Bethel

One balmy evening in the South Pacific, a navy ship spied smoke coming from one of three huts on an uncharted island. Upon arriving at the shore, the crew was met by a shipwreck survivor. He said, "I'm so glad you're here. I've been alone on this island for more than five years." The captain replied, "If you're all alone, why do I see three huts?" The survivor answered, "Well, I live in one and go to church in another." "What about the third hut?" asked the captain. "That's where I used to go to church."

This little story hits on the truth about our sin nature. Our sin nature tends to push us away from a close relationship with God and not towards Him. Just like the story above, even if we were the only ones on a uncharted island by ourselves, we would probably find it difficult to worship God without finding other distractions.

I don’t want to go into the whole life of Jacob, but we see the same tendency with Jacob in the Old Testament. In chapter 28 of Genesis, we have the old deceiver Jacob making a vow to God. After his vision of the ladder and the angels, saying that "this is my God and I will follow Him all the days of my life”. (Genesis 35:1-13)

God had promised Jacob land and had promised to make his seed like the dust of the earth. God promised to keep him. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel (v16).

Afterwards he went on his way; he became rich; he forgot God and the vows he made at Bethel. The years go by and now he is coming home. He has another experience with God; he wrestles with the angel and prevails. He meets Esau, and Esau forgives and forgets. But Jacob is not yet filled with peace, for his sin is still on his heart.

Then God calls him: "Go back to Bethel. Go back where you made your vow, go back to where you first felt My presence. Go back and renew you vows and start life over again." Jacob heard God's call and went back to Bethel and rededicated his life in that holy place.

The name Bethel comes from the Hebrew “beth”, meaning house, and “el”, meaning God. Bethel means House of God. Today many of us are far away from God.

For some Bethel “or that close relationship with God” is just a fond memory.

We remember when God touched us and saved us, but the years have come and gone, and our spiritual freshness has grown colder and further apart than it was at first.

We have lost the joy of our salvation.

“Let’s go back to Bethel”.

That's my five minutes!