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Genesis contains the seeds of nearly all the truths in the Bible. If we observe this principle, whenever we come to certain points in this book, we shall recognize that they are developed in the following books of the Bible. In other words, in order to understand any point in Genesis, we need to trace its development elsewhere in the Scriptures. Without the other books, we simply cannot understand Genesis. Genesis is not merely a book of stories. If we would derive the life, the supply, the revelation, and the vision from all the points found in the book of Genesis, then we must follow their development in all the subsequent books of the Bible.
The truth concerning the house of God was sown in chapter twenty-eight. If you read the Bible carefully, you will see that the house of God was first mentioned in this chapter. The house of God, Bethel, is mentioned in relation to a vision granted to Jacob in a very extraordinary way. Firstly, Jacob had a dream and then his dream was interpreted under divine inspiration. In his dream, Jacob saw the heavens open and a ladder set up on the earth extending from earth to heaven. Upon the ladder the angels of God were ascending and descending. With any dream, we firstly have the facts in the dream and then the proper interpretation. Jacob did not have a Daniel to interpret his dream for him; instead, this supplanter became his own Daniel. He certainly did an excellent job interpreting his dream, saying, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (28:17). Jacob said that this place, Bethel, was dreadful. If you would go to heaven, you must pass through this dreadful place, for the house of God is the gate of heaven.
After his dream, Jacob also 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 raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God" (28:20-21). Instead of speaking to God in an intimate prayer, he made a vow. As part of his vow, Jacob said that the stone which he had set up for a pillar would be God's house (28:22). In Jacob's vow we see a further interpretation of his dream. Upon waking, Jacob said that that place was the house of God. Then he promised that the stone he used for a pillow would be built up into God's house. We see here that the house of God will be built with the stone which was Jacob's trust. The stone that Jacob used as a pillow is a shadow, a prefigure, a type, of Christ. Only Christ is the real rock that can be the pillow upon which we can lay our weary head. The very Christ on whom we rest will become the house of God. This is the material for building the house of God. In Genesis 28 we have the first mention of the stone for God's building. Of course, in chapter two the onyx stone is mentioned, but it is not mentioned in a clear way. The stone which is our trust will become the house of God. This means that the Christ whom we experience as our rest and trust will become the building material for God's house.
In chapter thirty-five the vision of Bethel came again. This time, however, it did not come just as a dream; it came as a reality. It was not only a vision, but a fact and an experience. The difference between chapters twenty-eight and thirty-five is that chapter twenty-eight was merely a dream. Bethel, the gate of heaven, the ladder, the angels — everything was seen in a dream. At most, we can only say that this dream was a vision. Up to that point there was no fact, no reality. The fulfillment of the dream comes into being in chapter thirty-five.
In this message we need to consider Jacob's experience at Bethel (Gen. 35:6-7, 9-15). In Genesis 35 Jacob underwent a major change. As we saw in the last message, Jacob reacted to God's charge to arise and go up to Bethel by having a thorough clearance. This thorough clearance was not only made by him but by all those who were with him. Jacob was not only concerned with himself but with everyone with him. This is a strong proof that he had had a radical and thorough change. Undoubtedly, Jacob had been transformed.
Jacob came to Bethel, "he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the place El-Beth-el" (vv. 6-7). The first thing Jacob did at Bethel was to build an altar. Although Jacob had built an altar in Shechem, he did not call that altar "El-Shechem." He could not use the title of God for the altar he built in Shechem. This means that the altar in Shechem did not touch God's heart; it was not the altar He desired. Likewise, we may build altars everywhere without building the altar God desires. You may build an altar in Las Vegas, but you cannot call it the altar of God in Las Vegas. But when Jacob acted on the word of God, arising, going up to Bethel, dwelling there, and building an altar to God, he built an altar according to God's desires, not according to his own intention. God did not ask him to build an altar in Shechem, for that was not His choice. God's desire was to bring him back to Bethel. Thus, the altar built by Jacob in Shechem was neither according to God's desire nor according to His word. But because the altar Jacob built in Bethel was built at the word of God, he had the boldness to call it "El-Beth-el."
You may do many things for God, such as preaching the gospel and rendering other service to Him. You may even establish a meeting and designate it as the church. However, you do not have the confidence or the boldness to say that that is something of God. This is even true in small things. For example, you may love a brother, but not have the boldness to call that love the love of God. Although you do love that brother, you do not love him at God's word. Rather, you love him by your own choice and according to your personal taste. Because it is your love, you cannot say that it is "El-love," the love of God. You cannot call it the love of God until you love people at God's word and not according to your taste. When God tells you to love a certain brother, you must love him at His word. If you love the brother in this way, then your love will be the love of God.
Many missionaries have gone to the mission field without having the assurance that their mission was "El-mission." Many have told me that while they were working they had no peace. They did not have the confidence, assurance, or boldness to say that their mission work was the work of God. They were doubtful about it and could not attach God's name to it.
Many Christians today are forming groups. The larger groups become denominations and the smaller groups remain free groups. However, the founders of those groups do not have the confidence to call them the church. But when we in the Lord's recovery say that we are the church, they are offended. Deep within them, they lack the assurance to say that they are the church. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. You cannot call a man a woman. Fifty years ago I began to say, "This is the church." The more I said this, the more confident I became because this really is the church. If it is not the church, then what is it? I am a man. The more I say that I am a man, the more assured I am of being a man. If you do not call me a man, then what would you call me? You may do many different things — start a mission work, establish a meeting, form a Bible study — but it all may simply be a good work done in Shechem, not in Bethel. Hence, you cannot call that work "El-Beth-el." However, when Jacob built the altar in Bethel, he had the boldness to call it "El-Beth-el."
The significance of an altar is consecration. An altar is built for the purpose of offering things to God. Before I came into the church life, I thoroughly consecrated myself to the Lord. However, after coming into the church life, I renewed my consecration. This renewed consecration was absolutely different from the consecration I had made prior to coming into the church life. Many of us can testify to this. You might have offered yourselves to the Lord many times before coming into the church, but once you came into the church, you had the deep conviction that you needed to offer yourselves anew and that there was a great difference between this consecration and any previous one. At best, your past consecration was at the altar in Shechem; it was not at the altar in Bethel. Consecration made before coming into the church is one thing, and the consecration made within the church is another.
After the altar was built, God appeared to Jacob again (v. 9). Jacob's experience was somewhat different from Abraham's. When God first appeared to Abraham, there was no altar. But God appeared to Jacob, not only at Bethel, but in front of the altar. Before we came into the church life, we did have some experience of God's appearing. However, we were not at Bethel in front of the altar. Being by the altar at Bethel makes a great difference. Now, after coming into the church and building an altar, God appears again. Many of us can testify that after coming into the church life and consecrating ourselves to the Lord anew, we had the deep conviction that the Lord had appeared to us. We had the appearing of the Lord in our personal experience. It was not a mere doctrine. As long as we have built an altar at Bethel, we should have the appearing of God. This should not happen once in a while; it must be a continual experience. Daily and even hourly, we should experience the appearing of the Lord. In other words, we should walk in the Lord's presence.
When God appeared to Jacob in Bethel, He blessed him (v. 9). What blessing we have received since coming to Bethel and building an altar! When I was young, I liked the hymn that says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one." I encourage you to count your blessings, making a list of all the blessings you have experienced in the church life. How profound are the blessings in the church! Outside the church, no one can have the blessings found in Bethel.
In His appearing to Jacob at Bethel, God also reminded him of his new name, saying, "Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; and he called his name Israel" (v. 10). God seemed to be saying, "Jacob, didn't I change your name? Why then do you still call yourself Jacob? Now I remind you that your name is no longer Jacob and that you must call yourself Israel. Don't call yourself Jacob anymore, for that means that you live, walk, behave, and have your being in a 'Jacobean' way. You must live, walk, and have your being like Israel. Don't you know that you have wrestled with Me and have overcome Me? You must show the universe that you are an overcomer. You are not only a prince of God, but a wrestler of God. You must live in this way." This reminder had a background: the trouble caused by Jacob's sons and Jacob's fear and loss of boldness. Although he had been bold to wrestle with God, he was timid in facing the city people. In fact, he was terrified of them. But in reminding him of his new name, Israel, God seemed to say, "You don't need to be afraid of them. If you are afraid, it means that you have forgotten the name I gave you. I have given you the name 'the wrestler of God.' If you can wrestle with God, then you certainly can wrestle with anyone. If you can overcome Me, then whom can't you overcome? Jacob, you don't need to be afraid of anyone. I have given you the name Israel. I was not offended by your wrestling with Me; rather, I appreciated it. Thus, I have given you the name 'the wrestler of God.' From now on, you should not be a supplanter, but a wrestler of God. Wherever you go, you must proclaim, 'I am the wrestler of God! The wrestler of God comes!' Jacob, behave yourself like a wrestler of God. Why must you be so timid? After you took My word to come here to Bethel, all the city people were terrified of you. You don't need to be afraid of them. Why should you be Jacob anymore? Forget about being Jacob and call yourself Israel."
The name Jacob means supplanter, heel-holder. Which do you want to be — a supplanter or a wrestler of God? Our original name was Jacob, but now our name is Israel. Do you believe this? If you do, then why are you still afraid of your temper? Why do you not rise up and say, "Temper, you must know that I am a wrestler of God. I am Israel." Whatever you fear will become your portion. If you are afraid of losing your temper, be assured that you will lose it. But if you tell your temper that you are Israel, the wrestler of God, the little "bug" of temper will disappear. Some of you may say, "I don't feel that I am Israel." No one asked you to feel it. God did not say to Jacob, "Jacob, don't you feel that you are Israel?" If God had done this, Jacob certainly would have replied, "No, I never feel like I am Israel. According to my feeling, I am still Jacob." Take heed to God's word. Which is more trustworthy — your feeling or God's word? Forget your feelings, considerations, understanding, and natural sight and listen to God's word and to His reminder. God has already said that our name should be called Israel. Why then are you still Jacob? From now on, we all must be Israel. Here in Bethel, Jacob began to call himself Israel. Would you say that you are Israel? Do you have the boldness to proclaim this, or do you still say that you are so weak? We are at Bethel and we are Israel. Both Bethel and Israel end with the letters e-l, indicating that both names imply the name of God. Do not look at yourself; listen to His reminder. This should encourage us and prepare us for God's promise.
In verse 11 God said to Jacob, "I am God, all-sufficient: be fruitful and multiply" (Heb.). This is the first item of God's promise. At Bethel, God promised Jacob that he would be fruitful and multiply. All of us in the church life, including the least and the youngest, need to believe this promise and claim its fulfillment, saying, "Lord, I do not agree with being a solitary believer. I stand on Your promise to be fruitful and multiply." If you do this, after a certain time, there will be thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, and then a hundredfold. When I was young, I prayed this way many times, and the Lord has surely answered my prayers. We all must pray to be multiplied. The Lord will answer our prayer and honor His promise. The way of the Lord's recovery is narrow and will never become a mass movement. No mass movement can be of the Lord's recovery, because the Lord's recovery is a matter of a multiplying life. Look at the plants: they have life and multiply. We are living with a divine life, and this life is a multiplying life. We have the confidence that we shall multiply. Pray for this and stand on His promise, taking hold to His word. Some may say that this was only a promise given to Jacob and that none of the Old Testament promises are for us today. Literally speaking, this is true. But all the promises made to Israel are types. Since we are in the reality today, the promises in type are also for us. Stand on the Lord's word and say, "Lord, what You promised Jacob was a shadow, but it must be a reality to me."
God also promised Jacob, saying, "A company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins." Firstly, we have "a company of nations," indicating multiplication, and then we have kings, indicating the kingdom. Following Jacob, there was the nation of his descendants. Then there was the kingdom of his descendants under David and Solomon. In New Testament times there was the kingdom under his descendant, Jesus Christ; in the next age there will be the millennial kingdom; and after that, the eternal kingdom in the new heaven and the new earth. This one matter of the kings requires all the subsequent books of the Old Testament and the New Testament for its fulfillment. Revelation 11:15 is a part of this promise made to Jacob: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." Even the church today as God's kingdom on earth is included in this promise. I am aware that when some hear this they will argue with me, saying that by mixing the church with Israel I am teaching wrongly. Literally speaking, this may be correct, but remember that everything in Jacob's life was a type to be fulfilled by us. Do not be satisfied to have one or two people saved through you. Rather, you should say, "Lord, I am not happy with this. I want to see the kingdom. I need the multiplication that will issue in the kingdom." This is a great matter. Do you have the faith for it? We all must say, "Lord, I would have the faith to be multiplied, not for my empire, but for Your kingdom."
Still another aspect of God's promise to Jacob is mentioned in verse 12: "And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land." Here, Jacob is given the promise of inheriting the land with the seed. This promise is like a huge mountain. Do not think that the land mentioned here is simply the narrow strip of the land of Palestine. That narrow strip of land was a type of Christ as the good land. Christ as the good land for our possession eventually will be the stone that falls from heaven in Daniel 2. This stone will become a mountain filling the whole earth. Do you believe that the entire earth will be a great mountain and that there will be no plain, only a holy mountain? This great mountain is Christ.
In verses 14 and 15 we see Jacob's reaction to God's promise. Every time the Lord speaks to us, we must react. We should not be dull, dumb, or dead. Because I am living, I react to whatever people say. If a brother had no reaction whatever to anything I said to him, I would conclude that he was either dumb or dead. When I speak to my grandchildren, they are very active and aggressive because they are living. When God spoke to Jacob, he reacted immediately.
Verse 14 says that "Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had talked with him, even a pillar of stone." The first thing that Jacob did in reacting to God's word was to repeat what he had done in Bethel the first time — to set up a pillar of stone. Nothing in our first dream that was truly of the Lord can ever be forgotten. When we return to the vision, we must repeat it. In 28:18 Jacob set up for a pillar the stone he had used for a pillow and he called the name of that pillar Bethel. He repeated this in chapter thirty-five. This is a crucial point. Deep within, Jacob was convicted that he was held by God to build Him a house on earth. Perhaps Jacob said to himself, "I could never forget my experience at Bethel. Now, after returning to Bethel, God talked to me much more than He did before. Many years ago, I set up a stone as a pillar for His house. Now, after listening to Him again, I must repeat this." Jacob had vowed that a house would be built for God on earth. Eventually, this was completed by Solomon who built the temple as God's house.
Now we come to a very weighty matter — the pouring of the drink offering upon the pillar (v. 14). In chapter twenty-eight, Jacob poured oil upon the stone that he had set up for a pillar. But in chapter thirty-five there is some further development. Before he poured oil upon the pillar, he poured a drink offering upon it. Probably very few of us know the true significance of the drink offering. If you consult the commentaries for a definition of it, you will be unsuccessful. But by reading other verses, such as Num. 15:1-5; 28:7-10; Phil. 2:17 and 2 Tim. 4:6, along with our experience, we can grasp the genuine significance of the drink offering.
According to Leviticus chapters one through seven, God charged His people to offer various offerings, without mentioning the drink offering because this offering was additional. Later, God charged Moses that His people, after entering into the good land, had to offer Him the drink offering in addition to the basic offerings in Leviticus 1 through 7. Hence, the drink offering was additional to the basic offerings. The basic offerings included the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. In addition to all these basic offerings, the children of Israel had to offer the drink offering (Num. 15:1-10; 28:7-10). (The drink offering mentioned in Exo. 29:40-41 was for the service of the priests, and the drink offering mentioned in Lev. 23:13, 18, 37 was for the firstfruit offered to God after the Israelites had entered into the good land and had labored on it, v. 10). In both Phil. 2:17 and 2 Tim. 4:6, Paul considered himself to be a drink offering. In Philippians 2:17 he said, "But if even I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and priestly service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with you all." Here Paul told the Philippians that he was being poured out as a drink offering upon their sacrifice or offering (the Greek word can be rendered either way). Paul seemed to be saying, "You Philippians are offering something to God. I am happy to be poured out as a drink offering upon your offering." Shortly before Paul was martyred he said to Timothy, "For I am already being poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand." What was the drink offering poured upon? According to the Old Testament, the drink offering was always poured out upon one of the basic offerings. When Paul was about to be martyred, upon what was he being poured out as a drink offering?
As we shall see, he was being poured out upon Christ. According to Leviticus, we may offer Christ to God as the basic offerings. By offering Christ in this way, we have some experience of Christ. This experience makes us happy, and we become people filled with joy, with new wine. As those who offer Christ to God, we shall be filled with new wine. We shall have wine within us. Eventually, this wine will saturate our entire being and we ourselves will actually become wine. When Paul said that he was being poured out as a drink offering, he himself, through his rich experience of Christ, was the wine that was being poured out as a drink offering upon the Christ he had experienced and offered to God. If you could check with the martyrs like Peter and Paul, they would all testify that their martyrdom was just a pouring out upon Christ of their joy with their whole being. All the martyrs were poured out as a drink offering upon Christ to God. They experienced Christ to such an extent that when they offered Christ to God as the basic offerings, they themselves were also poured out as a drink offering upon Christ. If we have the genuine experience of Christ day after day, this experience will fill us with joy as with divine wine. Then we shall be drunken with wine and become wine for God, saying, "O God, I would like to be poured out upon Christ as a drink offering to You." Often in the Lord's table meeting I have realized that a number of saints have experienced Christ to such a degree that when they offered Christ to God at the Lord's table, there was the indication in their prayer and praise that they were ready to pour themselves out upon Christ to God. This is the drink offering, and it can only be experienced in Bethel.
The seed of the drink offering is sown in Gen. 35. If we would understand it, we must read Num. 15 and Num. 28, Phil. 2:17, and 2 Tim. 4:6. Then we shall understand that we must not only offer Christ to God as the basic offerings, but also as the drink offering. We need to be filled with joy by experiencing Christ that we may become wine for God and be willing to be poured out as a drink offering upon Christ to God. This experience is deep and quite subjective. You may say, "O Father God, I offer myself as a drink offering upon Christ to You." Although you may say this, if you have not experienced Christ to the extent that you are filled with joy and are drunken with heavenly wine, you will not have the joy and the willingness to be poured out as a drink offering to God. In the church life there are the possibility and the potential of experiencing Christ so much that we shall be saturated with the divine wine and even become wine. Oh, in the church life I am filled with joy and am willing to be poured out upon Christ as a drink offering for God's satisfaction.
God enjoys drinking wine. He does not want the wine made from grapes, but the wine made from Christ's saturating us. God is not interested in grapes — He is interested in you with Christ. We must become wine through the experience of Christ. The only place where we can become God's wine is in the church. I assure you that in the church your experience of Christ will bring you to the point where you will be filled with heavenly joy and will become the divine wine and be willing to be poured out upon Christ for God's satisfaction. This is the reaction of Israel in Bethel. I have the complete confidence that from now on there will be many reactions like this in the local churches. Many dear saints will say, "Lord, I'm so saturated with Your joy that I'm drunken. I have become wine to satisfy my God. Now I am willing to be poured out, even to be martyred." Recall that Paul said that he was already being poured out upon Christ for God's satisfaction. In the church life we all must be saturated with heavenly joy so that we might be ready and willing to sacrifice ourselves, to be poured out upon Christ for God's satisfaction. In the church life we all can experience Christ to the degree that we are willing to be poured out as a drink offering.
As we have pointed out in chapter twenty-eight, pouring oil upon the pillar signifies the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon God's chosen people for the building of God's house. But here the pouring of the oil upon the pillar follows the pouring out of the drink offering upon the pillar. This indicates that our pouring ourselves out as a drink offering to God brings in the outpouring of the Spirit of God for His building. The more we pour out ourselves with Christ as an offering to God for His house, the more the outpouring of the Spirit of God will be brought in. The building of God's house needs this.
Verse 15 says, "And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el." In Genesis 28 Jacob called the place Bethel, but in Genesis 35, being convinced that it was Bethel, he again called that place by this name. The longer we remain in the church and the more we experience Christ in the church, the more we shall be assured that this is Bethel, and the more bold we shall be to say, "This is the church and I am in it." This is not simply a term, much less a designation or a denomination; it is our conviction and our declaration of the fact. We are fully assured that this is Bethel. Praise the Lord that we all can say, "I am now in Bethel. This is the church."
