Genesis 28:16-17 (NASV)
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “ Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “ How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Jacob is on the run. He is running from his brother, Esau, mainly. But, he is also running from his past, his parents, and his God. His guilt for tricking his brother out of his birthright must have been a large burden to carry. He might have rationalized it all that he was only doing what his mother told him to do. Yet, he had to carry the guilt and the shame that he had lied to his father and taken from his brother what was legal his (although God had said Jacob would rule over Esau). Now he was running to a country he knew nothing about, to a relative he had only heard stories from the lips of his mom. When he arrives near the city of Luz he decides he will take a nap ... one sure way to put away your guilt. Yet, in the sleep, God comes to him and he sees that the place he is in is really a place God dwells. Here, in his running, God finds him! Here, in his attempt to escape the responsibilities of his new birthright, he is reminded by God that he will fulfill those responsibilities and that God will be with him as he does. Even in our running away we can be assured of God's faithfulness to His plan and promises and our achieving our part in that plan. We might think that we are too ashamed to do His will, especially after we are deceptive and manipulative. Yet, God is here and He can turn a place like Luz (to depart or turn aside) into a place God Bethel (house of God). God does not leave us alone, even when we sin. God pursues us and will be were we are, even in our running. He can turn a Luz into a Bethel in anyone's life. When we want to "depart" or "turn aside" (Luz) God can bring us safely into a "place of God" (Bethel).
No comments:
Post a Comment