“I am with thee, and will keep thee in all the places whither thou goest (where you go).”
Jacob is not one of the most honest men in the Bible, but he was God’s choice to carry on the Messianic line. Jacob is a good example of God’s grace in the lives of people. As you probably know, he cheated his brother Esau out of the family birthright. He and his mother, Rebecca cheated Esau out of the father’s blessing that usually went to the elder brother. Because Esau was understandably angry with Jacob, his mother sent him to Haran to her brother Laban’s home. It was while Jacob was en route to Haran that the event recorded in our text occurred. It is a promise to Jacob, who didn’t deserve it any more than we do, but he got it anyway. It is a promise that is universally given in the Bible and can certainly be applied to our lives. God promised Jacob that He would be with him in his journey. Throughout the Bible, God promises His presence with His people. Jesus dealt with this when He knew that He was about to ascend to the Father. In the gospel of John, He promised His disciples, and subsequently us, that He would not leave them alone. It was at that time that He promised that “the Comforter” or the Holy Spirit would come to them and be in them. John 16:13-14 is one example of this promise: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. 14. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus has promised to be with us in our journey as well. In Matthew 28:20b the last thing that Jesus said, at least in this gospel, was “lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” God promised that He would “keep” Jacob in his journey. Remember, Jacob was on the run from Esau, and that could have been a worry of his. People on journeys in those days had to worry about thieves. It was common for lone travelers to be waylaid on the road. In other words, God would not only be with Jacob on his journey, but He would be there in power. This is a promise that Jesus has given to us. In Jacob’s case, God’s power would apply to the completion of his journey. We are given a similar promise in Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The Lord will keep us in His power, and will give us His power for our Christian journey as well. It is a great cause of rejoicing that the Eternal God of the universe has promised to keep us in His power on our journey. God promised that He would be present with and keep Jacob “in all the places whither thou goest.” God offered His presence and power to Jacob because He had a plan for Jacob’s life. This plan unfolds in the remainder of the book of Genesis. Just as God had a plan for Jacob’s life, He has a plan for our lives as well, and He has promised to be with us and to keep us in our journey as well as we carry out His plan for our lives. If you know anything about this period in Jacob’s life, it was not tied up all neat and pretty, because Jacob being Jacob, there were some detours and problems, but God’s plan for Jacob’s life came to fruition. You might not think that God has a plan for your life, but He does. As you follow His plan, you will still be a human being with all of the failures and foibles that this entails, but God’s promise is that He will be with you “whither thou goest.” I have seen this play out in my life and know that in spite of all my failures and foibles, God has been with me “whither” I have gone. Take Jacob’s promise for yourself!!!! Bro. Joe`
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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