Genesis 35: 1And 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. 2Then 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: 3And 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. 4And 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. 5And 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. 6So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. 7And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
Here is an order from a father to his household, family and servants. God ordered Jacob to go to Bethel, and the people had to prepare themselves. They were told to empty their pockets of their little idols, bathe, and change their clothes. It is straight forward instruction for them and for us. In order to be acceptable at our meeting with the Lord, we have to do the same things.
Jacob said they would not leave with idols or dirty clothes. We hardly think of it, but most of us bathe and change clothes daily. If last Sunday was the last time you cleaned up think about how it would be in here today. No matter how nice clothes look when we put them on, the longer we wear them the worse they look. The longer we go without a bath the worse we look and smell. In a spiritual sense, the church can find itself here if it’s not careful. We can find ourselves here.
God spoke to Jacob at a hard time. He had 11 sons and some daughters. One daughter had been raped by Shechem. The whole family was upset. The town was upset. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simon and Levi, took it upon themselves to take matters in their own hands. Jacob knew trouble was coming.
We have two meetings scheduled, and we can’t get out of either one of them. Secondarily, we have a meeting with the enemy—Satan. He’s our spiritual enemy, and he works on people in various ways. None of us are above being worked on by the devil. Let your guard down, and he’s on you. We have enemies of flesh too. Trust is hard to come by. If not using people to get to us, Satan will use whatever it takes.
God told Jacob to get up and go back to Bethel. He had been there years before when Esau was out to kill him. He dreamed of the ladder that reached between heaven and earth. Angels descended and ascended the ladder, and God was at the top with a promise. The same covenant given to Abraham and Isaac before him was given to Jacob. God promised to be with him and make a great nation out of him. Jacob took that stone and made an altar and named the place Bethel, the place where God comes to man.
If we ever needed a Bethel, we need one now. There are so many Shechem’s out there, so much trouble. Satan works through our bodies, our emotions, people in our lives, and our circumstances. He cannot get to you if you choose to meet with God. Bethel was still there; the God of Bethel was still real. The only God that exists is the one we can’t see with our eyes, the one who speaks to our hearts. He’s the God who makes a way. Because God is still on the throne and Jesus Christ is still his son, there is still a Bethel for us. There is still a place to meet God.
That’s the primary meeting that is scheduled for us. We will meet God one way or another, at our Bethel or at the judgment. Jacob realized he couldn’t avoid Bethel. Do you remember where your Bethel is? Meet God there. Jacob was to go there for more than a visit; he was to stay. We need to set stakes at Bethel. Don’t be in and out. Don’t go there occasionally. Satan is an everyday devil. We need an everyday meeting with God for our own survival. We may have to live in this sinful world, but the sinful world doesn’t have to live in us!
Simon and Levi thought they were doing God a favor by their actions, yet Jacob told them to clean up. All the children needed to do the same. Everybody had to do it. They couldn’t chose Bethel part way and hold to Shechem too. They had to give up their idols. Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Are you really presentable to God? The devil will take you dirty as will the world. We have to be clean before the Lord. Do you need to come to Bethel?
What does this mean spiritually? You know right from wrong. Our righteousness is filthy rags to the Lord. Are you lukewarm? Are you cold? Is it time to change clothes? Do you need a change of heart? That’s the only way to peace with God. Jesus exchanged his garments of glory for the garment of human nature. Because he did this victoriously, he is able to wash us and wrap his righteousness around us. If you’re not saved, he’ll clean you up. As a saved person, we all fail at times. First John says we must confess our sins; the Lord is faithful to forgive us.
Do you need to empty your pockets? Do you need to take a bath? Do you need to change clothes? It’s time.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 