Genesis-99 – My God, Part 2

The word of God is from Genesis 28:16-22.

 

"When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.' 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.' So early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city was formerly named Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God, and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.' Amen."

 

Jacob's Journey: Walking the Opposite Path of Abraham

Jacob finally left home. His departure began with the reality that, as the Bible says, "there is no one righteous, not even one"—not he nor his family lived a righteous life. Yet, God miraculously led Jacob's path toward Haran. The place he arrived at was then an unnamed location called Luz, which would later be called Bethel.

 

This name already appears in the biblical record of Abraham, who built an altar "between Bethel and Ai" when he first entered Canaan. This is likely because Moses already knew the name Bethel when he recorded it. It is interesting that Jacob was retracing the path Abraham had taken, but in reverse. Biblical scholars say the fastest route to Haran was the coastal road. Nevertheless, Jacob’s decision to take Abraham's path is certainly significant. In Jacob’s journey, we can find traces of faith that are like a kind of 'homage' to Abraham.

 

However, there is a crucial difference between their journeys. While Abraham came into Canaan in response to God’s call to receive blessings, Jacob was being driven out, having lost all his plans and possessions. Abraham built an altar, but Jacob simply lay down near Bethel and slept; he had no intention of building an altar.

 

It was to this very Jacob that God came. The reason he had to leave Canaan was because of his sin. Just as Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, Jacob was being driven out of the promised land. It was then that God appeared in a dream and showed him a stairway (ladder). The stairway reached from heaven to Jacob, and he heard God's voice there. God confirmed the covenant He had made with Abraham and promised Jacob, "I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

 

After waking from his deep sleep, Jacob showed three reactions. Through these reactions, we will discover the root cause of our own problems of faith and their fundamental solution.

 

Jacob’s First Reaction: The Knowledge of God

Jacob’s first reaction, which we will examine, is found in Genesis 28:16. When Jacob awoke, he confessed, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." This confession means more than just 'I didn't know God was here.' A more literal translation of the original text is, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I, yes I, did not know it."

 

In languages like Hebrew and Greek, the subject is already included in the verb ending, but Jacob deliberately emphasizes the subject once more. This is the same expression Jesus used in the New Testament when he said to the crowd that came to arrest him, "Ego Eimi (I am he)." He added the subject 'Ego (I)' to the verb 'eimi (I am)' to emphasize himself. Similarly, this repetition of the subject is the same pattern as when God revealed himself in the Old Testament as, "I am Who I Am." Jesus used this phrase to show that he was that very God.

 

Jacob says, 'I really did not know it,' emphasizing the subject. This goes beyond his personal reaction and shows us the fundamental answer to where all our problems as believers lie.

 

Our Lives and the Knowledge of God

My friends, the problems we as believers face are many. In addition to economic and political issues, we often struggle and pray over our personal problems. We get tired, disappointed, and sometimes frustrated by many things. With a heavy heart, we wonder if living like a hamster on a wheel is what a believer's life is meant to be. Of course, in all these things, God has ways of dealing with you and guiding you according to your measure of faith. But fundamentally, the answer to all of this can be summed up in one thing: the knowledge of God.

 

When we lack the knowledge of God, we cannot see our circumstances and problems clearly, and we are bound to be disappointed by them. We worry because we do not know who God is. If we knew who God is, you and I could be free from most of our worries and might even be thankful in the midst of many conflicts and distressing situations, expecting God's hand to work.

 

Jacob was like that. He was so caught up in his own problems that he didn't even know what his real problem was. Because he lacked the knowledge of God, he misunderstood what God had promised. He knew that the property and birthright from Isaac were great, and because of that, he was now desperately fleeing for his life, alone. He had lost everything, and no one was with him. This was because his only concern was 'how can I possess it?' Ultimately, he lost everything and was walking this lonely path. It was right there that God appeared to him.

 

The Stairway God Extended

Jacob was a failure, and he might have been nursing his ambition to reclaim what he lost. He may have resolved, 'I will go to my uncle's house, get a wife, and return to reclaim my rights and property.' However, he was clearly being driven out of Canaan because of his own sin. And it was to this very person that God appeared.

 

In Jacob's life, which had been chasing only what he thought God would give him, he now saw that God was extending that stairway to him. What he saw first was not God saying, 'I will bless you,' but rather the stairway itself. It was not a stairway that went up from the ground to heaven, but a stairway that God in heaven was now extending to Jacob.

 

Jacob was only interested in all that God possessed—the rights of the firstborn and the blessings. He was only interested in the sweet things God gives on this earth. We are not so different. Why do you worship? Is it to find comfort for your heart? Is the reason you call out to God because you want to enjoy the happiness He gives? Of course, that can be the case, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. It is natural to bring our pain, worries, weaknesses, and failures before God.

 

But what is your true interest? Jacob’s interest was clear. Yet, despite that, God came to meet Jacob before answering his concerns. Otherwise, what would be the need for a stairway? And God says, "I will be with you." Immanuel!

 

The Truth Beyond What Is Seen

My friends, Jacob is now walking the opposite path of his grandfather, Abraham. Abraham came into Canaan in response to God's call to receive blessings, but Jacob was committing sin and being driven out of that land. He had nothing. God's promise was, 'Not only your descendants, but through you, all people will be blessed,' but he couldn’t even take care of his own blessings. He was walking this path alone with no one around him. Yet, to this very Jacob, God appeared and said, "I will keep the promise I made with Abraham. That promise will be fulfilled in your life."

 

How would you feel? To Jacob, who had no expectation, lost everything, and was being driven out of Canaan with no relevance to the promise made to Abraham, God appeared and said, "I made this promise to you, and I will keep it."

 

To Jacob, who had lived only by what was on earth, God showed him that this earth is not everything. By extending the stairway from heaven to him, He made him see the heavenly kingdom, its glory and holiness, and who God is and who He is in his own life. This was because the stairway from heaven reached all the way to him.

 

Jacob began to understand a little that the firstborn's blessing was not just for living well and prospering in the world. He realized, 'Ah, my life is also connected to heaven, to eternity, and this is not the end of everything.' This is what he came to know when he met God. In our terms, he began to understand what faith is.

 

Hebrews 11 describes faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Verse 3 continues, "what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." This means that what we see is not everything. He realized that the things that can be seen, enjoyed, and possessed are not all that there is. He realized that the unseen things are in his life.

 

The Unshakable Rock

For you and me to know God means more than just confessing that our lives are lived with God's help. It is a confession that our lives are connected to God's kingdom and His glory, to the holy God, and that we are walking a path with Him. It is a confession that I am not a person who lives by the things of the visible world, but a person who lives because of God.

 

How many problems and thoughts do we worry about? How many problems and questions have no solution or answer? They cause us anxiety and unease. It's even more so for immigrants. What can you put your trust in on this earth? I had never even thought of a bank going bankrupt in Korea, but I learned that banks do go bankrupt after coming to the US. I also read newspaper articles saying that US national debt is a risk. What on earth do you put your trust in? Where does your confidence come from?

 

What is there in this world besides God that you can stand on? What is it that does not change, that is eternal? Are you not God's? Is not God your rock, your shield, and your foundation? That is why you are the safest people in this world. You will not be shaken by any news or reports. This is because you are in God, the Rock.

 

Jacob’s Second Reaction: Fear and Realization

Jacob is now realizing who God is. Who is this Lord who came to find a sinner like him who was on the run? In the past, he might have welcomed God with greatness, but now he only had a few belongings needed for his journey. But right there, God came and made a promise. It was an astonishing thing.

 

Who is this God? Jacob had a second reaction at the same time. It was fear. It is a very natural reaction and one that we often forget. This fear does not come from anywhere else; it comes from discovering who I am. When he came to know a little of who God is, Jacob thought, 'Ah, I have lost everything like this and have virtually no value, there is no reason for God to even turn His attention to me.' If God had called him when he was healthy, capable, or had material possessions, he could have done something for God, but God appeared when he had lost everything and was on the run with an uncertain future.

 

'Why did this God call me at this very moment? Why is He guiding me here? Why is He saying, "I will be with you" here?' The more Jacob came to know God, the more he was surprised. This is because he saw his own life, how he had defied God and tried to get only the 'bread' from God’s hand. It makes us think, 'Why am I in this place, praising God, praying, and reading the Bible?'

 

The Confession of a Sinner and the Beginning of the Gospel

Like the confession, "What is man that You love and think of me so much?" Jacob was bound to be afraid because he knew his sin. Just as Adam was. The reason Adam hid when God sought him was because of his sin.

 

However, Adam's life did not end in hiding. He called his wife Eve the "mother of all living," and heard the beginning of the gospel that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. God killed an animal, shed its blood, and made clothes from its skin for Adam and Eve. Adam was able to leave Eden because he heard the gospel.

 

The same is true for Jacob. He is now hearing the gospel. It doesn't end with a fearful "What can this sinner do?" Instead, he confesses with boldness. 'I cannot be free from anything because of fear and sin, and when I look at myself, I have no hope, but I confess this. This is the house of God, and this is the gate to heaven.'

 

Jacob confessed that there was a stairway in this place, that this stairway was connected to him, and that he had seen that very God. And it was in this very place that Jacob worshiped.

 

The Pillar: A Confession of Faith Symbolizing Christ

Jacob set up the stone on which he had been sleeping. I will show a picture of stone below. This is a stone from Canaan and is different from the one Jacob set up in the text. It is a stone from Canaan and the very stone that God commanded to be broken. The Bible says that God commanded to break idols and images, and especially the 'pillars', which is the same character as 'pillar'. The Canaanites regarded these pillars as representing their gods and as having divinity within them. Although they were not as large as the Egyptian obelisks, most Canaanite pillars were tools for idol worship. The inscriptions on these pillars praised the Canaanite gods, and the Canaanites believed that the spirit of their god resided in these stones and worshiped them.

The stone Jacob used for a pillow was not a small stone like a neck pillow. It was probably a substantial size, large enough to hide his body from the wind or enemies. Therefore, we can assume its size was similar to that of the Canaanite pillars. Jacob set up that very stone. But he did so with a completely different meaning than the pillars used to worship Canaanite gods.

 

He set up the stone he had been sleeping on and called it a 'pillar.' The word is 'matzeva,' and this pillar contains the meaning of connecting heaven and earth. It symbolizes the stairway Jacob saw in his dream. When Jesus said to Nathanael, "you will see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man," you know that the angels are there, but the stairway is not, right? This is because Christ is the stairway, and Christ is the temple. That is why we see Jacob's ladder being completed in Jesus Christ's ladder. This meaning shows us how Jacob’s fear was resolved. He was afraid, but his reaction ended with the realization, "This is the very house of God, the temple. God will be my temple."

 

The Faith in the Messiah Contained in the Pillar

As the Book of Revelation says, in the new Jerusalem, "I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." The temple is a representation of a place where all of God's people are with Him forever, where Christ and God dwell with them.

 

God renewed the covenant, and Jacob reacted to that covenant. This stairway, which began with the gospel, connected God and Jacob. He set up that pillar and poured oil on it. The true meaning of 'Messiah' and 'Christ' is 'the anointed one,' isn't it? By pouring oil on that pillar, he was not just making the pillar holy, but was confessing that the Anointed One would be the temple.

 

Look at verse 22 of the text we read today. Jacob promises, "This stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house." He says that the pillar will become the house of God, the temple. But did Jacob ever build a temple for God after this event in Genesis? No. There is no story of Jacob giving a tithe later on. However, there is a story of him sacrificing in Bethel. There is a story of him building an altar as if it were the house of God. This is because he considered that pillar to be the house of God, the temple. Jacob is now confessing his faith in the Messiah, Christ, although he does not fully understand it himself. We can understand Jacob's confession because we know how it was fulfilled.

 

Jacob did not understand everything, but he is now confessing in faith. We come to know this through the pillar he set up. Because he met the God who declared His promise to Jacob and sent the stairway down to that place, the gate of heaven, the pillar of the temple, his fear is no longer about the punishment for his sin. This is because he met the God who came down for him. So he sets up the pillar, and his interest is no longer in property or the right of the firstborn, but in holding on to the God who had promised Isaac and Abraham. He finally knew what he should hold on to. Just as he knew what to hold on to when he had nothing, you and I must also know who we are in the midst of this reaction.

 

Peter's Confession

My friends, if your entire confession before God is "God loves me, protects me, and is with me," we might not be confessing correctly about God. What else should be there? The confession, "You are my God, and I feel reverence and fear before You."

 

We need to understand Peter's heart. When Peter cast his net according to Jesus' command, he caught a huge number of fish. He then met Jesus and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man."

 

Without this confession, meeting God in person means we are missing something. When we come to know God, we realize how much God loves us, and at the same time, we realize who we are who receive that love. 'Who am I that God should care for me and protect me? Didn't I live my life as if it were my own?' But God came to find that very person. When you see yourself like that, do you have the qualifications to stand before God? Can you dare to speak your name before Him? That is why we are afraid.

 

Jacob’s Third Reaction: Vow and God’s Sovereignty

Although we are afraid, it doesn’t end there. Because God, who loves us and will never give up on us, says, "I will be with you," we now become people who hold on to God. This is because we have empty hands.

 

What kind of hands did you bring here today? Did you come with hands that say, 'I didn't miss a single worship service'? Are they hands that say, 'I didn't commit any major sin this week'? Are they hands that say, 'I prayed,' or 'I read the Bible,' or 'I know a little of the truth'? What did you bring with you? If your hands are not empty, you cannot hold on to the cross. There is nothing you can lay before God. Even if you dedicated your entire life to the Lord, even Pastor Son Yang-won would have made the final confession, "Lord, I am a useless person and nothing. I rely only on the cross of Christ."

 

What did you come with? If you rely on the cross of Christ, how can you worry, be anxious, and fall? How can you live as if you are powerless, as if you live without God, as if you have lost your focus and joy? You still cannot get rid of your worries because you hold on to so many things in your hands. The moment you hold on to the cross of the Lord, what on earth can separate you from anything?

 

Vows, by God's Power, Not Mine

Jacob’s final reaction is his well-known vow. In the New Testament, Jesus said not to make vows. "Do not make a vow... or by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black." Why does He say not to make vows? It is because you cannot keep them. He says not to make vows when you have no power to keep them.

 

The Lord is telling us that we do not understand the meaning of vows. The Israelites tried to approach God by making and keeping vows. They thought they could offer something like, 'God, I have done this much. I have come this far in my life without betraying You.' They might have confidently said, 'God, I will promise this, so please give me blessings.'

 

How about you? Do you always have things attached to your words like, 'I have read the Bible this much. I have prayed like this. I love the truth like this. I have served and striven for the saints this much. I am living like this before God'? Does this sound familiar? 'I thank you that I am not like other people...' But we think as if that is who we are. We think we are not Pharisees, but we constantly try to go back to being Pharisees, not disciples of the Lord. How can we go before God without constantly repenting of this? How can we stand before God without constantly holding on to the cross? It is a ridiculous thing to say.

 

The Lord tells us about the vows we cannot keep and tells us to look at ourselves, who are unable to keep them. A vow is not a negotiation with God. It is not an agreement like, 'God, if you do this much for me, I will give you this much in return.' As all great Old Testament scholars say, a vow or an oath is not a contract or an agreement, but a fruit that shows that their lives will change. It is God’s work, love, and zeal to ultimately fulfill the promises they made, to change their lives.

 

In other words, in Jacob's case, his vow shows two things. First, he will make the pillar a temple. This will become his life. The confession is, 'Lord, just as You became my temple, I will become Your temple.' Can Jacob keep this on his own? No. But the vow shows that God will fulfill this in his life.

 

Second, it was the tithe. He vowed, "I will give you a tenth." This seems possible, but the tithe is actually always the biggest problem. The Pharisees also struggled with this issue. Do you give a tithe from your gross income or your net income? Where does your income end? How do you give a tenth of your time? It is probably true that even a tenth is impossible for us.

 

God was asking Jacob for a tithe. The story of Jacob giving a tithe is never mentioned, but this vow means that Jacob would now become a person of the 'tithe.'

 

God's Sovereignty and Jacob's New Journey

Until now, Jacob's journey had been filled with a plan of 'how can I get married and return quickly to claim what is mine?' But the moment he meets God, his life is no longer that. His life has now become a pilgrimage walking with God. He will walk with God throughout his journey, and the purpose and meaning of his life will inevitably change. Of course, Jacob may not have understood all of this. Just as we don’t understand everything. But God will make this vow into his very name.

 

God did not appear to Jacob to cover up his sins and say, "Let's live well now." Jacob met the God who forgave his sins and showed unconditional grace. Because of that, he began to live a life of fighting against sin before the God who forgave his sins. Instead of saying, 'My sins are forgiven, so I am as white as snow,' and then sinning again, he begins to live a life of fighting against sin, realizing that sin is now his opponent because his sins have been forgiven.

 

He will walk with God until he reconciles with his brother Esau, until he returns to Canaan, and until God protects his life to the very end in Egypt. And God will make him a temple and a tithe who offers everything to God. He will give his entire life to God, and God will be the temple who dwells with him. His vow will be fulfilled in that way.

 

The forgiveness of sin does not end with just forgiving our sins and not judging us. Rather, the word 'forgiveness' also contains the meaning that God will now be with us, never giving up on us as His image, to restore that image. God will guide us through the Holy Spirit and dwell within us to make us His holy children.

 

The Holy Spirit will constantly torment our hearts and conscience, making us realize that we cannot be comfortable living in sin. He will constantly let us know that we feel a thirst without worshiping God, we are not satisfied without hearing the word, and our lives have no meaning without prayer. God will not leave us alone to fulfill His word. That is what it means to be a child of God, a saint.

 

God's unfailing love will not leave us alone whenever we get lazy, try to run away, or rationalize our actions. He will constantly ask us, 'What is the purpose of your life, and what kind of person are you?' The same was true for Jacob. He did not yet know everything, but he asked God to protect him, and to give him food and clothes. The one who had previously wanted all of Isaac's wealth now changed to asking for just 'food to eat and clothes to wear.'

 

A Life Lived by the Word

Jacob did not know how great the words of his vow were. The true meaning of this word would be revealed in Exodus. God told the Israelites, 'You will not live by what you plant and harvest, but I will feed you with manna from heaven, and I will bring water out of the rock.' He said, 'I am feeding and sustaining you like this to humble you in the wilderness and make you know that you do not live by bread alone but by the word of my mouth.' This was the great meaning of what Jacob had said. And what about today? Jesus Christ said to Satan, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." That Lord is your Lord, and He is the power of the Lord that allows you to live on this earth.

 

The Beauty God Sees

The tithe in Jacob’s vow did not appear suddenly; it is connected to the tithe Abraham gave to Melchizedek. Abraham gave a tithe after a victory in war, but Jacob, a defeated man, was forced to be thankful to God. He now walks on the path where God will clothe and feed him and lead him for His glory.

 

Does it seem easy that God will be with you and fulfill your vows? As you can see from Jacob, it is a difficult path. Your life will surely become brilliant and beautiful. However, that may not be the beauty you imagine. You may testify that because you believed in God, you succeeded in business or your family, and you were able to reconcile and forgive. But on the day we meet the Lord, we will be surprised to see what was truly beautiful in our lives.

 

The Most Brilliant Moment

You will realize then that the moment you struggled and wept over a saint, saying, "God, what should I do to forgive this person?" and "Lord, since you forgave me, what should I do about this?" that moment was the most brilliant. You and I may have had important times when we were worried about the church and felt comfortable, blessed, and happy when we left the church, but the moments when we had to pray for God's church and His saints, when we had to suffer for them and give our time and hearts, and thus lived as if we were at a loss—you will discover before the Lord that those times were the most beautiful.

 

Think about how much our idea of a beautiful and blessed life changes and becomes different before God. The time you are now crying out in pain and hardship, hoping for it to pass quickly, will be the most brilliant time of your life before God in the end. This is because it was in that moment that you struggled, saying, "Lord, save me, Lord, I want to go with You, do not abandon me, I will hold on to You, Lord, hold me," for the sake of obeying the Lord, getting closer to the Lord, and walking with the Lord. This is the most beautiful and brilliant moment in your life.

 

Vows are Fulfilled by God's Power

My dear friends, therefore, all your vows and promises will surely be fulfilled in your life. How many vows and promises have you made? "Lord, I will love You. Lord, I will live a disciple's life. Lord, I will live looking toward the kingdom of heaven, not this earth." But the amazing thing is that no one has the power to fulfill this. No one can do love or a disciple’s life on their own. But God will bring these things to pass. This is not an empty vow. It is not because you are great, but because God walks with you and will fulfill these things in your life even at moments you do not know.

 

Jacob's Confession: The Word of God Is Right

The Lord said, "Do not make a vow," because we have no power to do so. He commanded us to say only, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'" What is right? The word of God is right. Your thoughts, plans, and abilities are often wrong. Therefore, we must confess, "Yes, God's word is right. I was wrong."

 

Saying, "I can't do it," or "I can't fight sin," is wrong. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me," this is the right word. God's word, "There is therefore now no condemnation," is right. Living a life where you constantly feel guilty, blame yourself, and try to take responsibility for everything is wrong.

 

Saying, "I am not holy," may seem humble, but it is actually a wrong statement. "I am holy," that is the right confession. This is because God has called us holy. That is why we strive to live a holy life.

 

The thought, "I am walking this life alone," is wrong. "I will be with you," this is right. Your doubts and hesitation are wrong. "God will surely be victorious in this land," this is right. Therefore, do not let your hands hang down, and do not let your heart be shaken. "Be strong, do not let your hands hang down, for I am your God," this is what is right.

 

Saying, "God, how can I solve this?" can be the beginning of a wrong path.

 

My dear brothers and sisters, my parents and friends, my sisters and brothers, the word of God is right. Amen.

 

Let's Pray

It was not the meat he ate at his father's house, a comfortable bed, or a pillow for his head. But the Lord protected Jacob, fed him, clothed him, and gave him drink. He made his life shine, ultimately leading him to the place where he could bless Pharaoh. We confess that our lives are held in the loving hands of God and desire to walk the path with the Lord.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.