The Story of God: The Journey Home

When Courtney graduated from College last year, one of the ways we wanted to celebrate with her was to take her to Disneyland. So the morning after her grad, we got up early, drove to her campus, picked her up and headed onto I-5 for the 25 minute drive to Disneyland. Everything was going well until we took our exit. What should have been a couple of simple turns – all of a sudden turned into a bit of a nightmare – we hit a detour. The roads were blocked for the annual Tinkerbell Run. So we were directed to turn right – away from Disneyland. About an hour later we finally made it to Disneyland. Frustrating.

Detours can be frustrating. They mess with our plans, can cause us to miss appointments and make us take an alternative route to our intended destination. We are all familiar with physical detours. But not all detours are physical. Sometimes they are spiritual. We come to faith in God, start reading our Bible, participating in a church, but then we hit a detour. We take a break. We get caught up in following our dreams rather than following God. And sure, we know He’s there, but we put him on the back burner for a while, figuring we’ll get back on track soon enough. But after awhile we tend to settle for a lukewarm faith. And then we find ourselves wondering, how did we get here?  And how do we get back on track?

If you’ve ever found yourself detoured spiritually and wondering how to get back on track with God, then you’ll identify with Jacob this morning. For as we come to the end of Jacob’s story, that’s where we find Jacob. After finally reconciling with his brother, Jacob has taken a detour to Shechem. He didn’t go with Esau, and he didn’t go home to Isaac as he had promised God. No, he went to Shechem, the center of pagan worship in Canaan and settled there. And while he was there, nothing good happened. First, his daughter Dinah is raped by Shechem. When Jacob’s sons heard what happened they were shocked and furious. So Shechem himself came to them and said, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

Now, because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us.  We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.” So they did this. But then, three days later, while all the men were still in pain, Simeon and Levi attacked the city and killed every male. Now it was dangerous for Jacob to remain in Shechem. And yet, it is at this point that God intervenes once again, as we pick up Jacob’s story in Genesis 35. So if you brought your Bible with you, let me encourage you to turn to Genesis 35, where we will see how God get Jacob back on track.

And it all begins with God’s calling Jacob to Repentance: Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” Genesis 35:1 Once again God rescues Jacob by calling him to lead his family to go to Bethel and build an altar there. And what you gotta’ love about Jacob at this point, is that he is more then ready to comply. So Jacob calls everyone: his wives, his children and his servants; he calls them all to repentance. And their repentance must begin by renouncing whatever hinders their worship of the One True God. So he tells them: “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.”  Genesis 35:2

You see the problem with Jacob settling in Shechem, was that living there allowed his clan to begin compromising their faith. Their daily temptation was to fit into the culture around them. After all, Shechem was not their true home. So to be at home there, they began embracing the deities of the Shechemites. Get yourself an idol and you fit in with the people around you. But this was a problem. Their idol worship had defiled them. So just getting rid of the idols was not enough. They also need to perform some kind of ritual cleansing followed by changing their clothes. In this way, they would give tangible evidence that they were returning to God of Jacob and were ready to live as God’s people.

Now, we do something similar today after coming to faith in Jesus. Our way of giving tangible evidence that we are ready to live as God’s people is by participating in the ordinance called Believer’s Baptism. When we go under the waters of baptism, that symbol declares to all that we have died to our old way life, a life where we obeyed sin. Then once we come up out of the water, this symbolizes that we have risen with Christ and have a new life where we now live to obey God.   Water baptism is a great picture of the repentance that occurs when we put our faith in Jesus. We turn from a life where we called the shots and turn to Jesus who we now trust to lead us.

So in a very similar way this is what Jacob calls them to do: Jacob calls his family to turn away from the pagan practices of Shechem and go with him to Bethel where they can begin worshiping God. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone. Genesis 35:3 Just a couple more observations here:

First, Jacob shares his story of Faith. And tells how God rescued him and has always been with him. Jacob’s story is not so different from our story. For anyone who calls on the name of Jesus is rescued from sin and brought into a new relationship WITH God. And if that’s happened to you, you have a powerful story to tell, just like Jacob.

That’s the second observation: There is power in Jacob’s Story. So now, as Jacob finally takes a stand on his faith in God, the people respond: So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. Genesis 35: 4

And when they allow Jacob to bury their idols, they show their repentance is real. They’ve renounced pagan idol worship and are ready to go with Jacob to worship God. And then something profound takes place: Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan. Genesis 35:5-6

There he built an altar, and he called the place El Bethel, because it was there that God revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth. Genesis 35:7-8

Jacob and his family’s repentance is complete. They’ve turned back to God and are worshiping in Bethel. But then we find an interesting side note: Rebekah’s nurse dies and is buried outside Bethel. Fascinating. What makes this fascinating is that we are not told of Rebekah’s death, just her nurse. Which begs the question: Had Rebekah (Jacob’s mother) come to meet him at Bethel? Or was it just her nurse? Or had Rebekah already died? We don’t really know. All we do know, is that all throughout Abraham, Isaac and now Jacob’s journey, whenever a patriarch or matriarch dies, their death and burial are recorded. But Rebekah’s death and burial is never recorded. This is a sad commentary on her life: she leaves no legacy. Why: Because it was Rebekah who had led Jacob to deceive her husband in the first place.

However, God uses this unique event to begin turning Jacob’s heart toward home. But first, God needs to bolster Jacob’s faith with a Renewal of the Covenant. In fact, we see this renewal in two parts. First, in verse 9, After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.  God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. 35:9-10

With this encounter, God appears to Jacob directly, not as a man wrestling him. And once again he speaks directly to Jacob, making sure that he embraces his new name. For this is to be his new identity. He no longer to be known as the heel grabbing deceiver, but as the one who wrestles with God. Why repeat this? For from this point forward Jacob/Israel is taking the spiritual lead of his family, this family is about to become a nation – the nation of Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.  The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Genesis 35:11-12

In this second part, God is giving Jacob a renewal the Covenant. God is reminding Israel of who He is, what He Promises and what He will make of him.   Who He is: “I am God Almighty”, El Shaddai. The same name God used when He addressed Abraham when He reaffirmed His Covenant with him; the same name Isaac used when he had said farewell to Jacob. Now as Jacob hears this name, God renews his faith, that God is able to do what He says He will do. He is all-powerful.

What He Promises: The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Jacob has been living as a stranger in the land of his youth. It’s time to step up and believe what God has given him. It’s time to lay hold of the promise. This is critical. For when he believes this, he can return to the land of Abraham and Isaac. He can go home.

Now finally, What He will make of him: A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.  Jacob, now Israel, is the man God has chosen to lead His people. This is profound.

Do you see what God was doing here? Jacob has brought his people back to God.  He has led his people to worship God. And now He will be the man to lead the people of God. God has spoken in to His life. His Word renews Jacob faith in a great God. His Word renews Jacob’s faith in a good God. And His Word renews Jacob’s faith in a faithful God. God renews His covenant with Jacob, to renew his faith.

Can you see how much Jacob’s story is like your story? We need to be reminded of the GREATNESS of God. Even though the world carries on as if He does not exist. God is still large and in charge. He is the Almighty. As the Psalmist said, Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 When we believe our God is almighty, we can have peace in an uncertain world.

We need to be reminded of the GOODNESS of God. His Word connects us to Jacob’s story, Abraham’s story: We are the descendants of the promise: If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:29 It doesn’t get any clearer than that. God pursues you with the love of Jesus because He wants you with Him. Our God is for us, not against us. That’s the good news of our good God. We now get to enjoy the blessings of knowing Him, the freedom of forgiveness, and security of a sure and certain hope. Our God is that good!

We need to be reminded of the FAITHFULNESS of God. His Word tells us that He’s not done with us. He wants to make something of us. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 Even when we are unfaithful, He is faithful. Even when we take detours, God brings us back. This is our God. He is great. He is good. He is faithful to us, just like He was to Jacob.

Perhaps you’ve wandered from your original walk with God. Maybe there was a time when you were passionate about following God, but somewhere along the way you took a detour… and you settled… and lost track of what God wants for you. And so maybe you are like Jacob this morning… in need of renewal. And if that’s you, take heart. For when we look at Jacob’s story, one thing is clear: God never gave up on Jacob. And that means He will never give up on you. He wants to renew your faith. He is great. He is good. He is faithful. Let His Word renew your faith today.

For it renewed Jacob’s faith. For as we read on, we can sure see how he needed a boost, for life was about to throw him a curveball with the events that come next:

Birth, Death and Dishonor Let’s read: Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and had great difficulty. And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.” As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb. Genesis 35:17-20

Rachel’s prayer for another son was answered. Rachel has given Jacob son number 12. She names him Ben-Oni (Son of my trouble) and breathes her last. But Jacob chooses a more fitting name, Benjamin, a name of great honor, which means, “son of my right hand.” And then, in fitting fashion for the great love he had for Rachel, he honors her burial site with a pillar. But refuses to let his grief derail him.

And so we read: Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. And then we come to this remarkable verse: While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Genesis 35:21-22   In the midst of Israel’s sorrow, Leah’s firstborn, Rueben does a despicable thing. What’s going on here? Why would he do such a thing? Why? By defiling Bilah, Reuben makes certain that with Rachel’s death her handmaid cannot supplant his mother, Leah, as chief wife…

But Israel hears of Reuben’s actions; His first-born, the one who was first in the line for God’s blessing. But because of what he did, Israel will refuse to pass the blessing on to him. He’ll not inherit the birthright privileges.   He’ll not be the one to lead this new nation when Israel dies. No, later on, when it comes time to transfer the blessing, HE WILL NOT BLESS REUBEN. Nor will he bless Simeon or Levi, because they were the one’s who deceived and murdered the men of Shechem.

Why tell you all this? It is because of these two selfish and sinful events, Judah will become the child of the blessing. Kings will come from the line of Judah. King David will come from the line of Judah. And hundreds of years later, Jesus the Messiah will be born from the tribe of Judah. All because Reuben, Simeon and Levi sinned greatly against Israel.

So now we come to the end of Jacob’s story… His faith sustains him through the loss of Rachel, and the treachery of Reuben till at last we come to the end of Genesis 35, Here we see that Jacob/Israel has finally made it home for a reunion with his father. And so we read Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Genesis 35:27-29   Jacob has returned to the land of his fathers. He’s renounced all other gods and worships the Covenant God of Abraham. And God has blessed him. God changed his name to Israel, and he is now the spiritual father of this new nation made of twelve tribes – the sons of Israel, and the stage is set for Joseph’s story.

Through all of Jacob’s story, God has been faithful. He never gave up on Jacob. He provided abundantly for Jacob and was always with Jacob. This is the God of the Blessing. This is our God.

And this is His Story: A story He is still writing today in the lives of men and women just like Jacob; a story of grace and mercy, where God is still saving and blessing those who are willing to trust in Him.

Are you part of His Story? Have you trusted Him?