God blesses and renames Jacob.
God never gave up on Jacob.
God never said to Jacob, “I’m only going to tell you this once.”
Jacob’s name appears hundreds of times in the Old Testament and 26 times in the New Testament.
Jacob’s name appears in the following New Testament books:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and Hebrews.
Matthew 8:11 (NLT)
11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Luke 13:28 (NLT)
28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.
John 4:12 (NLT)
12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
Acts 7:46 (NLT)
46 “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.
Genesis 35:1-15 (NLT)
Jacob’s Return to Bethel
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”
2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4 So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. 5 As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.
6 Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
8 Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”).
9 Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, 10 saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
11 Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! 12 And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. 15 And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.
Examine the Scriptures
Genesis 35:1-15 (NLT)
Jacob’s Return to Bethel
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there.
-
- God is bringing Jacob and his family back to the Promised Land. (20+ years later)
Settle down in the Promised Land.
Build an altar there to the God
“The God”
Why didn’t God say, “To Me”?
God told Jacob to build an altar.
- Up to this point, Jacob’s relationship to God appeared to be conditional. (See Genesis 28:20-22.)
Previous visit to Bethel.
Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. 12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
13 At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
18 The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.
22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God,
and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.” (20+ years earlier)
Previous encounters with God:
Genesis 32:22-32 (At Peniel)
Jacob Wrestles with God
22 During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 23 After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 “What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 31 The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. 32 (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)
- Jacob had a previous face to face encounter with God.
2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.
- Up to this point, Jacob tolerated the worship of pagan idols in his household.
Genesis 31:19 (NLT)
19 At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.
Exodus 34:14 (NLT)
14 You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.
Deuteronomy 6:14-15 (NLT)
14 “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, 15 for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.
3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God
“The God”
who answered my prayers when I was in distress.
“when I was in distress”
Psalm 34:1 (NLT)
A psalm of David
1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.
Reminder: Don’t just pray when you are in distress.
He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
Genesis 28:15 (NLT)
15 What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
- God was with Jacob throughout his travels.
4 So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.
- We need to bury our idols.
5 As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.
Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
6 Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there
Built an altar to God. (Obedience to God’s instructions.)
and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
- Jacob reconfirmed his allegiance to God.
8 Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”).
Notice the continuity in the story.
Genesis 27:45 New Living Translation (NLT)
45 When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I (Rebekah) will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
Scripture does not say when Rebekah died.
9 Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, (the large plain, surrounded by mountains, in which the town of Haran, the home of Laban, was situated) God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, 10 saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
- God reminded Jacob that he would be called Israel.
Jacob renamed.
Genesis 32:28 (NLT)
28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
11 Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’
In verse 3 Jacob referred to God as, “the God.”
God refers to himself here as “God Almighty”.
- God said, “I am El-Shaddai – God Almighty.”
Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations.
Kings will be among your descendants!
This is an addition to the promise made to Jacob previously in Genesis 28.
12 And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.”
- God confirmed (and expanded) the promise He had earlier made to Jacob (Genesis chapter 28).
13 Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
14 Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil.
- Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him.
A tangible reminder of God’s covenant.
- Tangible reminders are helpful.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
15 And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.
Genesis 28:16-22 (NLT)
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
18 The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. 22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”
Final comments:
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Psalm 86:15 (NLT)
But you, O Lord,
are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
God never said to Jacob, “I’m only going to tell you this once.”
