Have you ever had a friend make a promise they didn't keep? Have you ever failed to keep a promise you made, even though you started out with full intention of doing so? Even though we may be guilty of doing this, thank the Lord He NEVER will!
In the Bible, we can see this clearly displayed in the life of Jacob.
Jacob, whose name means "deceiver, or trickster" lived true to its meaning. He deceived his brother Esau and father, Isaac, to steal the birthright and blessing that should have gone to Esau by tradition. God had ordained Jacob to be the one to receive these (Gen.25:23), but NOT by Jacob's methods. As a result of Jacob's sin, he had to flee from his home for his life. Jacob headed for the home of his uncle, Laban. On the way there, Genesis 28:11 says he " lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set;". There is ALWAYS A CERTAIN PLACE that the Lord wants us to be. HIS PRESENCE is where He would give Jacob the promise that He would fulfill throughout his life. Jacob was unaware of this when he "took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep." vs.11. God had to get him to this place so that he would hear the Lord. We need to get in HIS PRESENCE where we can hear what the Lord has to tell us. The Lord uses circumstances in our lives to get us to where He wants us to be. If Jacob had never left home, he would NOT have been where the Lord could give him the Promise.
"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. 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; 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 see shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 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." Gen.28:12-15. The Lord made Jacob a PROMISE that He would give him the land that he was on, bless his family and it would spread across the earth, and that HE WOULD NEVER LEAVE HIM OR FORSAKE HIM! What a promise He gave Jacob in His Presence that Jacob gave the name of Bethel to-which means "the house of God." Jacob took the stone he had used to put his pillows on, and set them up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it, vs 18. Jacob saw that the stones he had rested on were those that belonged to the Promise he had just been given. He set them up as a pillar or monument, to remember this promise. We need to do the same. We need to make pillars, or reminders, of the promises that the Lord has made to us! This will help us remember the promise, and to remember our promise to serve the Lord. Just as he had rested ON THE PROMISE, SO CAN WE! Our Rock, Jesus, is the stone that we need to rest upon! This Rock is our reminder of the Promise that He has given to us as well! He is the Promise! The oil that Jacob annointed the stones with, was a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Promise was given, salvation and leadership, and was SEALED WITH THE SPIRIT to be his GUIDE, JUST AS HE IS OURS! (II Corinthians 1:20-22). We need to remember the Promise that the Lord has given us of Salvation, that He will "never leave us, nor forsake us!" Hebrews 13:5.
After Jacob started out to serve the Lord from that day, but like many of us, he drifted from serving the Lord wholly, and also reaped the problems he had sowed from his earlier days. He was tricked into marrying the wrong woman, and taken advantage of by his father-in-law for profit. Jacob left this place of promise and following the Lord, only to reap troubles. God spoke to Jacob in a dream again to warn him, and call him back to where he needed to be, Gen.31:11-13. He specifically reminded him of the pillar he had built of the stone he had laid on. The Lord did so to remind of HIS promise to Jacob, but also to remind Jacob of his vow to serve and follow HIM! The pillar was the reminder of the promise! When we have left off of following the Lord, we need to look back to the PILLAR, or promise! Jacob heeded this call and turned back to the Lord. He knew he had to go back to where He left off following the Lord. He went back to Bethel, but on the way there He wrestled with a "man", which actually was the Lord, come down from Heaven, in what is called a "theophany," Gen.32:30. Jacob said he would not let Him go except He blessed him, Gen.32:26.This is where the Lord gave him another promise to change his name from Jacob to Israel. The old man was to be left in the past, and the new spiritual man was to lead. But, after this still, Jacob turned to Shalem and not Bethel. He was going to serve the Lord, but in his own way. God did not bless this, and Jacob suffered more trials through his family as a result, Gen 34.The Lord called Jacob once more to Bethel.
The last time the Lord called Jacob to Bethel, he went. Gen. 35:1&2 says he made his household put away the "strange gods" from them, be clean, and change your garments. He had made a decision to follow God wholly, and to rid his home of all worldliness. He wanted to be sanctified for the Lord to use and bless. Verses 10-15 of the same chapter tell of where the Lord reminded Jacob of the Promise again. This time, it says Jacob called his name Israel as well, vs.10, showing he would now walk in the Spirit. This was demonstrated in vs.14 where he erected a new pillar this time. THIS TIME he poured a drink offering over it AND anointed it with oil. The drink offering showed that we was emptying himself, giving his life fully to the Lord. The oil was still the symbol of God's Holy Spirit being His guide. To live a consecrated, Spirit-filled life, we MUST DIE TO SELF! We have to empty ourselves of our wants and desires, and make them the Lord's own! "Delight thyself also in the LORD;and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4. His desires will become our own when we wholly follow Him. The Holy Spirit as our Guide gives us peace, that passes understanding (Phillipians 4:6&7.) He will keep our hearts and minds through the Lord Jesus, giving us comfort through the "anointing."
In order to hear the Lord speak to us, we have to be in His PRESENCE. This is where we got HIS PROMISE. We need to make Pillars to remember the Promise. Only after doing so and POURING out ourselves to Him, can we have true PEACE and comfort of His Spirit. God help us to make our Pillows of stone into Pillars of Stone!
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