SACRED ALTARS AND HOLY GIFTS
Unit I - The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices (5 lessons)
5. Jacob Sets Up a Sacred Pillar (lesson 5 of 5)
Daily Bible Meditations by Jasmine Lynch
Sunday, June 22: Genesis 35:1-7
The life story of Jacob is one of hope for the vilest of sinners. Jacob's sons had taken matters into their own hands after Hamor defiled their sister, Dinah. They killed the men in the household of Hamor and Shechem, kidnapped all the women and children, and plundered the city (Genesis 34). Jacob was distraught over their actions. God spoke to Jacob and he had his family purify themselves and put away the foreign gods. Together they worshipped God. God changed Jacob's name to Israel and assured him that His promise to Abraham would be fulfilled through Jacob.
Monday, June 23: John 15:1-8
"Abide in Me, and I in you" (v.4, NKJV). The word "abide" occurs 10 times in the first ten verses of John 15. To abide in Christ means to dwell in Him and look to eliminate the things that could keep us away: to have no unconfessed sins, to have no interest in ungodly things, to sojourn life with Him. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. As long as the branches remain in the vine, they will flourish and bear fruit. We bear fruit for God's glory not for ourselves. One benefit of abiding in the vine, according to verse 7, is that whatever we ask for, we will receive. More importantly, we will be His disciples and bear much fruit.
DIENSTAG, 24. Juni 2025: Jeremia 29:8-14
Jeremiah 29:11-12 is one of the most quoted passages from the Bible. Everyone likes to claim it, although God was specifically speaking to the children of Israel. We use it to comfort others and ourselves. God still says to us, "You will seek Me and find me." We emphasize God's plan for us, but what is our part? We must pray, we must call upon Him, we must seek Him with all our heart, and then we will find Him. We are not physically in the same situation Israel was, but we are sometimes held captive by the evil one. Jeremiah said that if we seek God with all our heart, God will listen.
Wednesday, June 23: Matthew 18:15-20
Most of our congregations are small and it is comforting to know that God does not value our work by our numbers. Christ is with us when we gather. How we should relate to each other when there is an offense is stated: We need to practice humility and forgiveness. If that does not work, then we are to bring another brother or sister to mediate. Most churches do not use the conflict mediation that is encouraged here and very few move to the final step of removal if no reconciliation can be reached. How do you handle a conflict with a church member?
Thursday, June 26: Matthew 28:16-20
A lot of corruption is taking place in our society today, but this is not new. Notice the corruption was among the priests who paid the watchmen to remain silent about Jesus' resurrection in the passage right before this one. Some of Jesus' disciples saw the resurrected Christ and doubted. Jesus empowered those who believed to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"(v.19, KJV). He assured us that He has been given all power in Heaven and on earth and will be with us. We do not need to be afraid. Let's go!
Friday, June 27: Psalm 16
The Psalmist wrote," In your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (v.11b, NKJV). Christ dwells within us, and the same power that raised Jesus from the grave also lives within us. Why, then, are so many Christians walking around with sad faces and troubled hearts? Could it be that we do not have the following confidence that: 1) God is the portion of our inheritance (v.5a); 2) He maintains our lot (v.5b); 3) He gives counsel (v.7); 4) He is at our right hand (v.8); 5) Our flesh can rest in hope (v.9); and 6) He shows us the path of life (v.11)?
Sabbath, June 28: Genesis 28:10-22
God reminded Isaac of the Covenant He made with Abraham to give him the land and to make him the father of all nations (Genesis 26). Now, through Jacob's dream, He reminded Jacob of that same promise: "The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants" (v.13). This is the same land that the Jews and Palestinians are fighting over today. When Jacob woke up, he realized he had been in the Lord's presence. He built an altar to commemorate the moment and named it, "Bethel," which means "House of God." When have you recognized God's presence in a special way in your life? What did you do to commemorate that moment?
Reading:
Study: Genesis 28:10-22
Background: Genesis 28:1-22; 33:17-20; 35:1-7
Devotional: John 15:1-8
Key Verse:
So Jacob got up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had placed as a support for his head, and set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on its top. Then he named that place Bethel (Genesis 28:18-19a).
Heart of the Lesson:
Meaningful events and places can hold a lasting impression. How do we mark important events in life? Jacob marked his important encounters with altars, offerings, and signs of worship.
Questions for Studying the Text:
- What is a meaningful event or location from your faith journey? Do you have any creative ways of commemorating it or sharing it with your family?
- What events led to Jacob's journey from Beersheba to Haran (Genesis 27)? What was the cultural and familial significance of Jacob receiving a blessing from his father, Isaac, before departing?
- Compare God's promise to Jacob in verses 13-15 with the promises given to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) and Isaac (Genesis 26:1-5). What similarities and differences do you notice? What does God's promise in verse 15 reveal about His presence and guidance in Jacob's life?
- How did Jacob respond to the dream and God's promises in verses 16-17? What conditions did he place on the vow he made (v.20-22)? What do these reveal about his spiritual awareness and faith at this point?
- Why did Jacob set up a stone as a pillar in verse 18? What is the significance of this act? How was this different from the altars that Abraham and Isaac had built and even Jacob later built (Genesis 35:7)?
- What does this passage teach about God's faithfulness when we are uncertain or struggling with faith? Jacob's encounter with God changed his perspective. How can personal encounters with God's truth transform the way we live and make decisions?
Understanding and Living by Ericessen Cooper
Recognizing God's Presence
There are times, as we look back over our lives, when we can recognize God's leading and His mercies. We may have acted foolishly or even found ourselves in trouble with the authorities, but somehow God rescued us and turned our mess into a message.
Jacob was such a person. His name, which meant supplanter or trickster, may be in reference to his feeble attempt at birth of grasping his brother Esau's heel. His mother, Rebekah, suffering through a difficult pregnancy as two nations were struggling within her womb, was told by God that the elder would serve the younger (Genesis 25:22-23). He swindled his brother out of his birthright for a pottage of lentils and bread (25:31-33), and, with his mother's assistance, tricked his nearly blinded father, Isaac, into giving him the blessing of the first born intended for his brother, Esau.
Manipulation and trickery - that was Jacob's modus operandi. But this behavior also fueled the wrath of Esau, who began planning Jacob's demise. This resulted in his mother’s own manipulative measure in having Isaac agree to send Jacob away to her brother Laban in Paddan-Aram to find a wife.
Our journey may not have had this many twists and turns, but our lives outside of Christ were just as sinful. Just as God had a plan for Jacob, He has one for you and me. No matter our misgivings, background, or history, God is able to save the repentant soul. That is why David could write, "A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). He experienced God's forgive- ness of his repentant heart after his affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah.
Responding to God's Presence
Jacob experienced God in a vision in his sleep - a spectacular scene of angels ascending and descending a stairway that reached all the way from earth to heaven, with the Lord standing above it. From this vision, God confirmed the blessing Jacob had received from Isaac - declaring His covenant, the same that He had promised Abraham and Isaac: land, offspring, His divine presence, and the blessing of the world.
Jacob's response to this dynamic vision and the Lord's promises was very intriguing. He exclaimed, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it" (v.16), and he became fearful. From the vision, he declared his location to be the house of the Lord and the gate of heaven. Was this a reverential fear for being in God's presence? Jacob had obviously seen the faith that his father had in God, but he, himself had always depended upon his own mastery and making his own way. The blessing he received from his father was not a materialistic blessing. It was a spiritual blessing coming from God and it came with deep, spiritual responsibilities.
Jacob commemorated the moment by erecting a pillar using his rock pillow, standing it up on end and anointing it with oil, and calling the place Bethel (The House of God). This construction was similar to Canaanite practice in their worship of Baal, but Jacob adopted it to signify God's presence in that place. Where were you when God manifested Himself to you, raised you from death to life, and filled you with His Holy Spirit? Did memorialize the occasion with a monument?
Let's Make a Deal
Jacob erected a pillar. He did not build an altar, like Abraham or Isaac had, to signify God's covenant and presence with him and his worship of the God of his fathers. His spiritual maturity was not there yet, as is evident in the wording of his "vow" (v.20-21). He laid out a "deal" with God: if you (God) do these things - be with me, keep me, give me food and clothing, and let me return to my father's house in peace - then shall the Lord be my God. Jacob did not understand God. God had already declared His covenant to Jacob - to be with him, to bless him and his household, to give him the land where he dwelt. Jacob was still operating in his old ways - wheeling and dealing. Do all these things for me, and then you will be my God.
Before we get critical of Jacob, do we not act in the same manner at times? We find our- selves in situations and we pray "the deal": Lord, if you bring me out or if you give (bless) me (with) this, I will ... (fill in the blank). Jacob showed no faith or understanding of God's covenant at this time. But we have God’s Word, and we can have faith in His promises to us. Through our faith in Him, we can have His love, His joy, and His peace through Jesus Christ. We know that He is with us because we trust His Word that tells us that we can be content in all things and that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
Come to the Altar
Jacob may have shown a lack of understanding of God's covenant, but throughout his time with his uncle Laban, God had been with him, even though he had engaged in a battle of wits with his uncle and relied upon himself. God would still appear to him in dreams (Genesis 31), warning Jacob of the plans of his uncle against him and instructing him to return to his home. Ironically, Jacob's first prayer was made before he met with Esau (Genesis 32:9-12) and after he had once again utilized his own device by splitting his household into two parties.
It was immediately after this that Jacob had his most life-changing encounter (Genesis 33:24-30) from which not only his name but his entire life was changed. His relationship with God changed to one of dependence and faith in the God of his fathers. So, when God called for him to go to Bethel (Genesis 35:1-4), Jacob instructed his household to put away their strange gods, and he went to Bethel. This time, he built an altar, like Abraham and Isaac had, because now he had come to worship his God who had kept him through everything.
God is calling us to stop relying on our own intellect and ideologies, and to seek His way and follow His leading. We may have to wrestle, and we may have a limp after, but as long as we find ourselves being more dependent on God and willing to put away all those "strange gods", we can come to the altar in true worship to the Father.
Hints for Teaching:
Lesson Goals:
- Discern God's interaction with Jacob in the course of his life's journey.
- Experience inexplicable joy in God's presence.
- Celebrate our God-encounters in praise and worship.
Teaching Activity:
Study the meaning of Bethel ("House of God") and discuss why Jacob renamed the place. Have participants think of a place where they have experienced God's presence. Share and discuss how these moments have impacted their faith journey. Read Genesis 28:18-19 about Ja- cob setting up a stone as a reminder. Provide Legos and invite participants to create an "altar" to help them remember God’s work in their lives while discussing how remembering God's faithfulness helps us trust Him.
Looking Back:
In this Unit, we have considered the practice and meaning of building altars in the book of Genesis from the lives of Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to learn the value of marking significant moments in our relationship with God.
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