“Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan-Aram, and blessed him. 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. 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. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” Then God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, a pillar of stone; and poured a drink offering on it and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.”

Genesis 35:9-15

God appears to Jacob after he has messed up severely because of his disobedience to God’s commands. In the last couple of scenarios of Jacob’s life, we see that even though God has seen him through hard times, Jacob gets to a place of comfort and complacency and chooses to stay in Schechem (instead of Bethel, which God had commanded him to go). This leads to much heartbreak for Jacob and the entire family (read Genesis Ch. 34 for more context).  Jacob reaps what he sows. But finally, after God appears to him to reiterate his original command to go to Bethel, he obeys. 

Now, God appears to Jacob “again”. God tells Jacob three things.

1. He reminds him of his new name Israel

2. He calls himself God Almighty, and

3. He reinstates God’s commands and His plans through him. 

Believer, when God saves you, you are a new creation:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old had passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

He gives you a new identity. You are no longer the old you, you have a new name and a new family. You are a part of the family of God, His child- forever:

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people and the sheep of HIs pasture.

Psalm 100:3

But now, thus says the LORD, O your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine!

Isaiah 43:1

This is possible, because of Who it is that saves you- God Almighty, the All-Powerful One, El Shaddai. And this same God Most High has given you and I commands to obey and a purpose to fulfill. 

God’s plans did not change because of the choices of Jacob. Jacob took a sad detour. But God’s plans through Jacob continued. What a feeling of relief Jacob must have had! Jacob, full of gratitude and humility worships God and offers a drink and oil offering as a recommitment to his God. God reminds Jacob of the new identity God Almighty has given him and reminds him of his purpose through him. God didn’t give up on Jacob.  It was for His namesake, glory, and honor that He chose Jacob in the first place. And it is the same with you and me. We don’t miss out on the plan or destiny God has for us. It has been laid out from the beginning of the world. We cannot possibly mess up enough to change the course of our life because of the weakness of our nature. God knows we are but dust, weak in our flesh. Our lives depend on His direction, His strength, His power, and His purpose, not ours. And that is possibly why Jacob worshipped and thanked God! With a heart full of gratitude, thinking “Thank God the future of the Covenant depends on God’s faithfulness and not my own!”

Dear Believer, if you have made mistakes, possibly some pretty terrible ones, take heart. If God has chosen you, God can redeem and restore you. He will set the course straight. He is a God that is faithful to forgive you. His mercies are new every morning. If you feel like you have taken a sad detour because of the sin in your life, draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. His forgiveness is more powerful and complete than anything you could have possibly done. May God continue to cleanse us and direct us, as in Lamentations 3:40, 

“Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord.”

 And with the psalmist believe, 

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

The Lord be with you, 

Bianca

*For further insight read 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7, Lamentations 3:22-23, James 4:8, Psalm 51