jacob by their deeds.

All this began with Jacob trying to live in this fertile valley.Oh, Jacob built an altar, separate from the idols, and looked to God for spiritual life.But he looked to the fertile plains of that valley for everyday life.Jacob had no business in Shechem, no more than Lot in Sodom.

Brethren, God has sanctified his people to serve him alone—we are a holy people separated from this world unto God.We cannot be friends of this world and the friend of God.We cannot look to God to be our salvation in spiritual matters but look to this worlds riches to be our salvation in practical things.The end will be trouble, sorrow, sin and shame.We must look to Christ only!

THE REMEDY: GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY IN CHRIST

How will God’s believing children be saved from ourselves in situations like these? The remedy is the mercy and grace of God in Christ—Genesis 35: 1: And God said unto Jacob,…

Amazing grace! After all this, God still had mercy on Jacob. Why? For the sake of Christ, Jacob’s Surety. Christ was Jacob’s Wisdom with God, his Advocate with the Father.In Christ, Jacob was the righteousness of Christ; in Christ, Jacob was the holiness of Christ; in Christ, Jacob was complete. Therefore, for Christ’s sake, God had mercy on Jacob.Brethren, thank God for his mercy and grace in Christ our Lord and Savior!

Yet,God commanded Jacob to repent andleave this place and go up to the house of God—Genesis 35: 1: And God said unto Jacob, Arise, goup to Bethel and dwell there.

God said, “Arise!” Jacob must repent and leave his business, his land, his friendships, all his works. May God speak to us in sovereign power saying, “Arise!” Stay no longer in this world and in your sin. Repent from trying to serve God and mammon. Arise from this valley of sin and sorrow. “Go up to Betheland dwell there.” Go up to the house where God has chosen to exalt his name. Dwell there with God’s people. Go up to the house where the Mediator, the Ladder,Christ our Redeemer is set up between God and Jacoband dwell there.

God is telling Jacob to return to God through Christ—Genesis 35: 1:…and make there an altar unto God.

Be sure to see the typology. Christ is our Altar andthe Lamb on the altar. He is the believers only Righteousness to approach God. Christ is our High Priest in whom we draw near unto God.There is no going up to God except through Christ our Altar. (Heb 13: 10)

Then God tells Jacob to remember his first love—Genesis 35: 1:…God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

When Jacob met God at Bethel he was leaving his father’s home. Jacob, candy-coated his purpose in leaving. Hesaid he was going to find a wife.God declared the truth. He was fleeing from the face of Esau his brother. God found Jacob like he finds all his lost elect as a sinner, a supplanter.God says, “But remember, how I had mercy on you and appeared to you in the GodMan Ladder.”He is telling Jacob to remember, from whence thou art fallen.

Believer, remember, thy first love! Christ told the saints at Ephesus, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.” (Rev 2: 4-5)

Believer, do you remember when you first believed on Christ? Do you remember when you were a child in faith and Christ was All? It was before you became a theologian. It was before your career got in the way.It was before you tried to worship God and the world? Christ says, “Repent and do those first works all over again.” Repent and become as a little child. Crawl up into your heavenly Father’s lap and learn of him as a little child does the father he loves.

GOD HONORS THOSE WHO HONOR HIS SON

God made his word effectual in Jacob’s heart—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.

Thirty years before,Jacob’s dear wife Rachel brought an idol out of her father’s house into Jacob’s house when she married Jacob.Now, they are living among idolators.Jacob’s whole family was worshipping strange gods. Understand what that means: they dressed like the people of that land—garments were their gods; they talked superstitiously like them—creation was their god, worshipping man, earth and animals; they desired the same pleasures of the world—sports, movies and money become our gods; they even possessed the idol trinkets of the land—like folks who have crosses in their ears, and so on.All of this was strange gods!

Jacob had turned a blind eye to it all. But when God makes his word effectual, he says, “Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump.” So Jacob said to his family, “Put all this away. We are approaching God who is the holy and reverend God.Put away these strange gods, wash you and change your garments.”

Brethren, we need to be granted repentance from dead idols. We need the Holy Spirit’s inward washing. We need the garment of Christ’s righteousness put upon us by God the Holy Spirit.Repentance is a heart work given of God. God gets all the glory for our repentance.

But following the cleansing of the inside of the cup will be the cleansing of the outside of the cup. The sinful thoughts and deeds which grieved God have to be repented of by the believer. The ill tempers and sins that had been indulged have got to be turned from. The divisions of heart between God and the world must be done away with. There must be a burying of all these idols, else they could never worship God at Bethel.The same is true of us!But Jacob could not effect that in the hearts of those in his house! No, but God could! All Jacob was responsible to do was to preach Christ to his house.

Jacob honored the Lord and God honored him and made it effectual in Jacob’s house—Genesis 35: 4: And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

Here is the point, take sides with God against yourself and against all that you hold dear and you might be surprised to see God bless it so that the hearts of your children are made to repent and believe God. God honors those who honor his Son.

SOVEREIGN PROTECTION

Another way God honors his people is by protecting us from our enemies as we journey to worship him—Genesis 35: 5: And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

Folks make excuses why they cannot leave this world and believe God. Sinners make excuses why they cannot miss work to draw near to God in his house with his people in public worship. Folks make excuses why they cannot move to another city where they can worship God and live amongst God’s people. I wonder if we were being paid a large sum of money to do these things if we could find a way? The unsearchable riches of Christ are worth far more than any earthly money.