Title Jacob's Reformation (Genesis 35:1-5)
Contents Today's text is about Jacob. Jacob's life was a life of ups and downs. His quarrel with his older brother Esau began from the womb of his mother Rebekah, and his life was a life of struggle.
Now, what I want to think about through this text is that the Bible is not the original purpose to record Jacob's great faith, but how did God love a human being who was too short, cunning, double personality, full of sins and faults as a weak human? The purpose of this text is to show how He was used as an instrument to accomplish the work of redemption. It was a life in which Jacob struggled to live well for the rest of his life, no matter what he did. In modern terms, he was the wisest, savvy, and sensible person. However, Jacob made a decision like a bookkeeper like never before in terms of faith. In verse 2, the whole family underwent amazing reforms. Let's take a look at Jacob's determination of faith.
1. Regarding the command of God's love in verse 1, God commanded Jacob to "get up from Shechem and go up to Bethel." In other words, it urges us to think about the grace and blessings God has given us in the past and restore our faith.
1) God told me to go to the God who appeared to me when I was running away from my brother Esau and build an altar. These words are at the heart of today's problem. Jacob could avoid the face of his brother Esau, but he could not avoid the face of God. Neither Moses nor David could escape. In the end, Jacob met the inevitable God in the wilderness of Bethel. We, too, need to know that God is unavoidable.
2) God showed Jacob the love of God.
Jacob is a man who is deceitful enough to forget his promise to God, but he shows that God is truthful and true. Jacob is a man without any righteousness that deserves God's blessing. Nevertheless, God loved them. This is the point the Bible teaches us.
3) God required the restoration of worship in Jacob's faith.
2. According to God's command in verse 2, Jacob reformed the religion.
Family reform was necessary.1) Abandon foreign gods.
2) Purify yourself.
3) Change your clothes.
-Amen-