Genesis 35

Father, thank you that this is the day that You have made and we shall be glad and rejoice in it in the name of Jesus,. We glorify Your holy name, Creator of heaven and earth and ask that You continue to give us wisdom and understanding in all things in the name of Jesus, Amen. Thank you LORD.

Today's lead Word is from Genesis 35:9-11 NKJV

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."

AMEN. Thank you LORD.

In my previous post, we saw how Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi literally destroyed a whole town after their sister was sexually violated by a prince of that city. The LORD then spoke to Jacob in Genesis 35:1 and told him to move to Bethel. We also see that the LORD was able to protect Jacob and his sons by ensuring no harm touched them as their travelled through the different cities to Bethel (Genesis 35:5). When we look at today's lead verse, we see the LORD God speaking to Jacob and telling him that nations and kings would come from his body (Genesis 35:11) so we see that it was important for God to keep His Word concerning Jacob's offspring and descendants by protecting them from all harm as they travelled through different regions.

The same goes for you as well - the LORD God has a blueprint for your life that He also longs to see fulfilled just like He did with Jacob and His family. Ephesians 2:10 NKJV reiterates God's plans for you and it reads, "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them."

At the same time, it is important to note, Jacob was blessed by God because his heart chose to rely on God's ways as opposed to his own preference or understanding. In fact Psalm 24:6 describes Jacob as one who sought the face of God. Friend, the blessings of God come within His boundaries, not our own rules. Before they departed to Bethel, Jacob intentionally asked them to put away all their foreign gods and purify themselves (Genesis 35:2). I believe the introduction of foreign gods in Jacob's home were as a result of Rachel who had stolen them from her father's household idols! Later we also see that God changed Jacob's name which meant deceiver to Israel as seen in Genesis 35:10 above. The LORD God did the same thing with Abraham when he separated him from his kindred (Genesis 12:1-2) and changed his name from Abram to Abraham which meant 'father of many nations' before He blessed him (Genesis 17:5-6).

The chapter includes the death of Rachel (Genesis 35:19) who was Jacob's beloved and Isaac, Israel's father (Genesis 35:29). Rachel died during the birth of her second son. Before her death, she had named her son, Ben-Oni which meant 'son of sorrow' but Israel made sure to change his son's name to Benjamin which means son of my right hand.

In the new Testament, we also see a story of a man named Saul who God used mightily to lay the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ by stripping away his old nature and making him a new creation in Christ Jesus. The LORD God also changed his name to Paul during his effective work of ministry as entrusted by God.

The only difference with Paul's story is God did not only change his name, but He also ensured that Paul became a new creation in Christ Jesus which now meant that Jesus Christ was his Lord and Saviour.

Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? - Open your heart today as He invites you to a relationship with Him which makes a child of God with access to eternal life and all of God's blessings that Israel and his descendants were promised.

Invitation to salvation: I invite you to make this confession that invites you to new covenant that is found in the precious blood of Jesus Christ where we get to have a personal relationship with God, the Father and are kept safe in all of His blessings for His children:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever." AMEN.

Congratulations, by grace you are saved and are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life has passed away and you have received the free gift of salvation into your life (2 Corinthians 5:17) where you get to freely access everything I've shared in this post. To the glory of the Almighty God. Amen.

Please feel free to reach out to us on info@bibleversionoflife.com. We would love to hear your story and send you a free Bible! God bless you.

PS: Remember to read Genesis 35 alongside this post in your personal devotional time and share your thoughts in the comments below!