Our God of the Two-way Street

“I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” (Ge 31:13 AV)

There was a mutual covenant made back there in Bethel.  As Jacob was fleeing to Laban his uncle, he promises the LORD if He will guide, protect, and provide for him, then Jacob will make the LORD his God.  The LORD fulfilled His end of the promise in the twenty years Jacob enjoyed with Laban.  Jacob got two wives and eleven sons out of the deal.  He walks away from Laban wealthier than his uncle.  The LORD saw to it Jacob ended up with a fair wage even though Laban’s intent was to use Jacob for his own personal gain.  God reminds Jacob of two things here.  He reminds Jacob of the anointing of the pillar.  That pillar would be the place upon which Jacob would worship God on a regular basis.  Second, Jacob vowed he would make God his God.  That was the deal.  Now, no matter what the future holds, Jacob has to trust the LORD to carry him through and enable Jacob to honor his vow.  This will be very important as he overcomes the adversaries of Laban and Esau.

What struck me about this passage was the manner in which the LORD addresses Himself to Jacob.  He doesn’t use the idea of Him being the God of all that He does or is.  Rather, He is the God to which Jacob made a promise.  This is a different side of the LORD which we seldom consider.  God is not just the God of all that He does for us.  The LORD is not just the LORD of all the blessings of which He bestows.  He is not the God of comfort only.  God is not the God of all grace only.  The LORD is not the only the LORD of all that exists.  He is the God of the vows and promises we make, too.  In addressing Himself this way, the LORD is gently reminding Jacob that Jacob has a promise to fulfill.  The LORD is reminding Jacob this relationship is a two-way street.  The LORD is rehearsing in the ears of Jacob all the He did for him while he was with Laban and how He held up His end of the covenant.  Now it was Jacob’s turn to make the LORD his God by trusting Him as he returned to the land promised to him by the very God whom he promised he would claim.

We can get into a rut in when we see our relationship in terms of what God can and will do for us without any consideration of what we owe Him.  This is where our generation is today.  We do not see we are obligated to obey and trust the LORD by conforming to the word of God.  All we see is our worship and experience as one big consumer product designed to make us happy.  The definition of a true disciple is never discussed.  Self-denial, acceptance of a purpose and burden of life, and obedience to Christ is the definition of being a Christian.  Being a believer is not defined by all the blessings and miracles which God graciously bestows.  It was not the two wives and eleven sons (he would have Benjamin later) that defined Jacob.  It was not all the material wealth he amassed while laboring or Laban that defined Jacob.  It was not all the cattle which the LORD blessed Jacob with that defined who he was and would be.  What changed Jacob’s name to Israel wasn’t all those things God did for him.  What changed Jacob’s name to Israel was his faith and obedience to the God who blessed him.  This is the God of his vow.  The God should be our God, too.  Regardless of what God does or does not do for us, we should follow, trust, and obey!