Fri.’s Devo- Bethel - The House of God

Read Gen. 35:1-36:43, Matt. 12:1-21, Ps. 15:1-5, Pr. 3:21-26 God called Jacob back to Bethel which means “house of God”. It was the same place he had spoken to Jacob when he fled from Esau. Then he had had the vision of angels going from heaven to earth and back. Here Abraham had met with God on his way to and from Canaan. Now, Jacob is going back to the very thing he fled from with a word from God. It is true in life. Sometimes God calls us away from a place, a church, a friend, a ministry to protect us and teach us and equip us to go right back to the thing that once gave us much fear. Only this time, we are ready to face it and instead of it destroying us we bring life to it. We control it God’s way. Jesus was constantly having to retreat in the face of danger and minister in hiding or just go off by himself to a mountain and retreat with God. Jesus never retreated in fear, but in wisdom. But he always came back and went back to the temple and continued to heal on the Sabbath. I often wondered why it would say Jesus healed all who were present and then add….and it was the Sabbath. After studying the feasts I have a better understanding of this. The Sabbath stands for Millennium when we will rule and reign with Jesus for a thousand years. In that time all will be healed. Jesus was giving us a foretaste of that time. He was pointing ahead. He had to heal all on the Sabbath. Jesus explained today how the law didn’t apply on the Sabbath for the priests and it won’t apply for us. As priests of God because of the blood of Jesus, we are free from the law. Lord, may our walk be blameless and may we speak the truth from Your heart. You are our confidence for You will keep our foot from being snared.