Although a church building is not really the house of God, we have heard preachers refer to the local church as the house of God, figuratively.  And, in truth, there are many similarities that we can find between “Bethel,” which means “the house of God,” and the local church. ...

  God told Jacob to go back to Bethel and build an altar to the Lord.  Before the journey, Jacob made his household fix up some things to prepare them for Bethel, “the house of God.”  He told them to:   Put Away the Strange Gods (v.2) Comparing this passage...

  In this text we find the major components of most political alliances.  Even though they sound good on the surface, they all fail just like this one did.   Political alliances are often made possible by:   The Promise of National Unity – v.16 Jacob’s sons promised Hamor and...

  Dinah “went out to see the daughters of the land,” and wound up in trouble with a young man named Shechem.  He lay with her and then decided that he wanted to marry her.  Of course, this infuriated her brothers and defiled her body.  The Bible shows us in...

  After such a great prayer meeting with God in Genesis 32, Jacob should have been ready to meet Esau without any fear or reservation.  He should not have worried about dividing up his family or sending out the droves.  He should have been ready to go all the way...

  A Portrayal of Protection, v. 1-2 Jacob met the angels that he had seen on the ladder in Gen. 28:12-15.  He called the place where he met them, “Mahanaim,” which means “two hosts.”   A Portrayal of Precaution, v. 3-6 Jacob sent out messengers to tell Esau that he...

Genesis 31 Jacob heads Home  CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO Jacob Decides to Leave (1-3) Jacob decided to leave for three reasons.   First, his brothers-in-law were mad because he had ripped off their father. Second, Laban was mad because Jacob had outsmarted him. Third, the Lord told him it was...

  Rachel’s Envy (1-2) Envy is a feeling of discontent and resentment over another’s desirable possessions (Gen. 26:14; 37:11; Matt. 27:18).  Rachel envied Leah because Leah could have children and she couldn’t.  She was so mad that she threatened Jacob with suicide.  She could have prayed, instead, like Hannah did...

  Jacob Journeys to Haran (1-6) Haran is located in the southern region of Turkey, just above the northern border of Syria.  It is the place where Abraham’s father, Terah, took his family when they left Ur of the Chaldees.  Evidently, the city was named for Abraham’s brother, Haran, Lot’s...

Genesis 28 Jacob’s Ladder CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO Jacob ran away from Esau and obeyed his parents command to not marry a Canaanite woman.  On Jacob’s way to Padanaram, the home of Laban, Rebekah’s brother, the Lord spoke with him in a dream about a ladder.  In the meantime, Esau,...