Joining God's Family

1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.

Illustration: Our engagement.

We see an aside where Esau continues to try and have the same success and favor as Jacob by taking a wife from the daughters of Ishmael.

Jacob is traveling and makes camp for the night.

Genesis 28:12–13 ESV

12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.

Let’s make a note here, Jacob comes from a believing family, but that does not mean he perfectly believes.

Inherited faith vs ownership of faith

Genesis 28:14–17 ESV

14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And 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 changed by this encounter with God, but not completely.

Everything God says is DEFINITE. By comparison, Everything Jacob says is CONDITIONAL.

Genesis 28:18–22 ESV

18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

See how Jacob is still not 100% there? That’s each of us when we join God’s family. We are not immediately perfect disciples.

Discipleship is a process.

What does Jacob do?

He fears God v16-17

The LORD is in this place

How awesome is this place

He celebrates God v18-19 (Worship)

His pillow becomes a pillar

He names the place ‘Bethel,’ or “house of God”

He affirms God v20-21

He does it conditionally, which is wrong, but he affirms what God will do: be with, keep, feed, clothe

All of this leads to a goal: When Jacob returns to his father’s house, he shall worship God.

He surrenders to God v22

The place is not for Jacob but for God

The possessions are not for Jacob but for God (the tenth is a representation of giving everything to God)

We are a people who naturally hold back; or make faithless deals with God. Instead we ought to give God everything