There is an old West African proverb which says, “The man who tries to walk two roads will split his pants.” (Janet Weiss, Leesburg, Florida, heard in a conversation by her father, a missionary to the Maninka tribe; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the way it is with those who try to live for the Lord and the pleasures of this world at the same time. They are trying to walk two roads, which can only lead to disaster in the end.
That’s what happened to Jacob. God had called him back to Bethel, but he chose to settle just 15 miles north in Shechem at the crossroads of trade where he could get rich. Sure, he built an altar there, but his attempt to live for the world and for the Lord at the same time tore his family apart. Jacob’s daughter fell in love with a man who violated her. His sons became murderers and thieves, and He was disgraced.
Adrian Rogers once said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you're willing to pay.”
Some of you have been there, haven’t you? You’ve walked away from God only to find it costing you more than you ever thought it would.
Even so, God in his grace wants you back for Himself. He calls you to come home to Him and provides a way back. You say, “Phil, I’ve made a mess of my life. How can I find my way back to God? How can I find my way back to joy in His presence again?” Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 35, Genesis 35, where Jacob found a way back to God and shows us the way back, as well.
Genesis 35:1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” (ESV)
Even though Jacob had messed up so badly, God was not done with him yet. God in his grace calls him back to the place where they first met face to face, and Jacob listens to that call.
Genesis 35:2-3 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (ESV)
Jacob makes plans to go back to Bethel to meet with God, but first, he has to get rid of all the idols they have picked up along the way.
Genesis 35:4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem. (ESV)
Evidently, the rings in their ears were magic charms. You see, they had stopped trusting in God and had begun to put their trust in magic charms and other things, which didn’t do them much good, did it? So Jacob buried all their idols and charms, declaring that they were going to trust in God and God alone.
Genesis 35:5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. (ESV)
The Lord protected them like no other god could.
Genesis 35:6-7 And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel [i.e., the God of Bethel], because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. (ESV)
Jacob heard God calling him, “Come back to Me.” He got rid of all their idols, and he returned to the place where he first met God.
Now, that’s what you must do if you want to find your way back to God. That’s what you must do if you want to find your way back to joy in His presence. First, listen to God calling you back to Him.
No matter how bad you’ve messed up, God desires you to be with Him forever. As Josh McDowell once put it: “God is passionate about being in relationship with you.” That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for your sins and rise again. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins, so you could be in relationship with a Holy God. So now, in His grace, God is calling you to come back to Him.
But before you do that, like Jacob, you have to get rid of the idols. You have to bury anything that you’re depending on for security besides the Lord Himself, and resolve to trust God and God alone. It may mean letting go of a relationship that you know is not right. It may mean letting go of some of the stuff that gets in the way of your relationship with God. It may mean giving away some money, which if truth be known has become your security, more so than God Himself.
Aaron Baker from Chicago, Illinois, talks about his days as a child growing up. He says that whenever they went out to dinner as a family, his father told him, “Don't order the apple pie.”
He was not being cruel, trying to keep his son from ordering desert. No! His father was trying to keep his son from disappointment. That’s because mom made the best apple pie in the whole world, and Aaron’s father had learned from experience that no apple pie could ever compare to Mom's apple pie. (Aaron Baker, Chicago, Illinois; www.PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, your Heavenly Father knows that the idols of this world could never compare with His goodness. So don’t set yourself up for disappointment by pursuing anything but Him. Please don’t do it. Instead, listen to the voice of God calling you back to Himself. Get rid of the idols.
And like Jacob, come back to the Lord. In a manner of speaking. Come back to Bethel. Come home to that place in your heart where you first met with God.
RETURN TO THE LORD.
This month, we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17), but we would not know much about the real Saint Patrick had he not written a record of his life called Confessions.
As a young boy, Patrick lived a comfortable life near an English coastal city where his father was a deacon in their church. But at the age of 16, his comfortable life unraveled. Irish pirates attacked his village, abducting Patrick and many of the household servants. After arriving in Ireland, Patrick was sold as a slave to a Druid tribal chieftain who forced Patrick to work with a herd of pigs.
In the midst of the squalor of pig filth, God began to transform Patrick's heart. In his Confessions he wrote, “I was sixteen and knew not the true God, but in a strange land the Lord opened my unbelieving eyes, and I was converted.”
After serving as a slave for six years, Patrick escaped, boarded a boat, and found his way back home. At long last, he was on British soil, warmly embraced by his family and his community. In his own mind Patrick was done with Ireland for good. According to Patrick, “It is not in my nature to show divine mercy toward the very ones who once enslaved me.”
Then God used a dream to call Patrick back to Ireland – not as a slave, but as a preacher of the gospel. His family and friends were understandably horrified by his decision. “Many friends tried to stop my mission,” Patrick wrote. “They said, ‘Why does this fellow waste himself among dangerous enemies who don't even know God?’”
Despite their objections, Patrick used his own money to buy a boat and sail back to Ireland in A.D. 432. He spent the rest of his life preaching the gospel in Ireland, watching many people come to Christ. He also passionately defended the human rights of slaves.
In summary, Patrick writes, “I am certain of this: I was a dumb stone lying squashed in the mud; the Mighty and Merciful God came, dug me out and set me on top of the wall. Therefore, I praise him and ought to render him something for his wonderful benefits to me both now and in eternity.” (John W. Cowart, People Whose Faith Got Them into Trouble, InterVarsity Press, 1990, pp. 31-42; www:PreachingToday.com)
Saint Patrick answered God’s call to go back to the place where He first met God. Patrick obeyed the call; and as a result, God used Him in a powerful way to change his world, which still honors him today.
How about you? Will you obey God’s call to come back to Him? Oh please, respond to His call today! Return to the Lord. Then...
REMEMBER HIS PROMISES.
Return to the Lord and let God remind you of His commitment to you. Return to the Lord and let God tell you again how much He loves you. That’s what God did for Jacob.
Genesis 35:9-10 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob [liar]; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel [one who strives with God]. (ESV)
God reminds Jacob of his new name – his new identity – and God reminds Jacob of the nation he would become.
Genesis 35:11-15 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.” Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel [i.e., the House of God]. (ESV)
Jacob came back to the house of God where God reminded him of his new name and of the nation he would become. This was nothing new to Jacob. God had told him these things before, but he had forgotten them in his pursuit of worldly wealth. Now, after he came back to God, God assures Jacob, “I haven’t forgotten My promises even if you have.”
And that’s what God will do for you when you come back to Him. He will remind you of His promises and reassure you that He remains committed to you. The Bible says, “If we are faithless, [God] will remain faithful for He cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Even if you forget Him, He never forgets you. When you leave, He longs for you to come back to Him, so He can bless you and reassure you of His love and His desire to protect and provide for you.
That’s the way Jesus described your Heavenly Father in His story of the prodigal son. God is like a father who longs to put his arms around you and throw a party in celebration of your return. He has not disowned you. You are still his son or and daughter through faith in Christ. You still have a room in His house, and He wants to bless you even as He did Jacob.
Just come home to Him. Come back to Bethel, so to speak, and be reminded of His commitment to care for you.
Author Mike Yaconelli travels a lot, and he describes a night when he came to San Francisco and missed his connection back home. He was angry and upset, so he called his son on the phone. Mike wanted some encouragement. He said, “Man, I'm stuck in the airport; it's been a horrible day. I've been traveling too much.”
To which his son replied, “You know, Dad, if you didn't travel so much, you wouldn't have things like this happen.”
Well, Mike didn't appreciate that. It ticked him off, so he told his son, “Let me talk to your son” [Mike’s two-year-old grandson].
Well, Mike forgot that when you're two you can't talk, and when you're 60 you can't hear. This is not a good combination. The two-year-old is mumbling on the phone. Mike is hoping that this is going to make him feel better, but it's making him feel worse. Finally, Mike had it. He heard the phone drop onto the floor. He heard the kids playing. He’s stuck in the airport. He’s having a miserable experience. He’s furious and angry, when all of a sudden he hears crystal clear over the phone, “I love you, Grampa.”
Mike says, “All my anxiety, everything went out the window.” (“The Dick Staub Interview: Mike Yaconelli,” ChristianityToday. com; www.PreachingToday.com)
Like Mike, are you so busy you’re at your wits’ end? Then stop for a minute and hear the God of the universe whisper to you, “I love you.” Just come home to the Lord and let Him remind you of His love. Return to the Lord and let him remind you of His commitment to you. But not only that, return to the Lord and let Him…
RENEW YOUR FAITH to face life’s sorrows.
Return to the Lord and gain the confidence to face the hard times as well as the good. Return to the Lord and find the strength to overcome whatever life throws your way. That’s what God did for Jacob.
Genesis 35:8 And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth [i.e., the oak of weeping]. (ESV)
You see, coming back to God does NOT exempt you from sorrow. Jacob comes back home to Bethel and faces the death of a very close family friend. Deborah was his mother’s nurse, who had come with her many years previously when she had left her home to marry Jacob’s father. And no doubt, she helped to raise and care for Jacob too!
Jacob comes back to the Lord and faces the sorrow of death, but it is not a sorrow without assurance and a bright hope for the future. Skip down to verse 16 where we see Jacob’s faith even in the face of his own wife’s death.
Genesis 35:16-18 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni [Son of My Sorrow]; but his father called him Benjamin [which means Son of My Right Hand or Son of My Strength]. (ESV)
In the midst of sorrow, Jacob finds strength to rest in God’s promises for a glorious future. Death is not the end of the story for the believer. It is only the beginning of all that God has promised to us.
Genesis 35:19-20 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. (ESV)
It is a pillar of hope! Bethlehem is the place where our Lord will enter this world as a tiny baby laid in a manger. His mother will call Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
Genesis 35:21-29 Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. (ESV)
Jacob buried three people after he came back home to God: Deborah, a close family friend; his wife Rachel; and his father Isaac. Coming back to God did not exempt him from sorrow, but it did give him the faith to face life’s sorrows with a sure and certain hope for the future.
Please, let God do the same thing for you. Return to the Lord and let Him renew your faith to face whatever life throws your way.
In his book, Against the Flow, Oxford professor John Lennox talks about meeting a Russian follower of Jesus. He had spent years in a Siberian labor camp for the crime of teaching his children about the Bible. Lennox listened as the Russian believer described things, he had seen, that no man should ever have to see. Lennox listened, thinking how little he really knew about life, and wondering how he would have fared under those circumstances.
As if the Russian had read Lennox’s thoughts, the Russian suddenly said: “You couldn't cope with that, could you?”
Embarrassed, Lennox stumbled out something like: “No, I am sure you are right.”
The Russian then grinned and said: “Nor could I! I was a man who fainted at the sight of his own blood, let alone that of others. But what I discovered in the camp was this: God does not help us to face theoretical situations but real ones. Like you I couldn't imagine how one could cope in the Gulag. But once there I found that God met me, exactly as Jesus had promised his disciples when he was preparing them for victimization and persecution.”
Lennox adds, “We can be confident, then, that the Lord will give us a sufficient amount of grace to handle whatever comes our way, whenever it comes our way—and not necessarily a moment before!” (John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism, Oxford: Monarch, 2015, p. 147; www.PreachingToday.com)
Please, let God do that for you. He will not exempt you from sorrow, but He’ll give you the grace to face it with His strength. So come back to Bethel. Return to the Lord and let Him remind you of His commitment to you and renew your faith to face life’s sorrows.
It’s like picking up the “chance” card in Monopoly, which says, “Return to Go – collect $200.” On the one hand it seems to penalize, but on the other it rewards. So it is with God. Often, he draws us back to the beginning, back to where we began with Him. (Jack Hayford, “Worship His Majesty,” Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 12)
Oh my dear friends, go back to Him today. Return to the Lord. Return to Go and collect so much more than $200. Collect the hope and joy of being in His presence again.
