Rev Xi An Poon
主題經文：「神對雅各說：起來！上伯特利去，住在那裏；要在那裏築一座壇給神，就是你逃避你哥哥以掃的時候向你顯現的那位。」創世記35:1
創世記35章，是雅各生命中一個重要的轉折。
前一章，雅各一家停留在示劍，底拿被玷污，西緬和利未用詭詐與暴力報復，使整個家庭陷入混亂、羞辱和危機之中。雅各看見的是外面的危險，但神看見得更深：雅各一家不能再停留在這個混雜的位置，他們需要重新回到神面前。
所以神對雅各說：「起來！上伯特利去，住在那裏；要在那裏築一座壇給神。」
伯特利對雅各來說，不只是一個地方，而是他當年逃避哥哥以掃、前路不明時，神向他顯現的地方。神曾在那裏應許與他同在、保守他、帶領他歸回。如今神再次呼召雅各，不只是叫他離開示劍，更是叫他重新回應神，回到敬拜，回到應許，回到他應該走的路。
但伯特利不是終點。雅各到了伯特利，築壇敬拜，神再次向他顯現，祝福他，確認他的名字叫以色列。之後，雅各又從伯特利起行，繼續往父家方向走。這讓我們看見：神不是只叫雅各停在一個屬靈經歷裏，而是藉著伯特利重新對準他的生命，使他繼續走上回應神的道路。
一、聽見神呼召，從停留中起來
神對雅各說：「起來！」
這一句話很重要。雅各不能再停留在示劍。示劍代表一個不該停留的位置，也代表他在應許道路上的停頓。當他停在那裏，家庭開始被混雜影響，最後帶來嚴重的混亂。
但神沒有放棄雅各。神再次呼召他起來，提醒他：祂就是當年雅各逃避哥哥以掃時向他顯現的那位神。
今天神也呼召我們起來。不是停在混亂裏，不是停在恐懼裏，也不是停在一個讓敬拜失焦、生命混雜的位置裏。走上回應的路，第一步就是聽見神的呼召，從停留中起來。
二、除掉生命混雜，重新歸向神
雅各聽見神的呼召後，就對全家說：「你們要除掉你們中間的外邦神，也要自潔，更換衣裳。」
這說明雅各家中其實有混雜。他們雖然是承受神應許的一家，但仍然有外邦神，有不該留下的東西，有從過去和環境中帶來的影響。
回應神不只是外在行動，也包括裏面的清理。若生命中的混雜不除掉，就算人到了正確的地方，心也未必真正歸向神。
今天我們也需要讓神光照：有沒有一些錯誤的依靠、人的方法、舊的習慣、世界的價值，仍然影響我們的敬拜和道路？
走上回應的路，不只是起來，也要清理；不只是離開錯誤的停留，也要重新歸向神。
三、築壇敬拜神，繼續走應許路
雅各起行的時候，神親自保守他們，使周圍城邑的人不追趕他們。這讓我們看見，真正的安全不是來自人的控制，而是來自走在神的帶領裏。
到了伯特利，雅各築壇敬拜神，稱那地方為「伊勒伯特利」，因為神曾在那裏向他顯現。神也再次向雅各顯現，祝福他，確認他的名字叫以色列，並重申亞伯拉罕和以撒的應許。
雅各的家仍然不完全，後面仍然有拉結的死亡、流便的犯罪、以撒的離世；但神先堅固雅各，讓他知道自己的身份，也知道神的應許沒有改變。
之後，雅各從伯特利起行，繼續往父家方向走。這說明伯特利不是終點，而是重新對準神之後，再走應許路的開始。
走上回應的路，不只是一次感動，也不是停在一次經歷裏；而是在神面前重新築壇，被神堅固，然後繼續走祂要我們走的路。
總結：
創世記35章讓我們看見，神沒有任憑雅各停留在示劍的混亂裏。神呼召他起來，雅各也用很實際的行動回應神：除掉外邦神，自潔，更換衣裳，起行上伯特利築壇敬拜。
當雅各起來回應神，神就在路上保守他；當雅各築壇敬拜，神再次向他顯現，重新祝福他，確認他的身份和應許。
今天神也呼召我們走上回應的路。這條路可能從一個「起來」開始，從一次清理開始，從一個重新敬拜的決定開始，也從我們願意繼續往前走開始。
生命省察／追求：
- 我是否停留在一個不該停留的位置太久？
- 我生命裏有沒有一些不屬於神的混雜，是今天需要放下和清理的？
- 我是否願意不只是聽見神的話，而是真正起來，走上回應神的路？
禱告回應：
親愛的天父，感謝祢沒有任憑雅各停留在混亂裏，也沒有任憑我們停留在錯誤和混雜中。主啊，求祢幫助我們聽見祢的呼召，從停留中起來。求祢光照我們生命中一切不屬於祢的混雜，使我們願意放下錯誤的依靠，重新歸向祢。主啊，帶領我們重新築壇敬拜祢，走上回應祢的道路。當我們起來跟隨祢，求祢親自保守我們，堅固我們，帶領我們繼續走在祢的應許裏。
奉主耶穌基督的名禱告，阿們。
創世記 35
1 神對雅各說：「起來，上伯特利去，住在那裡。要在那裡築一座壇給神，就是你逃避你哥哥以掃的時候向你顯現的那位。」 2 雅各就對他家中的人並一切與他同在的人說：「你們要除掉你們中間的外邦神，也要自潔，更換衣裳。 3 我們要起來，上伯特利去，在那裡我要築一座壇給神，就是在我遭難的日子應允我的禱告，在我行的路上保佑我的那位。」 4 他們就把外邦人的神像和他們耳朵上的環子交給雅各，雅各都藏在示劍那裡的橡樹底下。 5 他們便起行前往，神使那周圍城邑的人都甚驚懼，就不追趕雅各的眾子了。 6 於是雅各和一切與他同在的人到了迦南地的路斯，就是伯特利。 7 他在那裡築了一座壇，就給那地方起名叫伊勒伯特利，因為他逃避他哥哥的時候，神在那裡向他顯現。 8 利百加的奶母底波拉死了，就葬在伯特利下邊橡樹底下，那棵樹名叫亞倫巴古。
9 雅各從巴旦亞蘭回來，神又向他顯現，賜福於他， 10 且對他說：「你的名原是雅各，從今以後不要再叫雅各，要叫以色列。」這樣，他就改名叫以色列。 11 神又對他說：「我是全能的神。你要生養眾多，將來有一族和多國的民從你而生，又有君王從你而出。 12 我所賜給亞伯拉罕和以撒的地，我要賜給你與你的後裔。」 13 神就從那與雅各說話的地方升上去了。 14 雅各便在那裡立了一根石柱，在柱子上奠酒，澆油。 15 雅各就給那地方起名叫伯特利。
16 他們從伯特利起行，離以法他還有一段路程，拉結臨產甚是艱難。 17 正在艱難的時候，收生婆對她說：「不要怕，你又要得一個兒子了。」 18 她將近於死，靈魂要走的時候，就給她兒子起名叫便俄尼，他父親卻給他起名叫便雅憫。 19 拉結死了，葬在以法他的路旁。以法他就是伯利恆。 20 雅各在她的墳上立了一統碑，就是拉結的墓碑，到今日還在。 21 以色列起行前往，在以得臺那邊支搭帳篷。 22 以色列住在那地的時候，魯本去與他父親的妾辟拉同寢，以色列也聽見了。雅各共有十二個兒子。
23 利亞所生的是雅各的長子魯本，還有西緬、利未、猶大、以薩迦、西布倫。 24 拉結所生的是約瑟、便雅憫。 25 拉結的使女辟拉所生的是但、拿弗他利。 26 利亞的使女悉帕所生的是迦得、亞設。這是雅各在巴旦亞蘭所生的兒子。 27 雅各來到他父親以撒那裡，到了基列亞巴的幔利，乃是亞伯拉罕和以撒寄居的地方。基列亞巴就是希伯崙。
28 以撒共活了一百八十歲。 29 以撒年紀老邁，日子滿足，氣絕而死，歸到他列祖那裡。他兩個兒子以掃、雅各把他埋葬了。
Genesis 35 is a very important turning point in Jacob’s life.
In the previous chapter, Jacob and his family stayed in Shechem. Dinah was defiled, Simeon and Levi used deception and violence to take revenge, and the whole family fell into confusion, shame, and danger. Jacob saw the danger around him, but God saw something deeper. Jacob and his family could not continue staying in a place of mixture. They needed to return to God.
So God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God.”
Bethel was not just an ordinary place for Jacob. It was the place where God appeared to him when he was fleeing from his brother Esau, when his future was uncertain and he did not know what would happen next. God had promised to be with him, to keep him, and to bring him back.
Now God called Jacob to go up to Bethel again. This was not only about leaving Shechem. It was about responding to God again, returning to worship, returning to the promise, and returning to the path he was meant to walk.
But Bethel was not the final destination. Jacob came to Bethel, built an altar, and worshipped God. God appeared to him again, blessed him again, and confirmed his name as Israel. After that, Jacob journeyed from Bethel and continued moving toward his father’s house.
This shows us that God was not calling Jacob only to stay in one spiritual experience. God used Bethel to realign Jacob’s life, so that he could continue walking the path of response.
Today, Genesis 35 shows us that God does not abandon people in their confusion. He calls them to arise. When we respond to God, we must leave the wrong place of staying, remove the mixture from our lives, worship God again, and continue walking in His promise.
- Hear God’s Call and Arise from Staying in the Wrong Place
“Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.’”
Genesis 35:1, NKJV
The first word God spoke to Jacob was, “Arise.”
This word is very important. Jacob could not continue staying in Shechem. Shechem was not the place where God wanted him to remain. It represented a dangerous place, and also a pause in Jacob’s journey of promise. When he stayed there, his family became affected by the mixture around them, and serious confusion entered the household.
But God did not leave Jacob in fear and consequences. God called him to arise and go up to Bethel. God also reminded Jacob that He was the God who appeared to him when he fled from Esau.
It was as if God was reminding Jacob: “You did not come this far by your own methods. You did not survive by your own strength. I appeared to you. I promised you. I have kept you all the way.”
Jacob often used his own ways to face life. He grasped the birthright, received the blessing through deception, fled from his brother, and tried to protect himself in Laban’s house by his own methods. Later, he stopped in Shechem, a place where he should not have settled. Yet God did not give up on him. God called him again: “Arise.”
This is also a deep reminder for us. Sometimes the greatest problem in our lives is not only the crisis around us, but that we have stayed too long in a place where we should not remain. We may still believe in God, but slowly lose our direction. We may still know God’s promise, but live in a place where our hearts become mixed, our worship becomes unclear, and our lives lose focus.
God’s call was not to shame Jacob. It was to rescue him from staying in the wrong place.
Today, God also calls us to arise. He does not want us to remain in confusion, fear, or in a place where our worship loses its centre. He calls us back to Himself, to remember that He is the God who has saved us, kept us, and led us until today.
Walking the path of response begins with hearing God’s call and arising from the wrong place of staying.
- Remove the Mixture from Life and Return to God
“And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.’”
Genesis 35:2, NKJV
After Jacob heard God’s call, his response was simple and direct. He did not only say, “We are going to Bethel.” He first said to his household, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.”
This shows that there was mixture in Jacob’s household. Although they were the family carrying God’s promise, there were still foreign gods among them. There were things that should not remain. There were influences brought from the past and from the land around them.
If these things were not removed, even if they arrived at Bethel physically, their hearts would not truly return to God.
So responding to God is not only an outward action. It also includes an inward cleansing. Jacob led his household to put away the foreign gods, purify themselves, and change their garments. This means they could not bring their old dependencies, old mixture, and old uncleanness into worship before God.
The Bible says they gave Jacob all the foreign gods in their hands and the earrings in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. This was a very practical action. Jacob was not only speaking spiritual words. He led the household to hand over what did not belong to God, leave it behind, and not carry it forward anymore.
This gives us an important reminder. Many times, we also want to respond to God and walk in His way, but there are still mixtures in our lives that have not been dealt with. Some mixtures may be wrong dependencies. Some may be human methods. Some may be old habits. Some may be false security. Some may be the values of the world slowly entering our hearts.
God calls us to walk the path of response. This is not only about changing our outward environment. He wants us to bring before Him anything in our lives that is not aligned with Him, so that He may cleanse us and set us apart again.
This word is not only for leaders or those with authority in the family. It is for every person who follows God. Each one of us needs to come before God and ask: Is there anything in my life that makes my worship no longer pure? Is there any dependency that stops me from trusting God fully? Is there any mixture that makes me unstable in walking the way God wants me to walk?
Walking the path of response is not only about arising. It is also about cleansing. It is not only about leaving the wrong place of staying. It is about returning to God.
- Build the Altar, Worship God, and Continue in the Promise
“And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.”
Genesis 35:7, NKJV
“And God said to him: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.’”
Genesis 35:11-12, NKJV
When Jacob and his household set out, God protected them on the way. Genesis 35:5 says, “And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.”
This verse is precious. In the previous chapter, Jacob was afraid that the people around them would rise up and attack his household. But when Jacob responded to God and walked in the way God told him to walk, God Himself protected them on the journey.
This shows us that true safety does not come from our ability to control everything. True safety is found in walking under God’s leading.
Jacob was not protected because his family had no problems. He responded to God’s call while still carrying the confusion and brokenness of his household. Yet God revealed His covenant faithfulness on the way.
When Jacob arrived at Bethel, he built an altar and called the place “El Bethel,” the God of Bethel. This was not just a memorial. Jacob was acknowledging again: “The God who appeared to me then is the God who has brought me here today. My path was not created by my own strength. God has led me all the way.”
God appeared to Jacob again, blessed him again, and confirmed that his name was no longer only Jacob, but Israel. This was God confirming Jacob’s identity. Jacob had been a man who grasped and relied on his own methods. But God brought him into a new identity. He was now Israel — a man dealt with by God, named by God, and led by God.
God also repeated the promise given to Abraham and Isaac. He said, “I am God Almighty.” He promised Jacob fruitfulness, descendants, nations, kings, and the land given to Abraham and Isaac.
This is very important, because Jacob’s household was still not perfect. After this, Rachel would die, Reuben would sin, and Isaac would pass away. Yet before these events, God first appeared to Jacob, strengthened his identity, and confirmed His promise.
This means God’s promise does not stand because people have no weakness. God’s promise stands because of His covenant faithfulness.
Then the Bible says that they journeyed from Bethel. This shows that Bethel was not the final destination. God called Jacob to go up to Bethel, not so that he would stop forever in one spiritual experience, but so that he would be realigned there and continue walking the path of promise.
Jacob eventually came to his father Isaac at Hebron. This was an important step of returning to his father’s house and returning to the inheritance of God’s promise.
So walking the path of response is not only about returning to one place. It is not about remaining in one spiritual experience. Walking the path of response means building the altar before God, being strengthened by God, and then continuing to walk the way He wants us to walk.
Conclusion:
Genesis 35 shows us that God did not allow Jacob to remain in the confusion of Shechem. God called him to arise, go up to Bethel, and build an altar there. Jacob’s response was simple but real. He told his household to put away the foreign gods, purify themselves, change their garments, and then he set out to walk the way God commanded.
When Jacob arose and responded to God, God protected him on the way. When Jacob built the altar and worshipped, God appeared to him again, blessed him again, and confirmed his identity and promise.
Bethel was not Jacob’s final stopping place. It was the place where God realigned him, so that he could continue walking toward his father’s house and toward the promise.
Today, God is also calling us to walk the path of response. This path may begin with one word: “Arise.” It may begin with one act of cleansing. It may begin with a decision to worship God again. It may also begin with the willingness to keep moving forward.
A true response is not only hearing God’s word. It is allowing God’s word to lead us out of the wrong place of staying, to remove the mixture from our lives, to return to Him, and to continue walking in His promise.
Life Reflection and Pursuit:
Have I stayed too long in a place where I should not remain?
Is there any mixture in my life that God is asking me to remove and leave behind?
Am I willing not only to hear God’s word, but to arise and walk the path of response?
Let us not remain only in emotion or knowledge. Today, God calls us to arise. As we respond to Him, He will protect us, realign us, and lead us forward in His promise.
Prayer Response:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for reminding us through Genesis 35 that You did not leave Jacob in confusion, and You do not leave us in the wrong places or in spiritual mixture.
Lord, help us to hear Your call and arise from where we should not remain. Shine Your light upon anything in our lives that does not belong to You. Help us to put away wrong dependencies, human methods, and anything that weakens our worship.
Lord, lead us to build the altar again before You. Bring us back to true worship, strengthen our identity in You, and help us walk the path of response.
As we arise and follow You, protect us, strengthen us, and lead us forward in Your promise.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray,
Amen.
Genesis 35
1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”
2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.
8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.
9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. 17 Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.” 18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.
27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. 28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church 
Leave a comment